Hilary Bowden: Looking forward to a shower

Also the sheer bliss of a daily shower. We all smell like dogs locked in a car after a long country walk and left to ferment. Steve the skipper insists it's the rest of the world that smells bad, but I reckon we're going to empty a few bars now that we're back on solid ground.

There's been a few times during the voyage when if the number 92 bus had had a stop in the middle of the Atlantic I'd have been sorely tempted to flag it down. Chiefly during Tropical Storm Helene.

But mostly it's been a blast even during the times when it's been pitch black, freezing and I've been hit in the face by a wave for the sixth time on a foredeck which feels like a bucking bronco.

Wet sails and happy memories

Skipper Steve Wilkins plans to drink a few beers in Boston

Going down the pointy end of the boat and getting drenched from head to foot, generally go hand in hand.

Whenever the call goes out for a headsail change or a safety check, nine times out of ten you know you'll come back looking like a drowned rat.

The wet sails feel as heavy as telegraph poles as you try to drag them up the deck and hank them on. Getting the wretched things back into their bags would try the patience of a saint. They only respond well to expletives and blind hatred.

But then my mate Dappy's grinning face will loom out of the darkness and shout above the howling wind: "You don't get this down the BBC canteen, do you Hilary?"

He always makes me laugh and he's right. The adrenalin buzz of getting the job done keeps you coming back for more punishment. I never thought I'd take to ocean sailing but I think I've got the bug.

Dolphins and whales

Sometimes being in the Atlantic just takes your breath away. Spotting constellations of stars in a midnight blue sky.

Surfing through great troughs of waves with a huge spinnaker sail flying out in front. Flaming orange sunsets and shell pink sunrises. Watching whales swim alongside eyeballing us. Dolphins frolicking at night, their fins lit up by phosphorescence.

There's also a lot of back-breaking work. I have more biceps and bruises than I know what to do with. And anyone who thinks sailing is glamorous should try pumping out water from the bilges or sitting in driving rain for six hours at a time.

Alas we weren't first across the finishing line in Boston. Our early lead in the race was lost when we took a decision to alter our course to avoid potential hurricanes and we were unable to claw back the miles. As it happens we still hit a bad storm, and finished eighth in the fleet.

But the fact that we all made it through means we are still on a high.

Back to the office

Everyone on board is pleased for female skipper Alex Phillips and the rest of the Quadstone crew who won the first leg.

The thing I will remember most about the trip is the people I sailed with. This race is supposed to be about ordinary people taking on an extraordinary challenge. But I've sailed with them and they aren't ordinary. Funny, brave, resourceful, hard-working, hard-drinking and hard-snoring.

So it's back to the office for me, while the rest of the crew continue their round-the-world adventure. I will be worrying about them, cheering them on and envying them every step of the way.

The crew of Spirit of Hong Kong are: Skipper Stephen Wilkins: Watch leaders: Bjorn Berger, Paul Lynch - Mario Parent, Vincent Gayme, Jennie Jackson, Ingrid Kane, David Pinkney, Mike Hewson, Adrienne Barnett, Katherine Armitage, Richard Thorpe, David Thompson, Steve Strong, Charles Taylor, Bartley Hallmark: Leggers; Holly Day, Hilary Bowden.