BT Global Challenge - Leg 2 Finish - 18th November

The wind on Monday moved round onto the nose and picked up to 30-35 knots. As it was southerly the temperature took a dive and became very cold. Up until today I have been wearing every piece of clothing I brought with me in an attempt to keep warm. When the breeze picked up we had another 'one of those watches'. We went from full sail to the storm staysail and three reefs in the main, all in the space of a couple of hours. But these things are starting to become common place!

Then another Capo Branco loomed. After we had had our socks blown off (fantastic helming again in big short seas), the wind eased and we headed inshore to the coast of Uruguay. Basically, we have had another tacking battle with a headland - this time it was Capo Palonio.

The wind was light and last night with a knot of current against us between Capo Palonio and Capo Santo Maria we had to drop the kedge anchor - unbelievable! We had had our lead cut down to 80 miles and now we were sat there freezing with the hook down! But all good things come to those who wait and after a couple of hours the wind picked up and just after the watch change, the spinnaker was back up in a northerly breeze.

We came back on watch at 04:00 hours with the genoa up and ten-to-15 knots of wind. We blasted past Pointa Jose Ignacio and with the dawn we were passing Punta del Este. This morning was another of those plus points of the trip. A gorgeous sunrise, a good position report (115 miles to second place) and a wonderful cold crispness in the air. Everyone in a great mood cracking on towards the finish up the River Plate, we should be in tomorrow morning.

This will probably be the last journal I get to send off the boat, next stop Puerto Madero Buenos Aires. I will be back in touch as soon as I can get on the internet in BA!'

We suspect however, that Andy may be doing some celebrating before he spends too much time in search of an Internet cafe. It took them a little longer to cross the line than they had hoped - doesn't it always - but LG FLATRON won Leg Two of the BT Global Challenge, having led for the majority of the 5,500 mile leg - a great result. Ali Layton reports;

The closing hours of this leg from Boston to Buenos Aires have proved to be very frustrating for the LG FLATRON crew. With land in sight, the 72 foot yacht was making speeds of nine knots or more increasing their lead to over 140 miles at one point. But as LG FLATRON turned into the River Plate leading up to the capital city of Argentina, the winds died and hours were spent sitting and waiting with flapping sails.

Eventually, LG FLATRON crossed the finish line at 1413 GMT on the 17th November, confirming that they really are the favourites for this 30,000 mile, round the world yacht race.

Having achieved third position in Leg One and first position in Leg Two, LG FLATRON head the leaderboard with a total of 28 points (subject to ratification from the BTGC Race Committee). Conrad Humphreys, ex-Whitbread sailor and skipper of LG FLATRON, was jubilant about the crew's glorious win, he commented;

'The crew has worked so hard to maintain this incredible lead that we have carried for the majority of this leg. To come into Buenos Aires in the way that we did today has been worth every drop of sweat and every tear. The last four days have been some of the most frustrating in my sailing career, being able to almost taste the success of winning such a hard leg, but not daring to believe it before we eventually crossed the finish line today!'

'The atmosphere on the pontoon at the Puerto Madero Yacht Club was unbelievable. The welcome that Buenos Aires has given us will be remembered for a long time. The crew will now have a well deserved cold beer before we get ready to cheer the rest of the fleet in.'

The LG FLATRON crew will spend the next three weeks in Buenos Aires before setting sail again on Sunday 10 December. Leg Three will take them to Wellington across the Southern Ocean for one of the toughest legs in the entire race.

At 0801 GMT on Saturday 18th November, the BT Global Challenge website reported the positions and distances to the finish of the top six as:

1 LG FLATRON - Finished
2 Spirit of Hong Kong - Finished
3 Logica 20 nm
4 Compaq 27 nm
5 Olympic Group 37 nm
6 BP 60 nm