On our way onto the northern hemisphere, we have to pass the doldrums yet again. Similar to what we saw three months ago when heading south, this region is notorious for light winds, hot temperatures and some squalls. We have meanwhile completed our motor-assisted section in this race and are heading for the end of the corridor. Since the engine has come off, we have faced everything from basically no wind to almost 30 knots of wind speed. Thus, we had to change our sail plan a few times. And especially in the lighter and less consistent conditions it is crucial to regularly check if the sails are trimmed correctly. Only by keeping on top of that were we able to secure ourselves a spot in the leading group. At the moment we are stuck in a wind hole again, however this time with the other boats. This doesn’t make the heat more bearable but at least it doesn’t seem that anyone is getting ahead in big style.

Apart from that everything is running its normal way. Duties rotate on a daily basis and with only twelve crew, they come back a bit more quickly. There is nothing left of the bought bread after a week in this humid and hot weather. As a result all the galley teams are getting in position to make the best bread. Let’s see who comes out on top this time.

In the following days we will leave the doldrum’s corridor behind and cross the equator. This time I can look forward to the ceremony calmly, as only those will be initiated who have not yet crossed the equator on a ship. Afterwards, we will continue in direction north-west, hopefully finding some stable trade wind conditions.