The past days have been unforgettable and there don't seem to be enough superlatives to describe them. Perfect, settled weather has made for delightful sailing conditions - varying between NW and SE the wind has rarely been over F4. We have had the pole up and down accordingly and enjoyed getting optimum performance from the boat, surging along day and night under cloudless skies. In order to make the most of the favourable Brazil current we have held a course parallel to the edge of the continental shelf, staying in the deeper water between the 1000m and 2000m contours. It appears to be a very produtive area as the wildlife has been incredible. On Tuesday morning we were still surrounded by shearwaters and petrels when we spotted our first albatross, a very exciting moment. We watched in wonder as the great black and white bird, at least twice the size of any of the shearwaters, soared past with easy grace, honouring us with its presence for a few brief moments. It was a Yellow-nosed Albatross, which are considered to be relatively abundant off the Rio de la Plata in Argentina, the area we are now in. The next morning we were having breakfast in the cockpit when we caught a sudden glimpse of what looked like some huge logs floating just off the starboard bow. Realising at once that it was in fact 4 sperm whales, we leapt into action and hove to, slowing the boat down to about 1 knot 150m away from the whales. For the next 2 hours we had the fantastic experience of being able to watch the group socialising and/or resting at the surface. There appeared to be 10 whales in total and they remained fairly close together, blowing often as they engaged in various behaviours that researchers believe indicate a social period eg. spyhopping, when a whale raises its head above the water; sidefluking, where half the flukes are visible and lobtailing, where the tail flukes are raised and splashed down onto the surface. It is likely that we were observing a "family unit". Long-term studies have revealed that "family units", made up of mainly related females and immatures, form the core of sperm whale society. These groups may remain together for many years, or even for entire lifetimes, while males leave their natal unit around 6 years old. It seems probable that one important reason for the close female bonds is the communal care of calves. Sperm whales have a very low reproductive rate so the survival of each calf born is vital. By staggering feeding dives, the unit ensures that a mature whale is always at the surface with a calf and cooperation within the group gives a greater chance of successfully protecting a calf from predators. But perhaps most special of all, this morning at first light came our long anticipated first sighting of a Wandering Albatross, most magnificent of birds. It was visible at a great distance, glinting white in the early sunlight, standing out because of its sheer size. With a wingspan of between 2.5m and 3.5m it is the largest flying bird in the world, and seeing is believing - it made the Yellow-nosed albatross look small! Barely flapping its enormous wings, it swept past in magical splendour, and was gone, leaving a lingering memory of power and beauty - and a hastily snapped photo! With all this action, we almost don't want to reach land, but Mar del Plata is only 300 miles away and if all goes well we should arrive sometime on Sunday....