Past Cape Leeuwin

Another landmark on Jean-Luc van den Heede's record attempt

Day 70 Position at 1300: 39°37'S / 111°57'E
Wind: 7knots from NE. Calm sea.
Temperatures: day 20°C/ night 12°C / sea 15°C
Distance covered in the last 24 h: 189 miles.
To the Cape of Good Hope 4,493 miles.
Lead over Monnet: 18 days and 3 hours.

Hello

I crossed the longitude of Cape Leeuwin yesterday (15th) at 5.18 p.m. CET, after 69 days and 5 hours sailing.

Today, it's the second day of fine weather, even if there isn't much wind at the moment. A gentle zephyr is starting to get up from the north and should strengthen gradually to reach gale force tomorrow (40 knots) and become a westerly then a sou'westerly, as always happens down here.

I finished working like a busy bee, sponging up the drops of water, which manage to get inside Adrien, when I'm in my boots and Cotten waterproofs, and which get into the little bubbles in the aluminium structure. The boat has therefore been dried out completely.

A few albatrosses came back today. In this direction, they don't follow the boat as much as during the Vendée Globe event. I think they soon get fed up flying against the wind, and they try to follow more logical boats, which are going in the right direction, pushed along by favourable prevailing winds. But when the wind goes down, they sometimes climb aboard, and it's great to see them take off with difficulty from the water. Each time, it makes me think about pictures from the cartoon film Bernard and Bianca, which are really life-like, when this bird struggles to take off.

See you on Sunday,

JL VDH

A day with the cuddly toy from Carquefou Town Council put on board Adrien by Idée d'image.