The leader has always been confident that he will escape OK from these wide, active Doldrums, but it must be frustrating this evening for The Professor to be stuck doing less than two knots, still more than 90 miles from the Equator. He is making some ten knots less than Roland Jourdain in second who has been advancing at 12.5 knots. Desjoyeaux has encountered the first squalls and unstable winds at 2 degrees South, when normally the Doldrums would be expected between 4 and 8 degrees North. 

Now they might retract steadily, keeping the leader snared and allowing the return of Jourdain to continue, or they may stay stationary, where they are and so presenting the same brick wall to the return of Veolia Environnement.

Further south, in third place, Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) is not yet getting full advantage of the trade winds which are neither strong nor organized where he is. Hence he is heading due north at under ten knots. This situation will not only assist Samantha Davies (Roxy) in fourth place, but also Marc Guillemot in fifth place.  The skipper of Safran is sailing at full speed in the South Atlantic and, when before his stop he was about 280 miles behind, he is now only 125 miles behind Sam Davies and 1000 miles from Le Cléac’h. 

These three competitors were all granted a time redress for going to the assistance of Yann Eliès or Jean Le Cam –  82 hours for Guillemot, 32 hours for Davies and 11 hours for Le Cléac’h.

Le Cléac’h’s lead of 1000 miles over Guillemot puts him in the sights of the skipper from La Trinité with 71 hours corresponding more or less to 750 miles out on the water. 

With three weeks to go to the finish, Marc Guillemot is well justified to retain the ambition of a place on the podium in this Vendée Globe. 

That would be a serious achievement for a competitor, who has made two island pit stops to repair his mast track and who is permanently compromised by sailing with two reefs in the mainsail.

Meantime Steve White, GBR, (Toe in the Water) admits to the crime of clock watching, counting down the final 80 miles to Cape Horn, which he should reach between 10pm amd midnight GMT this evening. And Dee Caffari has reaped every benefit going, making back the miles in the strong reaching conditions, to regain seventh position and set her sights on her compatriot Brian Thompson now less than 80 miles ahead.

Rich Wilson, USA, Great Amrican III: “At one point I could hear some water sloshing around in a compartment which us under the cockpit and that is usually sealed up and dry, and so I had to go back to the lazarette through the little tunnel into the back of the boat. It was pretty violent back there when the stern is jerking around, whenever the wave hits the stern and knocks the boat, you are just rattling around inside it. I had to wear a helmet back there and I am glad I did.”

“ We have been continually bailing since yesterday since the storm abated, just going through the compartments.  There was a couple of buckets of water in the bow compartment, but I think we are in pretty good shape.”

“ So we are right on the track for a waypoint which we have 1550 miles to go to (Cape Horn), off the plateau of Tierra del Fuego there, we are making good time.

We have an instrumentation problems, back sailing how we all grow up, looking at the windex at the top of the mast, and the autopilot is fine on ‘compass’ but I think what is going to mean is I won’t be able to sail downwind under true wind angle, which normally you’d be able to do and set for maybe an hour and 15 minutes or so and get a nap, and instead get up every 20 or 30 minutes and check everything is OK.

I keep thinking about how any of these boats survive the beating they take.”

“It’s going to be a great day for the United States for a variety of reasons. Barack Obama is a really smart guy, and certainly the most calm politician I have ever seen in the US. He just does not get rattled, and I think that will help a lot in calming the mood of the country and the world, and that will help towards some rational decisions. There are a long, long list of things that have to be worked on, but it will be a good day for the USA tomorrow.”

Dee Caffari, GBR, (Aviva): “It’s a little wet and wild at the moment, but all good and going in the right direction, but it is a little full-on. We knew that the wind was coming and we should have it for about 24 hours, which would be good for progress.

I have paid the price for maybe trying to keep up with the boys too hard because I have lost another section of taffeta, so my mini-main is even more of a string vest than it was before, but I am dreaming that ventilation in the main is maybe the way forward.

Aviva has just been on fire. She is on a mission. I have actually had to elect to make the decision to sail with breeze while we have it, and to stay with the guys while I can, and work on the theory that we will all get to lighter airs at about the same time and so we will all slow down at about the same time. And it will be that time then that I can lose less miles. So I am pretty pleased that I am managing to hang in there even with the main which is a little poorly.

We are hoping that we can keep the Trio together. The funny thing is that I have probably been no further than 100 miles from Akena since the Equator on the way south and ever since we caught up with Pindar we have all hung out together so it is amazing to think we have done all those miles together. And so, certainly the party at the end of this is going to be impressive.

I spilt my morning cup of tea. The sea temperature has gone up 6 degrees overnight.

I have looked at my keel box literally since the first keel issue was mentioned in the southern ocean, I have checked my keel box area at least once a day, every day, without fail. And I am pleased to say that my keel is all good.”