Meeting on the airwaves

France Joyon in conference with Jean-Luc van den Heede and star cast

Position at 03:20: 40deg 40.00S 64deg 35.00E
Distance from start: 9646.83 nautical miles
Speed/course: 19.17 knots / 92°

Francis Joyon has had yet another storming day. Over the 22 hours leading up to 0300 this morning he covered an impressive 425 miles. He is currently to the north of the Kerguelen Islands basking in the southwesterly winds associated with a high pressure system to his northwest.

Yesterday evening in Paris, Joyon held a radio conference in which he was able to speak to Jean-Luc van den Heede who is sailing in the same ocean on the diametrically opposing side and heading in the opposite direction. Also present were Around Alone winner Bernard Stamm and Teura Colas, wife of the legendary Alain Colas, who was the first to complete a circumnavigation of this sort in a trimaran, Manureva. In 1973 Colas set a time of 169 days - impressively fast for its day.

"I try to reduce the pressure on the rigging when I rest, while my goal is to spend the maximum possible time on the helm," said Joyon. "When I leave it on the pilot, the boat loses five knots easily. It is physical work, but it doesn't exhaust me completely and I leave myself some recovery time after each manoeuvre. The rhythm is a question of management. The 60ft trimaran was a very good school for having to make fast operations. This experience is certainly useful to me although the difference in size of this boat means I will never carry out a manoeuvre until I have to. So it is very important not to make any bad decisions and you learn to anticipate.

In relation to Jean-Luc van den Heede Joyon commented: "In terms of sailing round the world I am beginner compared to you Jean-Luc. Me, I go in the good direction whereas you are taking the most extreme option! I would not take your place".

However van den Heede was also reluctant to make the swap: "risk sailing a multihull down here is large, it can capsize, and frankly it is too much stress for me". So each to their own.

Joyon questioned Bernard Stamm about whether he had had a heater on board. Stamm said he hadn't. "If you are hot in your small cocoon, you hesitate to go outside. When it is cold outside and hot down below you risk falling sick if you are constantly going between the two."

Finally Teura Colas delivered her message: "Francis, I came to say you that what you are doing is splendid, you are there 29 years afterwards in the wake of Alain! I hope you don't have to stop in Sydney like my husband did, even if I have a splendid memory of this stopover... since it is there that we conceived our daughter."