"How can they be so huge and yet eat so little? I'm talking about whales and their favourite food, krill.  We're not talking about shrimps and gambas, but about something enormous and something tiny. They're miles apart in the food chain. You know why they have such a big mouth, but what makes them so big? Do they keep the water they filter ? Maybe water doesn't help you slim as the ads suggest! It takes the smallest shrimp two days to realise that it is a prisoner.  Can you imagine us eating fleas? We would have eradicated the species by now.  Enjoy your dieting…" Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) by e-mail this morning.  

 

"Well I am cream crackered! I have had an eventful few hours and now I am wet, cold hungry and tired and still on the wrong bloody sail plan! Today had bursts of 30 knots sprinkled throughout the day, which was fine until the waves started to increase that was a little full on, so I changed the headsail. On walking back from the bow, I was followed by a wave, which dumped, over my head. I was not a happy bunny. Then I knew I needed to gybe and I could wait until tomorrow morning but I was not that keen to keep heading south with the berg reports we had been sent and with the weather to come I am happy to have somewhere to run with it when it comes. So I set up to gybe and ended with the boat on its ear, with 30 knots again. So the gybe resulted in a second reef going in the mainsail. The monster cloud that ended my first attempt to gybe disappeared and I went on deck again to find another in its path. This cloud came and the heavens opened with rain…no…sleet…possibly…but there was definitely snow as when I came on deck again it was like an ice rink with a covering everywhere. It was dark otherwise I would have taken a photograph. Anyway gybe done, stack below moved, reef shaken out and dinner being created in its bag as we speak. Unfortunately we look like having some lighter winds now and I should change the headsail again, but I just do not have it in me at the moment so I will give up some speed for an hour while I eat and warm up before doing the next round on deck."
Dee Caffari (Aviva) in her daily message

 

"Australia is now our safest option. Towing at sea is always a tricky operation, especially as today we don't have any guarantees about the weather.  Heading for Fremantle, in SW Australia, is the right decision… The boat is really getting shaken around with no mast, as the centre of gravity is so low. So I'm not getting much sleep.  I'm reading a lot as that helps pass the time."  
Loïck Peyron (Gitana 80) announcing his decision to head towards Perth yesterday evening

 

"There are no lasting problems and the rigging is OK!  When the weather improves, I will consolidate the genoa  to be able to use the forestay.  I have been at the helm for 17.5 hours and have stowed the sail and sheets.  There's a heavy swell and confused seas.  You need someone creative at the helm."
Norbert Sedlacek (Nauticsport-Kapsch) in his daily message, after reporting a damaged forestay.

 

"Planned to gybe mid-late afternoon as the wind shifted before the front, but on starboard gybe had a big lift, which may have precursored an early arrival of low. So gybed on it, and then the wind shifted again, so I'm heading off to the NE, not where I wanted to go, thought ENE, but here we are, not going to gybe twice again to save the miles, too much risk in gybing boat in 35 knots of wind, which is what  we have. Also, can't hurt to get set up early as the weather files have consistently underforecast the wind velocity, maybe by 10+ knots, so have to think that the low will be considerably windier than predicted so far at 45 knots.  Had several small ice rain clouds this am, it is pretty cold out. Many albatross around, grand, majestic, trying to push my mind to be calm in this weather like an albatross. Got a really good 60 min nap this am, went back for another after checking everything, and 30 seconds into it the pilot alarm goes off. Fortunately, the pilot defaults to compass, with this being a wind instrumentation problem I think. But it is back on and functioning now, just hard to know whether you can take off the old foul weather gear."

Rich Wilson (Great American III) in his daily message

 

This evening, not only is Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac2) out in front, just under fifty miles ahead of Mike Golding, but over the past 24 hours, he is also credited with the greatest distance covered towards the finish.  Between yesterday at 19h and this evening he covered 442.9 miles