First squall before the Indian Ocean

Low-lying cloudbase, trailing birds, chaotic sea; the world has changed. Welcome to the South Seas! It is expected they will pass the Cape of Good Hope longitude this weekend and make their entry into the Indian Ocean. This will be the first time for Kito and the third for Sébastien. It has taken a full month to run down the Atlantic with a rarely a good wind and many sail changes, which each time represent a real physical challenge. Kito is recovering well from his two cracked ribs. Seb sleeps like a baby when he gets into his bunk and recovers from the maneuvering he has been doing for two. The “spirate” (spinnaker with the Laughing Cow wearing a pirate eye-patch), torn at the bottom during a maneuver, is being repaired, however Groupe Bel is doing well before crossing this liquid desert in the south of the globe.    

KITO DE PAVANT CONTACTED BY HIS TEAM AT MIDDAY:
“We have an average of 20 knots and 25-27 knot gusts. We are under gennaker and main sail with one reef when necessary. We are remaining watchful after what happened to Foncia yesterday, it’s put a damper on things. We are sailing fast but “safely”. It is not always easy, since we are very competitive, but we must be reasonable. A low is coming and we are going to leave a northwesterly wind flow which will turn progressively south east. The weather data is forecasting 45 knots; we are going to stay on a northern route to avoid large gales. We will probably pass through a calm area tomorrow which should end quickly. The race is taking on another dimension as far as I’m concerned, since I have never been to this region before. The surroundings are fairly inhospitable. We will only have the boat to protect us for a month far from everything!”

SEBASTIEN AUDIGANE CONTACTED BY HIS TEAM AT 13:30 HOURS
“I am happy to be in the South Seas and we’re surfing at last. Kito is getting better. He has helped me more than he says, but we have both rested well these last few days. I must admit that I got a little heated, the odd time, moving a ton of equipment alone. This takes 15 minutes in gentle breeze conditions, but an hour when there’s a strong wind. Some big low pressure areas are coming and here there is often more wind than expected. The sea is rough and changing constantly, growing hollow, and lengthening. There are current effects coming from the East of Africa and shallows. You need to be careful! In our North, the anticyclonic cell will not bother us for long.  It is driven by a strong front which is coming and will bring us into the Indian Ocean. We are preparing the yacht to be ready to attack. It’s the third time that I’ve been through this region. The last time was in January 2008 with Groupam 3 (Trophée Jules Verne attempt, aborted south of New Zealand). I really feel good at sea. It’s an adventure. We are so far from everything that happens back on land. Being self-sufficient in the middle of nowhere is a feeling I love. We are being followed by lots of birds. This gives the impression that we are a wild territory. For them, we are just two “blokes” on a red boat in the middle of the ocean.”