Day 26

Four in the doldrums!

Four sailors below 10° north, with the arrival of the very, very impressive Kirsten Neuschäfer (4th) who covered 138 miles since yesterday in an unstable zone, gaining 50 miles on Pat (3rd), 70 miles on Tapio (2nd) and 100 on Simon! Boys beware.

The second-best performance in the fleet is from Arnaud Gaist, sailing all week in northerly winds and posting another 126 miles in 24 hours.

In the mid-fleet pack; where Abhilash Tomy (5th) is now closer to Ertan than Pat, and Elliott is joining; the daily grind is around 80 miles a day. The notable exception is Michael Guggenberger (45 nm/day, 6th) who is now looking for salvation in the west.

The west, and the passage via Cape Verde started by Jeremy Bagshaw last weekend is becoming popular again. An option now followed by Ian, who is rounding the archipelago to the west, and Damien who will exit the islands later today, sailing 20% faster than his two companions.

An interesting option too, since it allows them to stay in the north-easterly flow until Sunday, and places them on the correct side of the small depression currently forming off Guinea Conakry, moving NW over the weekend. This moderate low-pressure should also bring fresh air to the leaders, who will welcome a break from the current windless, hot and humid doldrum conditions.