[For me] Great relief to arrive in Qingdao. Haven't enjoyed this leg (well, the first 3 days were good) and so pleased to have arrived onshore without doing any further injury to myself.

A fantastic reception from the people of Qingdao. Reception boats out to meet us, bands on the harbour walls as we first came in, the customary case of beer :-), the bands playing dockside, the champagne, fireworks, speeches, on a different scale to anything we have seen previously. A great welcoming from the people of Qingdao in the run-up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games where Qingdao are hosting the sailing element of the games;it will be spectacular.

Pre-race planning and keeping a constant eye on the weather forecasts, we know we are going to be beating to windward for the entire leg. It's going to be lumpy and constant hard work and, as we get further away from the equator, increasingly colder.

In order to get the best speed out of the boat we have to move the unused sails to the windward, high side of the boat after each tack. Unfortunately for me, three days after leaving Singapore, we are moving the Yankee 1 (big, heavy sail) and the boat slams! I am caught in a twisting, lifting position and 'ouch' (to put it mildly!). Guess my lifting days on this trip are over.

As we get further north, the temperature drops, my back stiffens up and then it's down below for me. The memory of the remaining seven days will always remain with me (for the wrong reasons though :-) and all I can say is thank heavens for painkillers.

The conditions on deck are steadily worsening with the cold and the wind (-12 degrees on one night) and the rest of the guys do a fantastic job sailing the boat and getting us to Qingdao.

We don't manage to improve on our position in the fleet and, when the race is called off (due to forecast light winds and our 'must' arrive date in Qingdao looming) finish in 9th place.

Well done to everyone, but especially to Crimewatch who, once I became ineffective, had two less people on their watch than Baywatch).

The 6th leg of the race starts and we're in a fairly good position to the north of the fleet when us, Qingdao and Western Australia, sail into a 'wind hole'!

Stuck for around what seems like days (but is only about an hour or so) we get the wind again and do our best to close the distance to the fleet leaders.

Tacking between land and the traffic separation scheme we manage to 'clear' land around nightfall, still towards the back of the fleet.

Because of the heat and humidity it is fair to say that the majority of people are pleased to be leaving Singapore. Most have had a great time here but it's time to move on and get into what is going to be a difficult, upwind leg to China.

My back has held up well since leaving Australia (I tore a disk in my lower back pre-Fremantle) but it 'traditionally' doesn't handle the cold well. I have a few concerns over what will probably be the hardest leg of the race, but fingers crossed!

Another great turnout to see us off from Keppel Bay.

We leave, confident that we can improve on our second place position in the last leg.