Olivier de Kersauson’s 110ft trimaran Geronino is currently off Uruguay, battling upwind towards Brazil on day 46 of her Jules Verne Challenge.

Short periods of acceleration and changes in wind direction are inevitably followed by a return to the never-ending headwind. The crew has been tacking two or three times an hour since yesterday evening, with every drop in the wind accompanied by a change of course, as if they were sailing a weekend regatta. De Kersauson said: “Given the winds we have, we’re going quickly! It’s okay, but it’s not great. On the other hand, I keep telling myself that statistically at least, we can’t have a worse time in the Atlantic than we had last year. Which is kind of reassuring.”

The crew is taking advantage of this mediocre weather to catch up on some regular maintenance and repair work. Quite a lot of the boat’s equipment is showing signs of wear, which was coped with at the time, but now demands replacement. The identical winches are dismantled in-situ in the cockpit so that each can be worked on without disrupting manoeuvres. The only real concern is with the new sails, which caused problems during Geronimo’s first attempt when she set off in hot pursuit of Cheyenne and which continue to demand days of re-stitching. The solent, the large foresail used to sail upwind, has just failed for the second time, despite the fact that it is the boat’s basic means of propulsion in light winds. De Kersauson concluded: “In a day or two, when everything is repaired and we’ve had a bit of sleep the crew will even be able to have a wash in fresh water.”

Position

36°04S – 43°44W

352 nautical miles in 24 hours, at an average speed of 14.66 knots

Distances from the Equator

Geronimo: 2,295 nautical miles at 30°W

Jules Verne Trophy: 2,421 nautical miles Cheyenne: 1,528 nautical miles