This is going to be a short blog as it's been hard work for a while and I am overdue on some sleep. The last 24hr run was fantastic with 150NM of great sailing under our belt. Midnight saw us crack ten degree's North which we have always seen as a milestone and dawn knocked of nine degree's. During the afternoon yesterday we dropped the big Mizzen having noticed that the line lashing it to its spar had chafed through and needed replacing. The reality is that I am really surprised at the lack of chafe when you look at everything we have up in the air.

This morning, just after our fantastic run we hit a brick wall. A huge and menacing cloud line swept up over us; I donned my foulies and called Eliot on deck as he was due to replace me and waited to see what it would bring. Heavy rain preceded strong winds so it was all hands on deck to drop the big lug, and we spent an hour with the mizzen and jib watching the compass swing round to the west as we were headed. We tacked and put up the big lug with a reef and have since been trying to make some ground to the south and east. The trouble is that we have a very confused sea and the moment we get moving she is thrown off course and we have to start all over again.

I think it is just a case of holding on and waiting for more favorable winds to come along. I also think we can safely say that we have entered the Doldrums and have some frustrating times ahead. All the more so for knowing that the clock is eating into our arrival for Christmas. This brings me neatly on to gifts, and one of Eliot's highlights is to open one of his presents from Tracey and he has been counting down the days until the next one which was today. He took ages feeling them all trying to decide which was next and the result is a card game of which we will have a go at later and some sweets. It brings a bit of Mum into his life and his smile is worth its weight in gold. There's a big hug on its way to Cape Town Tracey.

I also have a present but will wait until tonight as it's time for some kip.

Cheers Pete

We have had a blinding night of perfect sailing which has delivered a very gratifying 135NM. This is all the more satisfying when you consider that in the first six hours we had only managed 24NM.

The evening saw the wind pick up and we were off with the boat feeling more alive than it has for a long time; this is what I call trade wind sailing and it looks like it might hold for a bit despite the fact that we are closing the Intertropical Convergence Zone or Doldrums. They are starting to show their presence with very humid hot conditions that make life hot both on deck and below right round the clock. Last night we started to see the beginnings of trade mark thunder clouds and I even had to slip my foully jacket on for a rain shower.

One of the surprises that have come from all this is how effective a 'Cobber' is. Jonathan and Bess Hayward gave us all a Tally Hat for the voyage - and they are the best hats in the world - and as he handed them over he said 'got some Cobbers as a bit of fun'. Jonathan, you would be amazed at how good they are at keeping you cool. They are like a thin scarf that when soaked in water swell up into a sausage that keeps cool through evaporation and being round the neck cools the Carotid Artery and they work for days. I wouldn't have believed it but have a look for yourself on www.bodycool.tv.

We had a couple of interesting sights yesterday with what we think were shoals of Tuna jumping out of the water much like a Salmon would. Loads of them, and we are wondering what would have caused this, some predator we assume? Needless to say Eliot has his line and best lure out in a flash but to no avail. When I relieved Mark last night we had a quiet cup of coffee on deck and were joined by a pure white bird that hovered about the boat. It was quite eerie as it glowed in the moonlight, quite beautiful. At the end of the watch swapping over with Eliot we were joined by Dolphins playing under the bow and we shone a spotlight on the water and they loved it, bunching up and performing for their audience.

We also had a huge ship pass very close down our port side and had a good old chat on the VHF. She had carried coal from Australia to Rotterdam and was on the way to Brazil to carry Iron Ore to Japan, a voyage that will take 31 days. From there she will repeat the cycle again meaning that she will complete just under two circumnavigations in the time we take to make Melbourne.

This morning has been a make and mend day with a clothes wash and sowing up a seam on our light weight Cornish sail.

Cheers Pete

I find myself with little for the blog today as we have had a very quite 24hrs with a soft wind that has waxed and waned through a humid and lethargic night. Even the flying fish have been staying below the surface apart from an enterpising effort which landed in the dishes bucket during Marks watch. He is probably still blowing bubbles and spinning yarns of Alien abduction as I type.

Given the lack of wind we were heartened to see that our 24hr run gave us 115NM so we are still making reasonable way as we coax her along. It has gone light as I type and we are starting to wallow so I can only hope that it is not a sign of things ahead for the rest of the day.

I spent some time last night trying to get a nice picture of Eliot on the helm and although I didn't manage to capture the shot I am after, I did make progress playing around with shutter speed and painting him with light. My hope is to have the Moon above him for it is glorious at the moment.

He has just rushed on deck with his rod out for Mark has shouted to say that there are big fish jumping about the boat. Could be a fish dish tonight!

Cheers Pete

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