By Anna Wardley In the Caribbean Sea

Sailing rookie Anna Wardley will be sending updates from the Clipper Race as she sails around the world.

Sailing along through a moonlit Caribbean sea, it is hard to believe we have only a week until Christmas.

Away from television, shopping lists and the gloomy weather, there's little to draw our attention to the imminent festivities.

Cuban tinsel in our boat colours of red and gold and a mini advent calendar are our only reminders of the time of year.

Heating up: Hong Kong hits the sunshine

If the wind and the Panama Canal authorities are in our favour, we shoud make it to Panama City by the 25th.

Otherwise, we could still be racing or at anchor awaiting a slot to pass through the canal.

After completing our first Atlantic crossing of three in the 11-month race, we spent last week in Havana.

Hong Kong finished fourth in the last leg, behind Jersey, Bristol and winners New York, who enjoyed a commanding lead throughout most of the 4700-mile race.

During our 29-day Atlantic passage, we saw little but sea, sky and a few lonely-looking birds.

We also got regular visits from flying fish that seem to prefer our cockpit to the ocean.

One night, while sat in the cockpit trimming the spinnaker, I had a close encounter with one of these slippery characters.

It smacked me on my shoulder in the dark, with quite some force.

Fingers crossed, we'll be able to celebrate Chriistmas with some cold beers in Panama City instead of our usual warm squash

After a great run in the tradewinds, the wind died in the last dew days of the last race.

We were left drifting off the north coast of Cuba resorted to swimming around our boat and playing Pooh Stick to alleviate the boredom.

Thankfully, the wind is back for the third leg and we're powering towards Jamaica under our white sails, having just passed Grand Cayman.

We're currently lying in second place, chasing the leading boat Jersey in this 1070-mile drag to Panama.

Only a few miles separates us and the sight of their navigation lights on the horizon is spurring us on through the night.

Back to basics

It's been geting hotter and hotter and we've swapped our smelly oilskins for bikinis and shorts.

Now we're melting in the heat and beginning to understand why the luxury yachts of the Caribbean have air conditioning and ice makers.

Here on Hong Kong everything is stripped down to the bare basics.

Fingers crossed then, that we'll be able to celebrate Chriistmas with some cold beers in Panama City instead of our usual warm squash on the boat.