Lively weekend ahead for Cheyenne

Another big run for Steve Fossett's maxi cat with less than 2,000 miles to go to Cape Horn

Position at 0505GMT: 53deg 35.800S 125deg 15.530W
Course/speed: 094deg/16.6 knots
TWS: 16 knots/ 222deg

Cheyenne is speeding up once again covering 505 miles in the 24 hours leading up until 0505GMT this morning. At present Steve Fossett's maxi catamaran is mid-Pacific with just under 2,000 miles left to run until Cape Horn. She is currently around 2,060 miles ahead of Orange's record and 984 ahead of the equivalent position of Geronimo from her 'fast' run last year.

Over the course of last night the boat saw a big wind shift from the southwest to the northwest and the crew were clearly playing this - most of yesterday evening they were heading due west while at 0210 they were heading southwest and now they are again heading due west.

Now Cheyenne should be into the northwesterly winds associated with a depression to their southwest. Unfortunately for the crew this is forecast to head north over the weekend. While this depression doesn't appear to be that intense the forecast charts are showing 30 knot northerlies on its east side and 45 knots southerlies on its west side come Sunday. It could create and interesting sea state. It will be interesting to see how Fossett, Adrienne Cahalan and the team at Commander's Weather choose to tackle this as by Sunday this depression will lay right along their route to Cape Horn.