Orange, Bruno Peyron’s Jules Verne maxi-cat, has picked up a new weather system and is currently clocking speeds of 25 knots plus as she heads towards Cape Horn.

Nick Moloney, the on-board watch leader, says the wind has changed direction from the north to the north-west and it’s getting wetter by the minute.

Moloney commented: “The sky is grey and the horizon is only a few miles away due to mist and waves. Our world is pretty small but active as horizontal hurricanes are streaming off our bows again.

“Last night a few of the crew were moving the jib lead and through the illumination of their red-shaded headlamps. There was thin spray continually fizzing through the tramp and about twice the height of a person. Heard a dodgy sound last night as we were crashing along but after inspection found nothing.”

Team Orange is now under 2,700 miles to the corner [Cape Horn] which they hope to round next Sunday (14 April).