"I just have very difficult conditions. The last hour I have seen between 15 and 40kts and so I am on white sails. I had a 40kts gust with 1 reef and the Solent and the boat was on its ear, so it is not easy. I am just edging my way north and it seems I will need to make a little gybe so I just have to keep the boat moving well and see how it works out. At the moment I have just 15kts and am just floating along in quite a big sea.
I have looked at the routing to Cape Horn in more detail and it seems like the Pacific is not going to let us loose that easily. It looks like we turn up and stop, basically. It’s OK from an ice perspective because we cut across and will have a relatively short period on high, high alert. But the conditions can change there so quickly, you can’t just tell from the GRIB files. The wind channels so much there. At least we will not be going around in a gale.
It is going to be very difficult to stop the advance from behind, it would be nice if I got a chance. I don’t think any one of us will have an advantage or disadvantage upwind.
Alex has done a great job. He has obviously found a layer of speed with the boat that is working for him, now he just has to keep himself going to the end. He has done well."
