Steve Fossett and his crew aboard Cheyenne recorded another superb day on the ocean waves yesterday and have now increased their lead over the current record by 1,688 miles after 27 days at sea.

In 25-35kts of north-westerly winds, the 125ft catamaran, sailing on a broad reach, notched up another 507nm during the last 24 hours, averaging 21.1kts of boat speed.

Adrienne Cahalan, Navigator, sent this message back to base: “We have been able to sit just ahead of a cold front from as far back as longitude 70E until just 30 minutes ago when the cold front caught us. Therefore, the 25-35kt north-westerly winds which have allowed us to sail at a fast angle of about 120 degrees wind angle (broad reach) and make very good miles (550 per day) to the mark (Cape Horn) have shifted into the west. We are expecting that the wind will shift back into the north-west and we will have another day of these good north-westerly winds. If not, west winds mean that the Horn will be dead downwind, we will have to start gybing and clocking up 500 nm days toward the mark will be much more difficult to achieve.”

Cheyenne’s next milestone will be South East Cape, Tasmania, marking the eastern boundary of the Indian Ocean (the western edge began at the Cape of Good Hope).

Things are not looking so rosy aboard Olivier de Kersauson’s Geronimo who managed just 254.49nm in the last 24 hours of her Jules Verne Challenge. She crossed the Equator last night making no more than 9kts in a light north-east breeze.