Diving south still

Chilly times on board Steve Fossett's Cheyenne

Position at 05h10GMT: 48deg 12.450S 29deg 14.640E
Course/speed: 089 deg/21.9 knots
TWS/TWA: 17 332

Steve Fossett and the crew of Cheyenne continue to forge south and are now beyond 48degS. Although it is of course advantageous to sail as far south as you dare in the Southern Ocean to reduce the number of miles sailed, Fossett and navigator Adrienne Cahalan in cohoots with their meteorologists at Commander's Weather in the States have also been forced into this situation. At present there is a high pressure system centred over 40degS 35E and if they were to sail any further north they would land in its clutches.

This weather scenario is pretty unusual for the Indian Ocean. The high pressure system looks set to track eastwards with the maxi-cat and it is likely that they will head even further south over the next 24 hours.


From on board Brian Thompson sent this message:

Another night passed in the Southern Ocean and an easy one; about 16 knots of breeze from the NW, big swell from the stern and making 20-25 knots of boat speed towards the East. The cockpit was dry and we could see stars occasionally through the clouds. The moon is waxing, so as we approach Australia we should have more light for our night watches.

It is starting to get cold as we approach 50S so hats, balaclavas and gloves are de rigeur. A bonus of this part of the trip is that chocolate bars have appeared on the menu, so we get a midnight snack of a Mars bar to go with our hot drinks.

It still looks like great winds for the next days so we are going to make the miles whilst it is smooth sailing. We have full main and solent now and the wind is creeping up to 20 knots. We expect a gradual build of the breeze during the day so as long as the sea state remains manageable, so we are not hitting the beams on the tops of the waves, we will be able to pick up our boat speed.

Brian