Peyron’s Orange has stepped over the imaginary Greenwich meridian as the crew focus on the forties which have given a second wind to the Giant.

They’ve been chasing after it for days and it is this wind that is pushing Orange at full speed out of the Atlantic and into the Indian Ocean. Between the high shifting away to the north-east and the enormous low ploughing through the south at more than 40 knots, the sailors are tracing their wake. A straight line at last, slightly oriented south-east, underlining the African continent at high speed. The low-pressure system is curling round clockwise. On the north-eastern edge Peyron has chosen his wind, a 25 to 30 knot north-westerly flow to the greatest delight of his “giant”: with a reef in the main, medium masthead gennaker and staysail, Orange needs no persuasion.

In tune with the helmsman busy concentrating on getting the machine going again behind each wave, the speedometer is oscillating between 28 and 23 knots. The daily runs are on the increase again. The good days are back once more and Peyron is taking advantage: “the sea is really manageable and it’s now that we must attack” he admitted. “No euphoria aboard however. We’re not slackening our attention. Concentration is at a maximum, even though the happy faces of the boys are a pleasure to see.” “We hope to stick with this system for several days” added Jean-Baptiste Epron, “Perhaps as far as the middle of the Indian. Then the wind will veer to the south-west and it will be time to put about and push further south on starboard tack”

“We’re really satisfied with our sailing conditions. We’re on the edge of a very disturbed system, in a steady wind and on a tidy sea… It’s ideal for attacking. We hope to be able to keep up this rhythm for several days, before tackling a more complicated passage with a sea that is surely going to be more difficult. Today the boat is slipping along easily. She’s passing admirable through the waves. Orange is really made for these latitudes.”