Rob Peake is having a rough time of it in “the world’s toughest” yacht race.

The reporter is part of the Isle of Man team for the second leg of the BT Global Challenge.

The crew set sail from Boston, Massachusetts, on October 15 and are expected to arrive in Buenos Aires around November 17.

As well as helping out on the boat, Rob has been e-mailing regular updates to Isle of Man Newspapers, which produces the Manx Independent, Isle of Man Courier and Isle of Man Examiner.

But according to his reports, it’s not all been plain sailing.

So far, Rob has suffered from a rash on his backside, a wrenched arm and a bright red sore in his armpit.

He has also experienced scraped knees, bruised limbs and depression brought on by tiredness.

But Rob remains as committed to the cause as ever.

He said: “The Manx flag on the mainsail is a constant reminder of the 72,000 proud islanders behind this project.”

“They didn’t put their hard earned readies behind the boat for us to lounge about the deck taking it easy.”

The idea of the Isle of Man entering its own yacht into the race was to increase the profile of the island.

However, the team has struggled during the second leg, slipping from sixth place to eleventh.

And to make matters worse, the crew has been forced to ration the water on board after the boat’s water-maker developed problems.

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