Gone fishing

Happier times for Jean -Luc van den Heede now that he is out of the Doldrums

Day 110. Position at 1300: 8°27'N / 15°24'W
Wind 12 knots from NW. Slight sea.
Temperatures: day 30°C / night 20°C / sea 27°C
Distance covered in the last 24 hours: 204 miles.
To the finish: 3,159 miles.
Lead over Monnet: 24 days and 3 hours.

Hi there,

I've done it! This morning, a large sea bream came to take a look at what was dragging along behind Adrien and curiosity got the better of him. The line suddenly went taut. I managed to get up close to it over the aft panel and pick it up with a landing net after several attempts. My experience last time of this type of fishing with Jean-Marie on the way back from Australia led me to invest in this big landing net, as being single-handed the thought of messing around over the aft panel for a sea bream, with the risk of falling in the water, wasn't something I was very keen on. I now have some fresh food to eat for a few days!

I'll soon be coming around and heading off west, otherwise I'd find myself in Conakry in Guinea or in Sierra Leone! Considering the wind, my position and the weather, I'll be changing my first marker point to calculate the distance to the finish. I'll no longer be passing via 21N/28W but via 28N/28W (and still 41N/26W) points via which Philippe Monnet also went. Consequently, I've just gained a few extra miles!

Besides that, the weather forecast is a little more optimistic... but my recent experience of the Doldrums means that I'm still remaining very cautious about my estimated time of arrival.

See you tomorrow,

JL VDH

A day with Guerric's cuddly toy, the acrobatic duck!