After overtaking Steve White (Toe in the Water) and Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas), Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) is in 16th place, 273 miles from the leader with Dee Caffari firmly in his sights. Like the other competitors around him, he has certainly noticed the heat:

"I try to sleep when I can... As soon as I'm no longer under spinnaker, I take advantage to grab some rest.  As soon as the wind shifts, like it did during the night, when I was under reacher, I go for a sleep.  It's wet here all the time.  It's never-ending.  The air temperature is around 30°C and it didn't drop off during the night. As soon as you carry out any manoeuvres, you wear just you boxer shorts, or otherwise you'd die with the heat.  I just put on my trousers to protect my legs from the sun.  It could be a lot worse.  I prefer doing manoeuvres sweating like this, as a month from now, when I try to do the same manoeuvre, it will be with a temperature of just 5°C..."

Unai Basurko (Pakea Bizkaia) has opted for a route a long way to the east of the rest of the fleet.  He is currently in 20th place, 385 miles from the leader.

"I know it is risky because in this area the changes of the winds are very fast and unpredictable, but I have studied the different options and I have made a decision. If it goes wrong it doesn't matter, we will be some more miles from the leaders, but if it goes well Jonny and I will gain many miles to catch the leaders. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We are conscious that our project is one of the most humble of the Vendée Globe, but that doesn't mean we are not going to fight every mile in this race. "

 

"Not bad going now for 48 hours! I'm at 16, 16.5, 17 knots and the swell is building. I'm very happy about my option off to the west at Cape Finisterre.  I was 520 miles behind Algimouss and now there's a gap of only 344 miles. I've made up a third of the gap! "  Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty (Groupe Maisonneuve)

 

Armel Le Cléac'h (BritAir) on today's radio sesson:  "We're now in a world that is leaning over. I've set up my bunk to sleep with a heel of 20°. I'm pleased to have found the southern trade winds. There are still some heavy clouds, but we can feel that we're getting close to the Equator. We should be crossing tonight. I've put the champagne on ice… or should I say out in the heat?"

However, for Vincent Riou (PRB), the Equator crossing will be a bit quieter, "Nothing special planned for  when I cross the Equator.  The days of drinking alone are behind me, because it's not much fun.  I'll reserve the drinks for when I'm in good company. "

 

Dee Caffari (Aviva) is currently approaching the Doldrums in 15th place, 262 miles from the leader. "It is boiling. The sea temperature is 29 degrees and the air temperature is mid thirties both during the night and day. Doing anything in the black carbon boat is like a sweaty oven. Even a bucket of water over your head is quite warm at the moment but it is never too warm. I would much rather be too hot than too cold and it won’t be long before it gets too cold so I’m not complaining. There’s no sitting around getting a sun tan that’s for sure. It’s quite hard to eat because it’s so hot…you don’t really want to eat a meal because of the heat. The only meal I eat at the same time I would at home is breakfast. The rest of the time I eat when I’m hungry…..but when I’m not hungry I have to keep an eye on my watch. I have no idea if I’m losing weight – I will find out when I get back.  So there’s not a lot happening on this boat. Just sailing, sleeping and eating. It’s quite nice at the moment.”

 

Derek Hatfield (Algimouss-Spirit of Canada)is currently sailing south-west of the Canaries in 25th place 1441 miles from the leader.  Here is his daily message:

"The electrical problems have my attention and we are still trying to rectify the problems. It seems that with every Vendee Globe one or more of the fleet is destined to go around with minimal power. It's ironic that I set the boat up to use as little power as possible utilizing the wind and a wind turbine.  Now with the wind turbine not working, we must preserve the fuel that we have on board. To help the battery/power situation, I am hand steering about three hours a day to supplement the power supply. Otherwise, every thing is fine on board and it is now hot inside the cabin. The trade winds are being a little elusive today and I have only 14 knots of wind. The fresh food is slowly disappearing and now onto the freeze dried, which I don't mind.   
More soon
Derek"