We're at last moving again after a frustrating stint in the Doldrums when we watched the rest of the fleet take big miles out of us. It was only 24 hours but felt like a lifetime. Not blazing hot sun and sea like glass, but dark clouds bringing only rain and a heavy swell. So with no power in the sails the boat just lurched over the seas causing the sails to flog even more. Depressing times. It has proved hard to get back into the groove after this, but we've now crossed 10 degrees North (the official limit of the Doldrums) and have found some wind. Good to be moving again and doing ten knots towards Boston. The worst, hopefully, is over! I have to add that not once, even at the slackest moments, when I was gazing at the weather faxes did I wish to be down there at the bottom of the chart where the isobars were so close together they blended into one as lows shreaked eastwards across the Southern Ocean!

There have been some milestones recently, too: crossing our outward tracks, making halfway, and of course crossing the Equator and a return to the court of King Neptune. This time there were only two standing trial and this time not only in front of the merciless King Neptune but also 11 utterly biased jurors. All good, messy entertainment.

The night sky, now we've got rid of the heavy cloud, remains pretty awesome. We can now see the Plough in front of us and the Southern Cross behind us. A view of both hemispheres. I'll refrain from saying "groovy" again.

You'll be pleased to hear when we're off watch the decisions remain as mundane as ever. The latest crisis to strike is the sudden dearth of teabags, after a drinking binge during the first two weeks. We're down to 5 bags per day for the entire crew. Almost as bad as a boat- ful of smokers running out of fags. But amazing how many cups you can squeeze out of a tea bag!

Yours, looking forward to a tea party in Boston, Sarah.