The boat was due to head North to LDV Group in Birmingham for painting later that week, so this was the only chance they had to do battle with the sticker. And a battle it was! It was pouring wiht rain for a start, but luckily the MSL team took pity on the rowers and loaned them a nice dry boat shed. Lin's now expert reversing meant that they could work out of the storm which was much more comfortable.

{mosimage}Some of the stickers proved particularly stubborn too and dug in their heels. But they were no match for the rowers and persistence (along with brute force) paid off. In minute slivers and whole stickers, they caved in, and with some pulling, scraping and tugging, the boat was bare!

As they worked, the girls could hear the wind whining and whistling around the rigging of the boats outside. It's a noise that they both quite enjoy and they started talking about sailing. Conversation moved to hte old ritual of giving a gift to Neptune as you cross the Equator - which they'd seen an an Ellen MacArthur film. Of course, they shouldn't actually end up in the Southern hemisphere, but Lin suggested they do the rituals anyway to stay on his good side.

As soon as the name 'Neptune' left her lips, a loud howling, groaning noise filled the air - quite different to the clanking rigging. Wie eyed, they stared at each other in amazement and then burst out laughing - had Neptune really spoken? Bizarrely it happened a second time as the pair assured the God of the Sea (aka Posiedon) that they would share any treats onboard in return for safe passage. The noise was never heard again! Spooky huh?!

Much of the next week was spent stock taking the items that came with the boat and deciding what need replacing. Lin had to rescue a couple of bits that had been forgotten, including a vacuum packing machine which is apparently invaluable in helping to take some fresher foodstuffs and keeping clean clothes pristine so they can look forward to opening a new pack. Rachel meanwhile went through the first aid kit and found some items to be still in date. Others were checked for usage, though some medications for more sensitive areas went in the bin straight away - she didn't want to check whether they were open or not!

This month brought plenty of Land Crew Members - make sure you check out the justgiving site as well as the main site as there are lots of great messages there from supporters. But they still need some big sponsors too, so make sure you keep telling everyone about hte challenge and encourage your friends and family to support the team. Entry fees and shipping are the major costs that now need to be covered.

The team have also been ploughing through the necessary paperwork that comes hand in hand with boat ownership. Registering the boat with the Small Ships Registry, logging the EPIRB emergency beacons with the database that controls them and going through a very complicated online process to get the Ships Radio Licence from Ofcom. All of these things have to be recorded accurately as it's this information that the team will rely on in case of an emergency.

Coming up later this month, Rachel will be visiting the boat at LDV Group where her new coat of paint is being lovingly applied. Then they will be taking the boat (in her new, pink finery) to Women's Henley and the Teddington River Festival. In between these events they will be meeting up with the Plain Sailing Round Britain Experience boat in London, just before it sets off.

Keep and eye on the dates for your diary, especially our farewell party in October for which more details will be available soon.

Question of the month: How will you cope with boredom?

This is a tough question and one the team have discussed with Ned, their coatch. Not seeing anything other than water for day on end, combined with opressive heat and limited space to move around in is a good recipe for going stir crazy. Throw in a little sleep deprivation and you've got potential for a 'situation'.

But by recognising this early, the team have some ideas to help deal with it. TV is out, but they will both be taking MP3 players and intend to have speakers deck for when they are rowing. Lin wants to learn French and Rachel is thinking about picking up on the Italian she started when she live there. They are both looking forward to spotting wildlife and fully intend to enjoy sunsets and sunrises.

Routine will take up a big part of the day too - checking in with Woodvale Challenge, the race organisers, sorting out meals, logging position, making calls, sending emails, going through text messages and keeping the ships log will take up significant chunks of time, while boat maintenance will account for plenty more.

They are also pretty good at entertaining each other and expect lots of laughts on their epic adventure!