Yesterday Dee Caffari (Aviva) was trying to chill out by listening to some music.  It seems to have paid off, as over the past 24 hours, she covered 268 miles.  She is currently in 15th place, 268 miles from the leader.

" Well I guess that is what music does when sailing onboard Aviva. We have made great progress and had two days of fantastic sailing. All fast and in the right direction for a change. In fact my team will probably fall over when they read that I was even reluctant to drop the spinnaker this afternoon. It had been up since early the day before and I was relaxed and quite happy with it. This is an amazing progression as it is the first time I have used the spinnaker racing solo before on an Open 60. I was scared of it and had some coaching from Tanguy Leglatin to overcome my fears. Now I can honestly say it was great. The sail change has left me reaching south towards the Doldrums; I just hope the wind stays with me for a little longer."

"It is incredible to think how far I have come in such a short time and not just in this race. Three years ago today I set sail on the Aviva Challenge having never sailed solo before. Every day I learnt something and many days were lived in fear or discomfort. Now I am more than happy with the sailing and being alone. I am still learning every day, but this time from the tactics and strategies used in the racing. There have not been any tears yet … I am sure they will come… but just frustration at the miles lost or joy at the miles gained."
 

 

Message sent by Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) at 01:50 last night:
«Dark night. Came across a tanker on ber way to "Bonny". No idea where that is. Must be the Gulf of Guinea, I suppose. The light winds have eased off. Cross seas that are not easy to deal with. Getting shaken around and not making good headway. But managed to get some sleep. Sleep well. Mich.»

In case you are wondering, the mystery is solved. «Bonny» is indeed a large bay between Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

"For several days, Cheminées Poujoulat has been sailing under spinnaker towards the Equator and the Doldrums. Looking at the speeds in the last scheds, some competitors look like they intend to moor up in the Doldrums.  I must not get too cocky though, as my time will come soon enough.  Life on board is starting to fall in place and I've got into a rhythm with the weather data and meals that I try to organise for the same time as back ashore. The rest of the time I spend getting the boat moving as fast as possible downwind, which means there is a lot of work.  I have to keep making small adjustments, work on the trim, change the sails and steer.  In amongst all that I need to remember to rest in order not to get run down.  It's not always easy to do. For me it may be a bit easier as the pressure comes from the clock and not from being surrounded by ten other competitors."

 

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.”