IDEC SPORT reports from 54 degrees South: "Close Call With An Iceberg..."

IDEC SPORT has regained 200 miles in 24 hours. The Furious Fifties are pushing the big, red trimaran at high speed across the Indian Ocean. But they need to watch out for icebergs. 

Yesterday, Francis Joyon's crew came within a mile of one of these ice monsters, as big as a cargo ship…
"We knew that by diving south we would find a little more wind. We're already a long way down, but our route across the Indian takes us a long way south. We may well go down to 54 degrees south."
You read that right. 54 degrees south is a long way down.
The Furious Fifties require them to keep a permanent watch. "We change over every half hour at the helm now," added Francis. The six men on IDEC SPORT are fighting to keep their hands and faces from freezing. "Fortunately inside the boat, we have a little heater, which allows us to dry our clothes and give us a few extra degrees. It's 11 degrees inside at the moment."

IDEC SPORT has regained almost 200 miles from the record pace in the past 24 hours. The difference has gone from 800 miles at the same time yesterday too 600 this afternoon. A quarter of their losses regained in just 24 hours, At these high speeds, everything can change very quickly and IDEC SPORT is expected to cover more than 700 miles today.

www.idecsport-sailing.com