Passing through the Cape Verde Islands, Dee Caffari (Aviva) is your tour guide in her latest video, which you can view by simply clicking on the video in the media section

"I have a very light easterly wind and the heat is intense. We're close to the Equator and you feel that with the extreme stickiness inside and outside the boat. To be honest, I'm in my boxer shorts, wearing a hat and covered myself in sun cream.  Fortunately we got away from the autumn lows ten days ago: the body has had time to get used to this huge type of change in the weather! "

 

Contacted by his shore team this afternoon, Dominique Wavre (Temenos) is about to enter the Doldrums.
"Since this morning, I’ve had a steady wind and I’m making due south. It’s not very fast but we’re back in a classic NE’ly air flow again. The lack of trade winds yesterday was really unexpected. What’s happening today is already more normal; it’s as if there was a 24 hour delay in the forecast. This morning I was able to sleep, which enabled me to rest as much as possible. I’m in good shape and on the attack for the Doldrums. We should hit it tonight or tomorrow but for the time being, I still can’t see the characteristic cloud formations on the horizon. That would suggest that the entrance doesn’t lie within the next 30 miles.  The Doldrums has been shifting southwards since yesterday. If ever we go through it at the point where it climbs northwards from the south, that could be a good opportunity to get through it a little easier at its narrowest point, which would be a good thing. I’d prefer not to get ahead of myself though; this zone may still have so many surprises in store for us.”  

 

From Dee Caffari on Aviva, today:

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."

~ Elbert Hubbard ~

“This was sent to me and how right it is. I am so aware of how visible every loss or gain is for everyone watching the race and my biggest fear is letting people down. So I have grasped today and am concentrating on sailing Aviva ever closer to the Pot au Noir as that is my next obstacle.

“Following that we can celebrate the Equator with Neptune. I will make mistakes and I have seen some already but the greatest fact of all is being out here to make them. My sponsor and team have given me a fantastic opportunity and I can't wait to put everything I learn from this voyage into the next races.

“Already my feeling for the boat grows and after a few thousand miles we will be pushing a greater pace I am sure. So we continue south Aviva and I with little hitches to the west hoping for a favourable crossing of the doldrums and looking at what those ahead are encountering at the same time.

“To celebrate my sailing south the iPod has finally been retrieved from the bottom of a kit bag and we have been cruising to Mika and Nickelback in style today.”

Dee and Aviva

From Brian Thompson, GBR, (Bahrain Team Pindar): "It’s been a day in the sail loft for me on board Bahrain Team Pindar. I have been working on the A3 sail since 10am yesterday, through much of the night and will take at least all of today to get it finished. Hopefully then I can put it up to furl it and see if she stays up.

Much of yesterday was spent laboriously unwrapping the sail, as it was furled in 2 sections, above and below the luff to the tear in the middle. I had to unwrap the sail around and around the luff cable. With a 15m foot length you end up with a lot of sail to wind underneath and over its own luff cable again and again.

After finally exposing the luff cable, which I was most happy to see, it was a matter of finding out whether any bits of the sail were missing, by following the tear on both sides. That was fortunately fine and so then on to the actual repair, which is a combination of cuben fibre sticky back cloth, sikaflex and spray glue. No stitching required, according to our sail designer Yann.

It’s a long and tedious job, but the effort will be well rewarded with the joy to come if the sail goes into the air and stays together. That will be a nervous moment! I spent much of the night working on the sail, out of the sun with the light of the headtorch. Took a few naps on the folds of Cuben cloth, with the stars above and the boat doing 8 knots, it was great, its not often you can do that on a round the world trip..

Fortunately, I had this ideal weather window now where there was no water on the deck to unroll the sail, and little apparent wind to blow the sail off the deck once it was unrolled. I need to take advantage of this time, as otherwise I will be working in the forepeak in the SE trades, which won’t be nearly so pleasant. Certainly there was no way I could have unrolled it by myself in the forepeak..

Had a close encounter of the Roxy kind yesterday, I was busy unwrapping my Cuben fiber early Xmas present on deck when in came Sam on starboard, She gybed about a mile ahead and we spent most of the day glued together. We had a chat on the telephone as one of our radios must be acting up, and all is well on board Roxy. During the night I lost sight of her, and this morning she crossed my bow on starboard, heading out to the SW.

Sailing with Sam reminds me of sailing these same waters in the 2001 mini transat race which we both did, together with Arnaud Boissiere and Yannick Bestaven. Four mini sailors from one edition of the Transat now doing the Vendee, quite remarkable. It’s a big shame that Yannick had his dismasting in the beautifully revamped ex Aquitane Innovation of Yves Parlier. It’s certainly very different sailing on the IMOCA 60 with internet access, phone lines and access to expensive weather models. In the mini there was no access to the outside except your short wave radio receiver and your VHF. Having the information now is fascinating ( and essential for safety in the South) and being able to call home and tell everyone you are ok is priceless, but there was that simplicity in the mini to have more time just to sail the boat and be in the elements. The IMOCA 60 is part boat, part workshop, part weather station, part media company and part general office. But what a boat!

I think I will stay on port for now, as the doldrums should be clearing out as I get there.I am very happy to have got the westing in the day before yesterday as there was always much lighter wind to my east till now. Also this gybe is much better for the sail repair, so an added bonus. I should have a slight net gain on the leaders for this doldrum crossing if the weather models are right, though the leaders will start to make some progress today as the wind fills in for them too.

Currently on A2 spinnaker and full main and wind is up to 10 knots.

Naturewatch Ocean:  Saw a second stormy petrel today, and some flying fish.

34 degrees in the cabin today, water temp 27.9 degrees at 925N 2744W.

Brian."

You can see the latest video from Unai Basurko (Pakea Bizkaia), with his boat gliding along to the south-east of the Cape Verde Islands.  Just click on the video in the media section.