We have always read about sailors who sail around the world and endure extreme hardships. We are nothing but complainers in comparison to those brave souls who are out at sea for months at a time. But complainers we are allowed to be, because we live in a free country where we can say how we feel. This is how I feel today: Very, very hot today in bright sun with almost no shade all day long. The water temperature is 75.3 degrees and I can only guess that the air temp is 100+ topside. We have sensors for everything except air temperature. I am below now writing this note, and enduring the sauna of hell. It's a sauna because it is very close quarters, stinks of 9 other men(I don't smell bad), wet clothing(salt water never quite dries on your clothing), and all the freeze dried food must be hydrated with boiling water. Imagine boiling water in a space like this boat is, with very little escape for the steam and heat. All hatches are open, but we are moving downwind at about the same speed as the wind itself, so there is little ventilation. Since our shifts are 4 hours on and 4 hours off, we can sleep up to 12 hours a day. Seems reasonable until you consider that sleeping is difficult in this very noisy environment. The rigid hull construction of carbon fiber transmits every squeak and tweak right to your head. Even the water rushing alongside at 9 knots is a roar. We have hit over 16 knots on this race and that sounds like a train complete with whistle blowing. In spite of these noises, Jimmy can snore louder than all of it, and is even heard up on deck when he sleeps below. Okay, you get the picture. Quality sleep does not exist, and nobody is truly well rested. However, we have begun voting for the "crib award" and Chris seems to have a lock with Basil close behind. ....JEEEZ, we just gibed in 12 knots of wind and you would think the world just exploded,,, the noise is unbelievable. Those not accustomed to sailboating would laugh at the act of gibing, which is changing the direction of the boat while flying a spinnaker downwind. It looks a lot like a Chinese firedrill with gear and people flying around everywhere. Occasionally there is loud language when the maneuver is less than a perfect orchestration. For entertainment we have been playing a game called "would you rather...". I can't give many details, but I can say that Rosey O'Donnell never gets picked. Oh,,, and beer always seems to win over wine. We also hooked up two stereo speakers on the back of the boat and have been cranking tunes during daylight hours. This doesn't interfere with sleep because you can't hear the music down below,,, above all the other noise. We have an iPod with a Road Trip to send the music through the onboard sound system. All kinds of music from heavy metal to jazz to country and often accompanied with dancing (solo only) and singing. Put this in Ripley's Believe it or Not, but nobody has had any desire to dress up like a woman and dance or sing. Did anybody mention that the toilet is no longer operational? A sign on the door appeared two days ago saying: "CLOSED FOR SERVICE". Nobody has any desire to fix the darn thing, even though we are pretty sure we know what is wrong. We don't really need it anyway. Took obligatory 4 celestial sites and documented results for presentation to the race committee after the race. This was my first time using a sextant on a sailboat, so I was a little concerned about my accuracy. All fixes put us within 10 miles or less of our actual GPS position so I am pleased with results. The GPS keeps us within a few meters, so is more accurate but you just never know what can happen to electronics. Well, okay, I know what can happen because every possibility has occurred on a sailboat at some time to me, but that is another story. Okay, enough for now. Will talk more later.