80 knot gusts for VDH

Frenchman claws his way across the Southern Ocean

Hello,

Adrien is waiting for the sea to become more organised under mainsail with three reefs.

I have been through a real depression and several hours ago, the NW wind veered WSW which threw up a chaotic sea. So I am waiting at 5 knots for everything to calm down. However, I have had gusts of 80 knots which is a new record for Adrien, but at such wind forces you simply can’t beat. I lowered my staysail, sheeted in flat the remaining bit of mainsail and at 50° to the apparent wind, Adrien is behaving perfectly correctly.

Even though I am not making much progress, at least I am not losing ground.

I think I should cross the date line tomorrow. At the moment I am 11 hours behind France. Once over that line I will be 11 hours ahead, but to keep the same date as you I shall lose a day. It is the opposite of the story of Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's "Around the world in 80 days" because he was going in the other direction.

Until Sunday
JL VDH

D + 54 Position at 14H: 52°35’S 174°45’W
Wind NNW 50N. Temperature day 14° / night 6° / water 8,8°
Distance run in 24H : 164 naut miles.
Advance on Monnet 13 days and 8 hours. Distance to Ante méridien : 191 naut. miles.