After the pain comes a little pleasure for Bermuda's around the world sailor Alan Paris.

The BTC Velocity skipper, currently on the final leg of the Around Alone race, was injured when his yacht was involved in an accident with two whales last week after setting off from Salvador in Brazil en route to the finish in Newport, Rhode Island.

"Today, apart from no wind, has been a lovely day," he wrote in his latest e-mail to The Royal Gazette.

"It started with an hour long rain shower . . . which, after seven days, was desperately needed. It's amazing how invigorated you feel after a refreshing shower at sea. It also dawned on me that for the first time in five days the pain associated with my ribs had moved somewhat into the background.

"I have been gybing in these light and shifty conditions and although I still have to move slowly the stabbing pain has been replaced with an ache."

Paris then opened a package from friends, Gus and Sylvie Glennie, labelled 'Equator northbound' as BTC Velocity passed the equator, heading north.

"In this package was the following: one third bottle of Moet & Chandon - I guess they sold out of Mumms - tins of fois gras, mackerel fillets, rainbow trout pate, baked beans and Vienna sausages, a strawberry fruit cake and a packet of pepper flavoured water biscuits," he wrote.

"The message in the food was clear to me. Luxuries and basics. Considering that I have almost no luxuries on board many of the above items were combined for my own personal Easter Sunday Brunch. Some of the champagne was toasted to BTC Velocity and Neptune, the rest for me."

Sea conditions at the time of writing were flat calm as Paris tried to escape light airs.

"Not being able, or willing, to fly a spinnaker since the whale collision I have strayed too far east and am paying the price," he said. "The forecast looks like only 24 hours or less before I get into some regular breeze."