Kingfisher hangs a left

But still frustratingly light conditions for Ellen's big cat

Position at 1500 GMT: 23 52' S 34 25' W (Rio de Janeira approx 494 nm NW)

Av/Max boat speed in last hour: 7.33 / 13.2 knots Heading: 167
Av/Max wind speed in last hour: 5.32 / 10.8 knots Wind direction: 75
Distance to WP4 35 00'S / 24 00'W approach to Southern Ocean : 867 nm (theorectical shortest distance)

As the above position shows Kingfisher2 has started a gradual move east while still maintaining a push south, however still held up by exceptionally light winds, progress is slow to say the least. The wind has started to move to the left and gives Kingfisher2 the chance to start making some easting.

Shore-based weather router, Meeno Schrader advised Ellen: "Take the chance to shorten the course and keep some pace even with the risk of running into light airs. There will be no loss against the western option which is approximately 230 nm longer and not in the right direction." Although more wind may be showing in the west over the next 48 hours, the true wind angle is not good. Geronimo and Orange altered their course to the east at day 10 and day 11 respectively. The focus is to get to the entrance of the Southern Ocean and into the Roaring 40s (at 40 degrees south and below, a series of depressions circle the globe unhindered by any land mass).

"When we get more breeze, it will start to happen," said MacArthur. "The next focus will be the Cape of Good Hope but that stills seems a long way from us - right now, we are just making south and when the chance comes to take some east then we will."

"Still not much to report from the tactical front," reported Andrew Preece. "The aim now is to get south as quickly as possible and through the light patch we have been suffering for a day or so. Last night we had the unexpected gift of an 18 knot breeze that had the hull lifting and the boat pulling along at 25 plus. Today is lighter and we are cruising at around 13 with Ronny greasing the shrouds to reduce chafe and others preparing for when maintenance and other remedial work becomes a whole lot harder, if not impossible..."

"As we are going to cross every longtitude and thus time zone, we do not have to adjust our watches or worry that one watch will always have to do the midnight shift," wrote Kevin McKeel. "The periods of light and dark will march through our watch times so that we all get a mix of daylight and night shifts..."