BT Global Challenge - Leg 2 - 6th November

We are still trying to get round Capo Branco (eastern tip of Brazil). What is it about sailing that means that you always end up tacking round headlands! Even if this one is the coast of South America rather than Portland Bill. We managed to get through the Doldrums unscathed without losing the wind or our lead. But it has left us with a struggle to get round this bit of Brazil that's seriously in our way. On starboard tack we are heading at about 080 degrees, while on port tack we are doing around 200 - I wouldn't call either of these favourable given our present position - where we need to go south!

We are still in first place but some of the boats have got better angles round the Cape than us. This will be an important turning mark, we will see where we are once we're round. After this corner it's pretty much a straight line to Buenos Aires, as long as we are near the front hopefully we can do well. We are trimming the boat constantly - as ever - and have integrated our new leggers into the art successfully.

The ride to BA should give us some great downwind sailing with some fast spinnaker work. It has been a relentless slog to windward so far, and it would give us all a break to have the boat a bit flatter. The weather is also seriously hotting up. We cannot open the hatches as there is still quite a lot of water coming over the decks and that makes the temperature below sweltering. Sleeping becomes a real problem when it's this hot, and then there's the smell ...

Our other big news is crossing the equator - the magic moment was late on Friday evening. I got up out of my bunk to watch the GPS (Global Positioning System) go from north to south and very briefly show all the zeroes. I then went on deck to get my first glimpse of the Southern Hemisphere. It was a special moment, one of those parts of the trip that I have been looking forward to for the last three years.

What happened at 0400 hours on Saturday morning was expected, but no-one guessed quite how gruesome it would be - we had a visit from King Neptune! Because of the setting on the boat clocks, the sun was already up and it was a beautiful morning, perfect for the 'celebrations'. It is a tradition when sailors cross the equator for the first time to get a visit from Neptune (a.k.a. Conrad, the skipper). It is up to Neptune to decide if you are allowed to proceed into the new hemisphere.

Firstly, you are forced onto your knees and have your hands tied behind your back. Neptune then asks the other crew if they have anything good to say about you, which is rare! Neptune then reads out your crimes - lengthy and unrepeatable - and decides that you can cross the equator, but with a small penalty, which is where the fun really starts.

Conrad had been collecting the left-over food for a couple of days and added anything nasty, gooey and wet that he could get his hands on. The penalty involves having this smelly concoction poured over your face, down your back and down your swimming shorts! The result is that you smell and can't open your eyes or mouth for fear of the goo getting anywhere you don't want it. Finally, you are presented with a certificate of crossing and sent up to the foredeck to wash off!

It was great fun, only Conrad had sailed over the equator before so all 17 of us had to be done. When we recross the equator from Cape Town to La Rochelle there will only be about four crew who will be visited by Neptune - we are already planning the despicable acts we are going to impose - fun fun fun!'

Since Andy wrote his report, LG FLATRON has squeezed around the tip of Brazil, and eased sheets onto the new course for Argentina. They still hold a comfortable lead, and at 0753 GMT on Monday 6th November, the BT Global Challenge website reported the positions and distances to the finish of the top six as:

1 LG FLATRON 2138 nm
2 VERITAS 2205 nm
3 Team SpirIT 2217 nm
4 BP 2232 nm
5 Logica 2241 nm
6 Compaq 2244 nm