THE two Wiltshire amateur sailors taking part in the Global Challenge round the world yacht race continue to do well.

Jon Duffield, of Urchfont, is onboard the BG Spirit yacht while former Calne resident Emma-Kate Lacey is a member of the crew on the Barclay's Adventurer.

On Tuesday the Barclay's Adventurer was in fifth place and the BG Spirit was in seventh.

Storms and seasickness affected the 12 crews when they set off from Portsmouth on October 3 and this week the BG Spirit experienced a new drama when a pole controlling the boat's spinnaker (a large triangular sail) smashed as the boat went through a squall.

The spinnaker flew away from the boat and it took the efforts of everyone on board to get it back on board.

Skipper Andy Forbes said it took 160 manhours to stitch the spinnaker back together.

While the crew repaired the spinnaker pole Mr Forbes said they ate while standing up for three days.

"The crew worked in pairs around the clock and a loud cheer was heard at as the kite was deemed fixed and packed into its bag ready for use," he said.

Mr Duffield, in an email, said the crew improvised to replace the broken spinnaker pole.

He said: "Repairs are now complete after three days of 24 hour sewing and the use of five bunk poles to 'repair' the carbon pole."

Mr Duffield, a systems analyst at Westinghouse based in Chippenham, added: "Flying fish have started boarding the boat now between Gran Canaria and Tenerife and we are taking advantage of the tactical routing."

After the bad weather subsided the BG Spirit crew took advantage and the boat sailed along at a speed of 24.4 knots.

Mr Forbes said: "We pulled every fraction of a knot out of the boat and were rewarded on Sunday evening as we slipped around the outside of the leaders in the east to take the front running.

"We are all 150 per cent focused on the task ahead."

On the Barclays Adventurer Miss Lacey, 25, a doctor at Southampton General Hospital, is getting stuck in.

In logs from her colleagues they say the weather is fine and when they have a moment to chill out they have been enjoying the sounds of Bob Marley.

Crew member Peter Dowd said: "While it was motivating to be within sight of other Challenge yachts we can no longer see any others.