24th Feburary, 2002 - The "National Investment Institute's" visit to Martin vaz Island was unfortunately an anticlimax to say the least. The yacht arrived late on the 22nd to enter the harbour but was unable to due to large surf across the harbour entrance. The crew were awestruck at the spectacular rock formations which typically define Martin vaz Island but after discussions on the VHF Radio with the Garrison Commander of the island and discussions amongst the crew, it was decided that the yacht would continue on their next leg to Capetown...only 2591 miles to go!!!!

Previous Updates:

22nd Feburary, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" is making good time over the final stages of this leg, averaging 7 knots over the last 24 hours. The crew had to contend with a night of rainy squalls but apart from that the weather has been fine. The crew are readying themselves for arrival in Martin vaz Island..looking forward to the next leg to Capetown. The vibe is very upbeat, (see comments above) & all are in great spirits.

21st Feburary, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" has spent a couple of uneventful days sliding down to Martin vaz Island. The wind has been around 15-20 knots from the ESE although they have been experiencing a few squally showers over the last day just to keep the crew on their toes! As they slip south, it is starting to get a little cooler, although with a sea temperature of around 31 deg C, its not quite time to break out the Thermal gear yet! The crew hope to be in port in around 2 days.

19th Feburary, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" is pushing its way down toward Martin vaz Island courtesy of a 15 to 20 knot SE wind. All the crew are in great spirits, with the smell of "King Neptune" finally starting to lift a little! They are looking forward to the next leg, plus looking back at a very interesting few days..

18th February, 2002 -The crew of the "National Investment Institute" have had a big weekend, with a visit from King Neptune himself! Tradition has it that any sailor that has not crossed the Equator before is blessed with a visit from King Neptune on their crossing...

This interesting mixture (i.e. King Neptune) was ceremoniously dumped on the new crew member's head, the crew member then thrown overboard..obviously to get rid of the smell! With the ceremonies completed, the yacht then proceeded to round the Rocks of St. Peter & St. Paul, thus confirming to the "rules" of a true circumnavigation, then scooting south toward Martin vaz Island..just over 900 miles away.. The yacht is now back in some good breeze, so they are only 6 days from Martin vaz Island.

14th Feburary, 2002 -All good things must come to an end eventually.. The Tradewinds, that have enabled the "National Investment Institute" to make great time up the coast of Brazil, are starting to peter out somewhat. At least the temperature has dropped a little, although they are experiencing very heavy showers of rain. The crew are getting ready for their arrival of King Neptune when they reach the Equator in the next day and a bit.

13th Feburary, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" is still expereincing beautiful steady Tradewinds as it scoots its way North. The sun is out, hardly a cloud in the sky...the Southern Ocean seems a long, long way away. The crew had a pleasent surprise when they passed a ship out of Montevideo, wafting from it was the scent of its Eucalyptus payload..ahh, the smells of home! With less than 2 days to go to the Equator crossing, the crew are anticipating this exciting time!

12th Feburary, 2002 -The crew on the "National Investment Institute" are sweltering as they reach up the coast of Brazil toward the Equator. Averaging over 7 knots, the crew are relishing the trades but are starting to wish that it would cool down just a little! The cabin temperature last night didn't get under 30 deg C. With even the sea temperature over 32 deg C, even the sea spray isn't cooling!

11th Feburary, 2002 -On Friday the birds finally brought something else besides droppings! The sked from the "National Investment Institute" read.."last night the birds brought rhubarb". This may sound a little strange but the crew are being a little superstitious..rhubarb is code for the tradewinds! They aren't game to mention the "T" word just in case they disappear again!

The yacht has made excellent ground due to the "rhubarbs". The yacht has averaged 175 miles per day at an average speed of over 7 knots and now has only 689 miles to go to the Equator. If the winds keep up at this rate, they should arrive in 4 to 5 days.

8th Feburary, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" is slowly making its way toward the Equator in very damp, sticky & humid conditions. The yacht & crew are continually being struck by heavy rain storms; even the birds aren't flying about, instead choosing to rest on the yacht until conditions improve. One bird even decided that he would be happier below decks! The crew are still crossing their fingers that the Trade Winds will kick in and improve their living conditions somewhat!

7th Feburary, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" has spent the day drifting in a 4 knot zepher. This has given the crew a bit of a chance to give the boat a bit of a spruce up plus given themselves their first shower since leaving Punta del Este (phew!). Melanie has cooked the boys a lemon cake and there is a small semblance of reality in the crew for the moment. The crew are getting a little excited as they are now halfway between Punta del Este and the Equator. Do they know about the ritual that first time crossers of the equator need to endure?

6th Feburary, 2002 -Conditions on the "National Investment Institute" are very trying at the moment. It is very humid, with rain clouds about and the wind is very patchy & light. They only made 96 miles in the last 24 hours & the crew are really hoping the trades will hurry up and arrive!

There have been some nail biting times however, with the crew sighting 3 waterspouts over the last day. They werent quite as scary as these ones (left), but mindful of what damage was done to the Sydney-Hobart fleet just recently by one of these, they decided to keep out of their way anyway!

4th February, 2002 -With the sea & air temperature slowly increasing still, the "National Investment Institute" is starting to enter "Tradewind Territory". The boat is scooting along nicely at just under 9 knots before a 15 knot Southerly, managing over 450 miles over the weekend. The trades have come in at various times time but have died as quickly as they have come. This is proving a little frustrating at times, it doesn't help that the cabin temperature is now hovering around the 35 deg C mark! With a fair way still to go to reach the equator, its going to get a lot more uncomfortable on the yacht before it gets better!

1st Feburary, 2002 -As expected, the wind has swung back around and increased in strength again to around 20-25 knots. This means that the crew are again beating their way up the Brazillian coast, making slow headway; 93 miles over the last 24 hours. The crew have put 2 reefs in the main and put up the staysail to make life a little more pleasent. The sun is still out so it is still quite warm & humid.

31st January, 2002 -The conditions on the "National Investment Institute" are getting warmer! The breeze is dropping and the temperature is rising making things a little stuffy on board. The yacht sailed past a Brazilian fishing boat, exchanging pleasantries before moving on. Unfortunately, the yacht is only averaging around 6 knots due to the light winds. Looking at the map they may have something on their way soon.

30th January, 2002 -The wind has eased and swung around a bit overnight so that the "National Investment Institute" is now running before a 10 knot breeze. The yacht is still averaging over 7 knots so the crew are still happy with their progress. The night watch enjoyed a balmy evening under a full moon..a long way away from the "growler" lookouts of 6 weeks ago!

29th January, 2002 -The "National Investment Institute" left sunny Punta del Este on Sunday morning (Uruguay time) heading north to Martin Vaz Island. With the sea temperature at a balmy 27 deg C, the thermals have been well and truly locked away although it did rain for a time. This rain then cleared up with the result that the crew are reaching in 20 to 25 knots of breeze just off the Brazillian coast. Life is good!!