120 Nautical Miles isn't a bad run considering the light airs that we have been having of late. The saving grace is that they have gone more easterly so we have a better angle. It also allows us to put up our secret weapon which is a large reacher that sets off the bow sprit, and comes a third of the way back down the hull so it is of a fair size. Patrick Selman who made the sails has done an amazing job for us and I daily get pleasure looking aloft at his workmanship. With the Secret weapon he has excelled himself in that it is in Cornish Colors and looking at a huge white cross we all had a lift. Our hope is that we are able to fly it as we arrive in Melbourne for it is a fitting symbol for this very Cornish voyage.

The heat is starting to tell now and with it being humid today it will be oppressive during the midday sun. Indeed, we have hung a sail bag off the rigging to provide some shade for the helm. One of the joys of this trip and email is that it is completely powered by the sun and looking up at the battery monitor I see we are already nearly back up to full charge, and yet it is only nine in the morning. Last night the Moon was so bright that we could see colour and I had a quick but futile check to see if the solar panels could do something with it.

Looking at the chart we should have cracked the Cape Verde's by tonight which is another mile stone in that we have now turned south and are making our bid for the Doldrums. Looking at the original log they had a miserable time here with three 60NM days and a lot of rain so I guess we have a lot to be grateful for at the moment. Interestingly they had three ships in sight at this time whereas we have only seen two ships in the last week.

Eliot's question of the day is: "Do fish sleep?". I have to say we are all stumped on this one!

Cheers Pete

Eliot relieved me on watch at two this morning and just as he popped his head up a pod of Dolphins joined us. Spirit of Mystery was virtually sailing herself so we spent a magic few minutes on the bow watching them play in the moonlight. Flying fish have now become a hazard with Andy and Eliot taking a direct hit and I can tell you they are really moving. Now to the question of the day posed by Mark; do they change from a shoal of fish to a flock of fish when airborne? Nice one to ponder on methinks and many thanks to all of you who let us know about the eating habits of turtles.

This morning has revealed a couple of new birds which I suspect reside in the Cape Verde's as they are now sixty miles off our port bow. The heat is also starting to rise as we make steady progress south on a wind that isn't what we would have hoped for but is able to keep us trundling. Those off watch are now driven below during the middle of the day to escape its rays. We have to keep wetting the decks to try and stop the timbers shrinking and letting in water.

Life has settled into a daily routine that is both relaxing and yet seems to pass quickly as we keep ourselves busy. Breakfast is around ten followed by the daily square away and any odd jobs such as the blog, baking or washing clothes by stomping on them in a big bucket much like a wine maker would crush his grapes. Around 1300hrs a sun sight is taken and worked out before we start thinking about the evening meal and starting the night watch. About seven hours is spent on the helm and this seems to soak up time. Otherwise we are doing a lot of reading and I am taking great delight in re reading the Bolitho series, thanks to Colin Merry being kind enough to put his collection on board.

Eliot is also doing a lot of reading which is great to see and of course fishing is something that he enjoys immensely.

Cheers Pete

You may recall that in one of Pete's recent blog up-dates, he wanted to know what turtles fed on. The crew on Spirit of Mystery have now been able to put their minds to rest, as I have received several emails through providing useful bits of information and have forwarded it on to them. A couple snippets of information I have set out below which you may also find of interest:

"When turtles are young they are mainly carnivorous, but as they grow older they change to be herbivore, therefore out at sea a fully grown turtle wouldn't have to chase anything at its very slow pace in order to feed. They would wait until they happened to come across seaweed or other such plant life and make a meal of that."

"Turtles eat jellyfish. There are great accounts of turtles eating jellyfish in Ernest Hemingway's 'The Old Man of the Sea' and Michael Morpurgo's 'The Wreck of the Zanzibar', both brilliant stories. Apparently, turtles close their eyes to prevent stinging, open their mouths and just drift through the water chomping on jellyfish."

As Pete put it: "Close your eyes and chomp, now there's a simple approach to life."

A big thank you to all of you who have emailed information in about these beautiful creatures. Keep reading the blogs, no doubt we will require your help again sometime in the near future!

The above picture is of a rather startled looking turtle - this must be how he/she would look, with its eyes closed, quietly going about its own business, chomping away on jellyfish in the middle of the ocean, when all of a sudden out of the blue, it has four faces peering down at it from over the side of a boat. There just has to be a few captions for this picture don't you think? Apologies about the quality of the picture, had to cheat a little to get it up on the blog!

So the Vendee has started and they are off - big fleet this year and it would be such a thrill to see one of them fly by with everything drawing. To see Raphael or one of the Brit's would just top it off. The Vendee is the big one and as the first Brit to complete it I wish them all the very, very best from the bottom of my heart. The start is a spectacle of colour, people, excitement and anticipation as they all leave the dock with everything going for them. The reality on such a gruelling race track is of course quite different. Some will have a good race and some a bad one, there will be tragedy and drama and one can only hope that there is no loss of life. The Vendee is more than a race, and it is how the person reacts to whatever fate chooses to throw at them that counts. It's private, something that the podium can't get to grips with as it lacks the depth, but it is real and lasting to the individual who has endured and enjoyed the ups and downs. The race, on the one hand is quite different now, bigger boats, bigger budgets and they can't go as far south as we did but on the other it is the same. It takes people to their limit and of course the Southern Ocean remains dispassionate and indifferent to the trials and tribulations of those that take on its relentless brutality. It is magnificent and represents an odyssey that can't fail to inspire and thrill both competitor and spectator alike. Fair winds my friends, take care, clip on and make sure that you put a bit of time aside to rejoice and enjoy the beautifully simple task that you face.

To other things on the good ship 'Spirit of Mystery', mundane after the Vendee you might think but not so. We could not be happier out here as we follow in the wake of seven amazing people who did their own Vendee in 1854. I often wonder about their thoughts and emotions as they sailed into this new world that we are enjoying. It will have been as new to them as it is to Eliot; flying fish, a moon that is so bright that when it pops out from behind a cloud it is as if the lights have been turned on. The scale of the voyage; day after day in pursuit of a better life in Australia. What characters they must have been.

The big news yesterday was Eliot catching a Dorado which was in the pan within minutes of being hauled aboard. He was so chuffed as he popped up with a pan of really tasty food. Ray Mears is an inspiration to him and this was living the dream rather than watching someone else on the telly.

The day was topped off with a big Sunday roast and a call home - such a boost to have a chat with loved ones and catch up on the news.

Cheers Pete