Big run for the Poles

As Roman Paszke and his team ride the same weather corridor as Geronimo

Position at 07.45GMT: 38deg 02.247S 016deg 19.503W
COG/SOG: 146deg/14 knots
TWD/TWS: 005deg/27-32 knots
Pressure 1025
Waveheight: <2 meters
24 hour run: 335nm
Distance from start: 5582 nm

The above image says it all. Roman Paszke and the crew on Bank BPH are currently riding the same lane of northwesterly as Geronimo which overtook them two days ago.

"Finally!! 20-knot winds at our backs starting at 5:00 GMT. This is the wind we've been waiting for," the crew wrote yesterday.

"But that's not all. According to weather forecasts we can expect winds up to 40 knots in this direction tomorrow evening. Looking at the actual speed of the boat we can safely say that sailing an orthodromic course, that is, the shortest possible path, we will cross the 40th parallel in 48 hours.

"Weather conditions indicate as much, and the temperature is also slowly yet systematically falling. Today, for the first time in a long while, most of the crew slept in polar fleeces. Previously that had just slept in boxer shorts and t-shirts. Heavier winds also mean that we have a more dynamic ride and that we have to work harder on deck behind the wheel.

"We waited for good weather conditions and hope that our daily progress will be more than 300 nautical miles."

And it has been. The Poles look set to stay in this band of strong northwesterlies for the next 24 hours when, like Geronimo they must consider how far south they have to go to avoid the clutches of the high pressure system that lies in a very southerly position to their east.