JV Jumble–Geronimo Weaving, Cheyenne Screaming: Olivier De Kersauson and his 10-man crew are well and truly sick of the Southern Ocean (“If I’d seen the Southern Ocean like this before, I’d never have come back,” The Admiral rumbled in a radio call) . After getting blasted by a massive storm for days, Geronimo is now forced to try and dodge the light airs of a high pressure system. That is forcing them to dive south toward Cape Horn, which could put them smack in the path of another depression. To top it off, right now the weather boffins are forecasting the possibility of more light air for their Cape Horn rounding. Zut alors! Amazingly, Geronimo is still well over a thousand miles ahead of Orange 2002, and less than 1000 miles behind Cheyenne’s pace. The problem for De Kersauson–who has suffered horrific weather luck on both this and his previous JV attempt–is that opportunities to make up ground on Cheyenne from Cape Horn on will be few and far between because Cheyenne is covering this last segment of the round the world course in record time. De Kersauson has to be wondering whether God is an American, possibly from Chicago.

Here’s why: Cheyenne has found the corridor of southerly winds between the custom-ordered depression to their west and a high pressure system to their east. These two systems are creating a conveyor belt of strong southerly winds that will rocket Cheyenne–at an average of almost 500 miles a day–to the finish, now projected for Monday if all goes well. That would be a new record of 58 days and change. Think the crew appreciates their good fortune? Here’s navigator Adrienne Cahalan:

“Now, we have yet to get to the line or even near it as this baby seems to just hang on by a thread. However, regardless of whether we make it or not, the weather gods have done their best to help us out. For all those climatology buffs out there, this is one time when I think we have had our asses kissed by a fairy.”

Phew, these guys have been at sea for almost two months, so that’s one brave fairy. 1500 miles to go…



Fox(all) in the Nav Coop: “So that’s 10 cases of Guinness, a dozen pepperoni pizzas, and, ummm, is there any chance you can get some girls, too? Yes, Monday at Plymouth dock…”

(Photo: Nick Leggatt)