Velux 5-Ocean Race leader Bernard Stamm on Cheminees Poujoulat is now on his way back up the Atlantic on the home straight towards Norfolk, USA. He rounded Cape Horn last week and, this morning, he’s 900 miles east of Buenos Aires.

Despite his sound 1,700-mile lead on the second leg of the race, Stamm has been under a fair amount of pressure over the last few days trying to avoid a massive high out to the east. But with a depression currently forming off the coast of Brazil, forcing the high-pressure zone south-east, Stamm is once again able to benefit from the increasing southerly breeze. He’s hoping to retain this possibly all the way up to Recife – the easternmost part of Brazil.

Japan’s Kojiro Shiraishi on board second placed Spirit of Yukoh has benefited from Stamm’s relatively slow going over the last few days gaining 40 miles. He’s now on the final approaches to Cape Horn and should round sometime tomorrow afternoon. The current weather situation though shows a depression closing in behind which means it’s going to be a fairly lively rounding.

The situation further down the fleet is hotting up with now just 80 miles between Unai Basurko (Pakea), Robin Knox-Johnston (Saga Insurance) and Graham Dalton (A Southern Man-AGD). All three are now past the western end of the second ice ‘waygate’ 1,680 miles to the west of Cape Horn.