It’s mid-summers day aboard Team Stelmar and we are well on our way towards La Rochelle, a full moon is due tonight and the sailing is fast, crisp and clear.

It was a pleasant stop in Boston, much needed after Leg 5, and an enjoyable last week of sailing with our sponsors, an evening hosted by OSG with Sir Chay and the prize giving. The team took the much coveted safety prize as well as the 24-hour prize for the leg and another race record, back in our hands after BG stole it from us on the run into Cape Town. We’re officially safe and fast, and pretty happy as well. In the overall standings we are not in the best shape but as our prize tally is now eight for the race we are doing well in other areas.

As is customary we were first over the line, unfortunately this time three seconds early (plain OCS) so it looks like BP will take that prize. We knew as a heavily biased pin end line and with a beat out of the harbour we needed a good start and clean air, which we achieved. Round the cans, good starters in competitive fleets recon on a percentage of their starts being OCS, in a race of over three thousand miles it was slightly unnecessary, but our 720 penalty taken outside the harbour cost us only a matter of boat lengths. For us it is more a show of our determination to be at the front in this leg.

Currently BG is ahead with Me To You and Pindar behind, after a slow start our move north is paying dividends. The high is pushing through to the south giving us more pressure from the south-west allowing fast down the line stuff, good for progress. We are now pushing east as fast as possible and with prospect of this wind holding for a few days we need to capitalise on the extra pressure we have and keep putting miles on the fleet. This leg is relatively short and inevitably will be hard fought to the end. All onboard are keener than ever to get another podium and add to our prize tally.

Clive Cosby – skipper Team Stelmar