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The full fleet was fit and raring to go, Eric Tabarly having agreed to concede one day per leg as a penalty for replacing his keel on Cote d’Or and Skip Novak carrying another ton of weight on Drum as a result of repairs to the hull and rudder.

There were more light airs on the run into the Southern Ocean and much to the crew’s disappointment, not much wind when they got there. After passing Prince Edwards Island, a crewmember on Lion wrote in the ships log, “And we had our own, our very own , private bloody calm yesterday.”

They cheered up when the first iceberg was spotted though the onset of thick fog made life tricky and some individuals wondered what in God’s name they were doing with their lives.

“Everything I wear is wet,” wrote Simon Gundry on Lion. “But why complain. Everybody else has the same problem. Leaving my climb up the steps till the last possible second before 4am and the start of my watch. Why do overtime on a shitty night like this, I thought.”

On Cote d’Or, the hairdryer came out, but went nowhere near anyone’s head. It was used instead to dry out the telex and weather fax while on Lion, there were other more pressing problems, all to do with heads. “Due to renovation of the yellow head, and the red head becoming the dead head, a reallocation of services and schedules is now taking place. One and a half sittings per day (or three every two days) booking required to take no longer than 7 ½ minutes per sitting. Pees – three at three minutes, no booking required.”

A broach on Cote d’Or left Michel Mouseu over the side, grasping the outside of the lifelines, his grip only loosening once he had hauled himself back over the pushpit and into the cockpit.

Come Christmas Day, the crews were ready to let their hair down. A Lobster Bisque with Royal Couscous Harissa followed by a chocolate log, was served up on Cote d’Or and some crewmembers on Lion hung stockings out on the bulkheads. They remained empty though a gift from the weather gods, in the form of some good breezes, propelled them forwards in the fleet to put a festive smile on their faces.

As the fleet rounded Cape Reinga on the run into Auckland, NZI Enterprise and Atlantic Privateer were in front with UBS Switzerland and Lion not far behind, though soon after, Lion collided with a whale, and was slowed by damage to the rudder. News that a Kiwi boat could finish the leg first had all of Auckland out on the water to welcome her back and witness a thrilling finale.

Atlantic Privateer chose to hug the shore while NZI stayed further out which gave the American boat a three nm advantage. Digby Taylor pulled out all the stops to move within half a nm of the leader, but it was Padda Kuttel and his crew on Atlantic Privateer who slid across the line first, followed two minutes later by the Kiwis. All fifteen yachts completed the leg which was a race record, but it was Phillips Innovator, the Dutch crew, who posted their first win on handicap, followed closely by leg one winners L’Esprit d’Equipe.