MIXED FORTUNES

The past 24 hours have been extremely varied for Idec Sport with her crew of six. Until the middle of the night they continued their dash towards southern latitudes at high speeds in excess of thirty knots. During the first few hours of this twelfth day of this attempt to grab the Jules Verne Trophy record, they have slowed down considerably in a wind that has come around to the stern of the boat, which will probably lead Joyon and his men to gybe again to change tack before the next low-pressure area arrives. These strong NNE’ly winds will allow them to slide down a long way below South Africa to pass the first of the major capes, Good Hope. Cape Agulhas in South Africa, a little later, will mark their entry into the Indian Ocean and another key moment in this round the world voyage. Cape Agulhas marks the southernmost tip of South Africa and the official point marking the border between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The deficit of miles to the record-holder, Banque Populaire V, which was in excess of 380 miles yesterday has been cut by 60 miles on apart of the race course, where Loïck Peyron and his crew of thirteen were still fairly quick four years ago, when they set a record between the Equator and the Cape of Good Hope.