Hi There.

Today has been a good day on Telefónica Blue. With the wind moderating and our spinnaker repaired we have once again been able to sail closer to our full potential. For the last few days with the sail problems we have had it has been a bit like boxing with one hand tied behind your back. Luckily though we didn't go down - we are still in the ring and now fighting back. Better speeds have eased the frustrations of the last few days and now we can look forward to what lies ahead.

Gone now are the big waves and nose diving, the sailing is now more subtle, teasing the best speeds possible out of the boat as we edge south into softening winds and eventually the doldrums. As I write here in the nav station I keep one eye on the radar, just in case of any clouds that may be waiting to trip us up. It is approaching midnight GMT and the moon has yet to rise so it is hard to see what is coming ahead on deck.

Despite being in the tropics it is grey and overcast outside. The remnants of the last tropical wave to pass across the doldrums has covered everything around us in a layer of cloud. It will be our job over the next few days to pick our best way through all of this as we head south. Each update of the weather is keenly awaited to see what is happening in this difficult area. We have a few miles still to best refine our course and try to best line our self up for a good doldrums passage.

Despite the clouds though things are getting warmer. Inside the boat is getting pretty hot now and still humid from the wetness of the last few days. This is taking its toll on a few of the boys who are starting to get rashes. Luckily with Jono's (Jonathan Swain) medical training and many years of Whitbread and Volvo experience, he is making sure everyone is taking care of themselves properly and will have them fixed as quickly as possible.

With the weather arriving on my computer shortly it is now back to the navigating again, checking on the doldrums, checking over the weather maps, satellite pictures, grib files and quickscat images... basically anything I can get my hands on to help best guess what lies ahead.

Cheers, for now.

Si Fi.

Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for all the latest news!

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008 with in-port racing, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race.

Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.