With the rounding of Cape Horn a little over three days away, less than 1500 nautical miles, the Volvo Ocean Race crews are concentrating on positioning themselves to collect as many points as possible at this, the only scoring gate on the course.

The fast reaching and running conditions under masthead spinnaker in 20 knots of wind have not been that enjoyable for the fleet today. The sea temperature is dropping and it is feeling very, very cold. There are no heaters on Ericsson Racing team (Neal McDonald) and everyone onboard is cold and tired and looking forward to getting round Cape Horn. Losing and gaining miles is almost the entire existence of the crews and it is hard, when each position report delivers the bad news of lost miles. Keeping the morale up onboard is even more important in this distant ocean, where crews are constantly tired and drink only desalinated water and eat freeze dried food. Wearing the right clothes, staying as warm as possible, sleeping when the opportunity is there and making sure that all the necessary vitamins and supplements are taken, all helps to keep spirits up.

The weather is typical; grey, very damp and foggy which limits visibility. The crews wear full faced masks to keep out the constant fire hose of icy water coming over deck, but which make it hard to see.

Even taking all this into account, Paul Cayard from second-placed Pirates of the Caribbean says that these are the richest days of sailing that he has ever been given. “Being at sea, travelling extremely long distances and circumnavigating the planet earth, are bigger than life experiences for almost everybody and I appreciate being one of the few hundred people who get to do it,” he said in a radio interview today.

The order remains unchanged tonight, but everyone except third-placed movistar (Bouwe Bekking) has made gains on the leader as the winds go lighter at the front of the fleet.

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