Arrive at the Flamingo Marina in Panama and greeted with the usual beers and a bottle of rum.

Waiting to transit the canal now, we just have to await our slot and then race up to Jamaica once we are through the canal.

Into the bar and onto, what turns out to be (for me), a very messy night. Haven't been this bad for a long time - knew it wasn't good when Gordon and Paul (off of Glasgow) got me onto the Sangria at around 2 pm. Ouch!

Stop to refuel in Costa Rica and they kindly provision us with fresh fruit, veg, coca cola and a few beers each. Durban and WA are in before us and once on our way, motor down to Panama with them.

Motoring to Panama, it is clear from the outset that we do not have enough fuel and will need to pick some up 'somewhere'.

Clipper manage to arrange a fuel stop at Banana Bay marina in Costa Rica. About 1000 nm away.

As we're no longer racing, we split into 4 watches and go into a 3-on, 9-hour off routine.

To help break up the routine, someone (Will, I think) decides to invent an on-board Murder, Mystery 'Cluedo-type' game where crew names, 'murder' weapons, and places on the boat are put into separate bags and you draw one from each. You then have to have that person, in that place, holding said item to 'kill' them.

It turns out to be great fun and I manage to dispose of Tiina, Doris and Jacqui before I myself am killed by Dave Purchase.

As it currently stands (in Panama), only Will, Mikey and Gus remain alive and it needs to be concluded before race start...game on!

Race day and looking into some of the tactics for the race we decide that we're going to get quite a way offshore and will hopefully get stronger winds and later on in the race a better (and faster) point-of-sail.

We don't get a particularly good start and with the Yankee 2 up find ourselves under-powered. A cock-up in the sail change (my fault!!) sees us fall a further few boat lengths behind the rest of the fleet and it's around the windward mark and next stop (hopefully) Panama.

The rest of the fleet initially go for the inshore route and we are the only boat heading out (Liverpool doing their own thing again :-). The problem with this sort of tactic is that for the followers of the race at home, they see us in 10th place ALL THE WAY.

It can be quite demoralising on board for some of the new leggers but the round-the-worlders know how little stock is placed in the positions and distance-to-finish. We know we are in 10th place but it has to be read in conjunction with weather files, overall tactics of other boats and 'other' items of information.

As we race down towards Mexico, we're still in 10th place but we know this is not going to last. Unfortunately for us, due to light winds ahead, Clipper call the race short and we have 48 hours in which to make up ground. We still decide to do our own thing and right up to the last day we are still in 10th place.

We cross the line on the 7th May in 6th!

Disappointing for us but (and it has been said before) our tactics were just starting to come into fruition. We had closed on the fleet, were in a really good, southerly, position but unfortunately, the race was called off with 1200 nm still to go. That's life.

Rejoin the boat today and it feels good to be back. There is quite a crew change this time with Andy Perry, Andy Christie, Paul Onions and Emilio getting off and Doris, Sue, Joan, Jacquie, Janet, Stephen, Brian and myself getting on.

Unfortunately Brian has to pull out at the eleventh hour due to an injury and we all feel for him as he is only doing this leg of the race and this is his only chance to be able to race. Hope the recovery is swift Brian.

We go out for an afternoon sail training and get back into the swing of things quickly.