VDH enters the Doldrums

1.5 days ahead of the record to be fastest around the world singlehanded westabout nonstop

Day 12. Position at 1300: 9°00’N / 25°15’W
Wind 15 knots from E. Slight sea.
Temperatures: day 29° / night 17° / sea 27°
Distance covered in the last 24 hours: 220 miles.
To Cape Horn 4449 miles.
Lead over Monnet 1 day and 12 hours.

Hi there,

The weather’s really changed: there was some lightning late last night, and some dark, threatening clouds are hiding the sun... You’ve got it! I’m moving into the Doldrums, the zone, which separates the NE trade winds from the SE ones. I’ve had time to rest before reaching this difficult section with its ever-changing winds, where you can be becalmed one day and be going through a squall the next, which means you have to make a lot of adjustments all the time. And they can be tough at the best of times, when you are single-handed on a large yacht like Adrien.

I’ve also got my soap, shampoo and towel ready to get scrubbed up out on the deck, taking advantage of a shower that is long enough to wash me off. I’m always afraid when I take these showers from the skies that the rain will stop while I’m still all lathered up. I could always rinse myself off in some seawater, but that’s never so pleasant because of the salt.

Finally, my wish is that we won’t be slowed down here and that we’ll quickly be able to get out of the Doldrums!
Until tomorrow,

JL VDH

A day in honour of the little sandy-coloured bear in the blue T-shirt and Clémence’s beautiful red scarf.