Tuesday finish?

Jean-Luc van den Heede is counting off the miles now

Day 118.
Position at 1300: 35°28'N / 22°05'W
Wind 25 knots from the south. Moderate sea.
Temperatures: day 22°C / night 15°C / sea 18°C
Distance covered in the last 24 hours: 279 miles.
To the finish 1,085 miles.
Lead over Monnet: 28 days and 10 hours.

Hi there,

Yet another fine day with some great wind conditions. Last night, I put back up the solent, I even took in a reef, as we were surfing along a bit too fast for my taste and today, it's perfect. I'm sure Adrien can feel that she's almost home! My lead over my predecessor increased once again by more than one day. So, in short, you can guess, everything is going well and I'm feeling great.

Taking into account the latest weather forecast, I can confirm that I'll be finishing on Tuesday, so I've taken the decision to head back to Les Sables d'Olonne for Thursday evening's tide. So I'll be at Nouch sud (off the harbour entrance) at 5pm. Of course, I've given myself a little bit extra time to make sure I can get there by then. Adrien can only move along thanks to the wind, and for practical reasons I had to take this decision a week in advance. A lot of things could happen between then and now, if nature has her way!

I'm often asked whether I'm scared of being back on dry land. Not at all! I'll be really pleased to be back in civilisation. My passion for singlehanded yachting has been well and truly satisfied over the last four months. I've been well prepared for this glorious finish for a long time, as it's something I had been dreaming of for four years without managing to do it, and the day I achieve my goal, I shan't be afraid of the crowds or the media awaiting me!

See you tomorrow,

JL VDH