The type of people who do this race are a bloody-minded lot

Stephen Wilkins Skipper

He was enjoying a quiet mug a coffee when a huge wall of water swept him along the deck like a rag doll and hurled him against the communications satellite dome at the rear of the boat.

When the tonnes of water finally subsided he found himself spreadeagled on his back - holding just the handle of the cup.

He said: "I lost a fingernail and hit my hip quite badly but it could have been a lot worse."

Worst nightmare

Unknown to him, a crew aboard a rival yacht just a short distance away was about to endure its worst nightmare.

Veritas crew volunteers Robert Brooke and Charlie Smith were both seriously injured when another freak wave hit the starboard side of their yacht during gale force conditions.

Brooke, 61, lost a little finger, fractured and dislocated other fingers and strained his back and knee, while Smith, 31, suffered a fractured left femur, a fractured left elbow, a compound fracture of one ankle and his other ankle was dislocated.

They had to be dropped off in Port Eden for emergency medical treatment before their shocked crewmates bravely resumed the race.

Stephen said: "Obviously when you hear about an incident like that on another yacht - it has an impact.

"But the type of people who do this race are a bloody-minded lot and they just keep on going."

'Umbrella of light'

Spirit of Hong Kong got off to a good start earning an early second place position in the fleet.

But as the leg progressed the mountainous seas of Southern Ocean took their toll - damaging sails and communications equipment.

It meant having to do with vital satellite weather information which played its part in the team's eventual disappointing ninth place.

Leg five saw the teams race from Sydney to Cape Town

But sailing through some of the wildest, most inhospitable places on earth brought its own rewards.

Paul said: "Seeing the Southern Lights is something I will always remember.

"One moment you see a sheet of light that looks like someone left the door to the heavens open just a crack.

"And then you are overwhelmed by this huge umbrella of light cascading down from the sky.

"Mostly it is white light but occasionally the spectrum appears and you see amazing reds and blues."

'Huge winds'

There have to be a few upsides to 37 days of bone-chilling cold, when all your clothes are dripping wet and the thought of another plate of rehydrated food is too much to contemplate.

But then again these are not normal people.

Chas Taylor, who celebrated his 27th birthday on board, said: "During this leg we hit huge wind strengths and massive seas and had some real setbacks with damaged sails.

"We also lost the communications dome which meant no e-mail contact with people back home. Everyone has had several beatings on deck, with the bruises to show for it and it has been colder than it should ever be anywhere!

"But the atmosphere on board has been great and this for me so far has been the best leg so far."

Mad? Quite possibly. A force to be reckoned with in the final two legs? Definitely.