$1 million

On board Doha 2006 Paul Larsen says he is not yet smiling at the crocodile

The photo comes today from the eye of the one shot wonder, Johnny Malbon, who, on seeing great beauty in nature, for the first time in the trip, grabbed the nearest camera which was luckily still set up for the previous evening's sunset exposure and proceeded to peel off a beauty. Normally sunrises/sets down here are just various lightening and darkenings of the colour grey so this one was a real treat.

The pace has slackened for us this morning as we begin to drop off the back of the front we have been riding for the past couple of days. We have a bit of an issue with a high pressure system at the moment.

The issue is this. Up ahead lies a substantial ice belt which if we were to avoid, would require us to go north... into a high pressure 'parking lot' with no wind. To go south gives us wind but the risk of icebergs. At the last check we had managed to pull out a lead over Cheyenne of some 720 odd miles. Orange II recently went blasting through here but further analysis of their course shows that they actually went south of some of the 'bergy' bits whether they knew it or not.

The ice is still a few hundred miles ahead as we are currently south of the Tasman Sea and the ice is under Campbell Island to the south of New Zealand. We are carefully watching our position as we are trying to keep various avenues open depending on what weather lies ahead.

The fact is that we will most likely have to deal with ice. I've never seen ice at sea and am actually quite looking forward to it but on the other hand it throws a dangerous variable into the equation that I could equally happily live without.

One of the interesting aspects of this event is the large amount of prize money up for grabs. One million US dollars in fact. It adds a whole new dimension to the game which is pretty novel to most of us. On board the boat it is almost as if it didn't exist as if the mere mention of it will send us headlong down a path of disaster and deserved poverty. So any consideration of prize money should best be kept to oneself.

However, seeing that this is going off the boat then let me share a few of the thoughts that had crossed my mind regarding a share of the prize money. Firstly, each individual on board now has a substantial vested interest in this boat succeeding. Normally you get paid no matter what the result but now your pay multiplys if you actually win. If the mast blows over the side, so does a suitcase with a million dollars in it. So the value of each critical component on the boat has now gone up by a million dollars no matter how big or small it is. Not only will it cost the owner/sponsor of the boat, but come out of the earnings of the crew. Now is this unrealistic? Not worth thinking about? Or an incentive to get up and go and check everything one more time?

Secondly, to steal a quote of Stan, "Don't smile at the crocodile until you have crossed the river", which in the context of the conversation means that although we are currently in good shape and in a strong position, there is a loooong way to go. The money adds a second level of pressure above simply 'the glory' to actually win this thing. Could you imagine anything worse than being 500 miles in the lead as you re-enter the Persian Gulf only to have a complete parkup in the Straits of Hormuz and watch your nearest rival come roaring right up to you... and then sneak off with the chocolates?

Now it's one thing to have to suffer the smugness in the bar afterwards and to have your competitive pride trampled on... but then it's another thing to watch that same smug SOB riding around town next month on your bloody Ducati. Stuff that, I want to be the sender of the postcards here, not the reciever. 500, 700, 1000 miles in front, it's not enough until you are over the finish line. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only person on board thinking about such matters.

So those are just a couple of thoughts that crossed my mind in the long night time watches. Cash, both an incentive and a pressure cooker that could be the bringer of joy... or long term bitterness. One things for sure, it will magnify the emotions of the final outcome.

Cheers, Paul.