Hurdles to leap

Cheyenne negotiates the South Atlantic

Position at 05h10 18deg 23.060S 31deg 13.560W Distance to finish: 17428.99 nm Course and speed: 194deg 17.8 knots TWS/TWA: 13 knots 071deg

The forecast for passage down the South Atlantic is lining up to be only average in the luck stakes for Steve Fossett and the crew of Cheyenne.

Yesterday afternoon saw them negotating a ridge of high pressure with the true wind speed dropping off to below 10 knots, although the 125ft catamaran was still making more than 13 knots. After a 470 mile 24 hour run up until 0510 yesterday, the last day has been slower, the big cat covering 370 miles.

Cheyenne is still around 135 miles astern of the equivalent position of record holder Orange on her voyage two years ago (see chart above). For interest's sake we have also plotted the equivalent position for Olivier de Kersauson's initially blisteringly fast attempt last year in which he demolished all the various records along the Jules Verne course, such as the Ushant to the Cape of Good Hope, etc before running out of wind on her return up the Atlantic.

While she may be astern, Cheyenne in comparison with the routes taken by Orange and Geronimo, is further east and thus sailing a course roughly 100 miles shorter. Whether this will counts for much remains to be seen. A small and weak low pressure system is forming ahead of them but this may dissipate by the time they reach it tomorrow. Otherwise the high pressure system over South Atlantic is well formed and in its correct position centred over the middle of South Atlantic. Thus is looks unlikely that Cheyenne will be able to cut the corner as for example Francis Joyon was able to do earlier this year. The good news is that another low pressure system arriving from the southwest looks set to give the maxi-cat a corridor of stronger than normal winds later this week.