Sam here: our Skipper is still getting his voice back, so you'll have to settle for an AQP blog today...

This is the day I regret not keeping a personal log, as I'm struggling already to be sure what happened yesterday and what happened several days ago as is often the way when living in a watch system. Many of our crew are good diarists, so hopefully they'll be able to fill in the details when I look back and it's all a blur. My burgeoning TimeZero addiction (which is spreading rapidly on board) is certainly not helping. I've lost most of the last hour to second guessing and comparing options, only to end up less sure which is best. At least now I can procrastinate by writing this blog.

We've had our fair share of kite changes and gybes, with a healthy competition for slick manoeuvring growing between the watches. Much of the credit for our fast improving standards should go to our two Watch Leaders, Mike Cerrato and Carola Goehlich. Both instinctive sailors, both respected by all on board and starting to really take charge of the deck. Everyone is working hard to improve and develop their skill sets, in particular their driving. My last 24 hours have mostly been spent with Hector Watch, where Nick Hussey and Francesca Kitto-Jones in particular have started to really get the hang of driving under the spinnaker. Our more experienced hands have done spells with instruments covered, and we even had a play with driving blindfolded to emphasise the importance of trimmer/helm communication - James Anderson earned a round of applause for being almost as good blind as he is with two eyes.

Our daily soap opera is refreshed every day as the Mother Watch rotate. As much as we enjoy the fresh bread and our daily cake, the entertainment provided by their various double acts is at least as important. Last night saw an attempt at apple crumble, which came off nicely, but thickening the second batch of custard proved too great a challenge, leaving them staring at a yellow puddle and their abandoned whisk. Some days we have an abundance of skill and flair in the galley. Following that experience, Jo Court has just told me she'll put the breadmaker on as 'I'm not sure they're up to it'.

Yesterday afternoon finally saw the deck shower (fire hose) plans come to fruition. About half the crew are now about half as smelly as they were this time yesterday.

I'm off to my bunk, hopefully to wake up to a positive schedule and news that the All Blacks have beaten the Springboks. Rob Stewart is our resident South African on board and we've been weighing up various wagers for the match (including me covering his next dinner service on Mother Watch).

Enjoy the weekend!