BT Global Challenge - Leg 2 - 24th October

The sailing is still going well. Currently we are on starboard tack, sailing to windward on a course of approximately 100 degrees. We are getting some distance east, because we think the wind will be moving more into the south-west. We are in first place by 17 miles - which is fantastic, but it's time to talk about the pressure again.

It really is trim, trim, trim all the way, with special attention being paid to the mainsail, we're playing the sail as if we were in a dinghy. As for my mouth infection (riveting stuff huh?) it seems to be getting better. I can now eat Weetabix as well as noodles - no longer Withoutabix and hooray for a varied diet! Hopefully it will have cleared up by Tuesday.'

The fleet are all heading east on starboard tack at the moment, with better breeze expected that side. But the real race is to get into the Trade Winds first, which are still at least a couple of hundred miles to the south. A classic racing dilemma, the short-term gain is to the east on starboard tack, but the medium term requirement is to get south on port tack, hmmm .... LG FLATRON were still in front at 07.45 GMT on Tuesday morning, the BT Global Challenge website reported the positions and distances to the finish of the top six as:

1 LG FLATRON 4389 nm
2 Quadstone 4410 nm
3 Compaq 4423 nm
4 Team SpirIT 4437 nm
5 Logica 4465 nm
6 Isle of Man 4482 nm