Will they? Won't they?

With the clock ticking, Orange II experiences a brief lull in conditions

The above images show exactly the problem that Bruno Peyron and the crew of Orange II face in attempting to crack PlayStation's record for the west to east crossing of the north Atlantic. 72 hours into their run at 2100GMT last night they still had 1,055 miles to go to get to the finish whereas PlayStation at this time had 982 miles.

To break PlayStation's record they have 41.5 hours to cover this distance which will require an average boat speed of 25.42 knots. This is doable in a boat like Orange II, but probably not in the conditions that are presenting themselves.

At present Orange II is sailing in 15-20 knot WNWerly winds associated with the Azores high, and the latest figures coming off the boat reflect this: boat speed has dropped from around the 30 knot mark to 21.6.

However over the course of the rest of the day the wind is forecast to veer further to the northwest and build back up to 25-30 knots making for a blistering run in through the Western Approaches. Whether this will be enough to see the maxi-cat pass the Lizard before 14:42:44 GMT (15:42:44 BST) on Thursday, 26 August, hangs in the balance.