URCHFONT sailor Jon Duffield has reported that, despite a determined fightback in the Global Challenge round-the-world yacht race, the crew of BG Spirit is not taking life too seriously.

Crossing the Equator on the way to Buenos Aires, the first stop on the global race, was the occasion for a spot of aquatic horseplay involving soap suds and lots of water.

Describing last Sunday's revelry, Mr Duffield, a 36-year-old systems analyst who works for Westinghouse Signals in Chippenham, said: "A day of celebrations! Bill Lane's 40th birthday was marked not only by a rather special cake, but by a personal visit from Neptune, who brought along something slightly less appetising.

"Against a backdrop of sunshine and fair winds except when our watch are on deck when rain seems to be compulsory Big Orange the nickname for BG Spirit heads relentlessly in pursuit of the leaders.

"This morning, Bill had a particularly wet start to his birthday during a sail change and came below at the end of the watch looking temporarily less than happy at the repeated full body immersions experienced on the foredeck.

"Strangely, later on, after the visit of Neptune, he and half the crew came back from the foredeck after deliberate immersions with broad grins all round.

"Neptune's court found a slightly miffed Neptune taking revenge on Bill for depriving him of his libation and then passing judgement on the crew for an array of crimes.

"From losing items of equipment to attempting to gas the navigator, nobody escaped and particularly large dose was reserved for Andy (Forbes), the skipper.

"The cocktail of slop that was dispensed by Neptune's assistant had some interesting properties, and even after sloshing with buckets of seawater the victims were noticeable for their black speckled skin, which we were assured were not fleas.

"Come teatime happy hour we celebrated Bill's birthday with a huge "cake" created by myself and Tony (Summers) from sponge cake, white chocolate delight and melted assorted chocolate items, neatly trimmed with wine gums and parasols."

As the only vegetarian on board, Mr Duffield has had to make his own arrangements for catering on the ten-month circumnavigation. He has ordered organic vegetarian dried meals from a company in Idaho, USA, and, while other members of the crew were digging into fish pie at the weekend, he was trying out some Wild Forest Mushroom Cous Cous in Miso Broth.

The close proximity of marine animals has caused him some anxiety as well. As he wrote in a daily log last Friday: "Since my time on the boat, I have built up a mutual understanding with the flying fish. I don't particularly like them and they don't particularly like us, yet this may be untrue as they continue to hurl themselves towards us at every opportunity.

"Who made fish that can go flitting about in the air like a flock of damp starlings anyway? Especially when they have the indecency to go flinging themselves at people on the decks of passing yachts of an evening."

The fleet is due to make port at Buenos Aires in the next week. BG Spirit is currently in fifth position out of the 12 identical yachts taking part in the gruelling race, sailing against prevailing winds and currents.