Race 1 - Day 31
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 31: Liverpool to Punta del Este
20 September

Welcome to the 'Woman's Guide to Surviving 30 days at Sea'.

We may not have a straggly beard to maintain, however we do have a beauty regime and standards to uphold in this male dominant environment.

Firstly, our hair. One week in and Hair Wash Mondays have become a highlight of the week. Washing our wind-swept, sea-salted, sweat-dripping hair is quite an art. Leaned over at 45 degrees with our heads in a bilge buckets trying hard not to fall over is a challenge but well worth it. Whilst finding the shampoo and scrubbing intensely until a foam is formed, avoiding eyes and then rinsing, a bucket of fresh water has never felt so good. Using a comb to untangle the mess and then finally your hair is fresh. Smelling of a tropical paradise, whilst we recreate the Herbal Essences advert, our hair bellows in the breeze upon deck. Although they may not admit it, even some of the men have succumbed to our Spa Mondays.

Secondly, our skin. Whilst at sea you soon find that your skin; hands in particular dry out a considerable amount. As they blister, flake and peel, you start to pick the skin from your hands like dry PVA glue. However this soon becomes the norm and the memory of washing them in fresh water becomes a distant memory. On the upside, the sea salt and daily dose of vitamin D has done wonders for our complexion - we all now glow like bronzed goddesses!

Thirdly, no mirrors. Having no mirrors has its advantages - that is all that needs to be said.

As we are only a few days away from land, the dream of a hot shower and putting our bodies back together again with moisturiser, a hair dryer and the sweet scent of perfume is becoming more of a reality as the hours tick by. However we can't complain - looking out at the never ending ocean upon deck, as the sun sets makes this experience all worth it and given the chance we would do it all over again.

By Fiona Robertson and Holly Thrower