Hi all, well there hasn't been any wind to speak of for the first few days of our 28 day world record attempt. We have been using the time to keep refining VESTAS SAILROCKET on all fronts. The TRIMBLE GPS system has been checked to the accuracies recquired by the WSSRC and has been housed in a lightweight box in the centreboard case of the boat. I want to keep the weight forward.

I am going round and round the boat making her lighter and more aerodynamically slippery with every lap. We did a complete rig up with all systems in place yesterday. She weighed in at exactly 205.3 kg with everything on. I'm getting closer to 80 kg and still want to get to around 78.

Here's a video walk around http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVIJjSAtJK0

Yesterday we recieved what I think is one of the coolest things this project has ever had.

Last week one of our local friends commented about my bright orange helmet. Frank told me it 'Just wasn't cool'! I sort of had to agree and jumped on the opportunity to make Frank do something about it. Frank is a perfectionist who amongst many other things... builds remote control jets and competes to the highest level with them... so he's pretty handy when it comes to fine detailing. I set to with streamlining the helmet. As the wind is not coming from straight ahead, I had to angle the fairing around 23 degrees off to one side (The apparent wind will come from around 26 degrees a little higher up... so I allowed some for the fact I am lower down). I made a cone shape out of some thin carbon fibre and attached it to the back. At first it looked a bit ridiculous but after some careful shaping it started to look OK. I had some ideas of where some logos should be placed and then handed it over to Frank for him to freestyle the rest. The fact that he had it for a few days was a good thing as it meant that he was doing a 'monty' on it.

Yesterday he brought it back. I personally think it is one of the coolest custom helmets I have ever seen.

He airbrushed in all these wonderful little details which included the Southern Cross on the front and the skyline of the Great Dividing Range as seen from the hill I grew up on in Healesville, Victoria, Australia. It was on a little pond/dam there that I first began experimenting on little boats with no rules or restriction. There is also the serial number K5054 on there. This was the number of the first little blue prototype Spitfire. VESTAS SAILROCKET shares a very similar trademark elliptical wing and was built a couple of hundred meters from the Supermarine factory in Woolston, Southampton, UK from where this beautiful craft originated. I've always loved the elegance of the Spitfire and hence I thought this was a lovely touch. Hopefully the number we will read on the Trimble at the end of this will be four tenths higher i.e. 50.48... as this will give us the world record.

So anyway, I'm pretty happy about it. Thanks Frank.

Well the wind isn't playing ball at the moment... but it will. at the moment there are no good winds forecast until the weekend. one thing is for sure and that is that we will have to make every day count. I can't wait.

Cheers, Paul