There is still a long way to go to Cape Town/South Africa and many difficulties await Stanjek, navigator Sébastien Simon, pit Anne-Claire Le Berre, bowman Phillip Kasüske and onboard reporter Charles Drapeau as they head southeast around the St Helena High. Still, it was a good reason to celebrate when the yacht glided into the southern hemisphere in the middle of the night. The choice of the furthest east route of the five Imocas had paid off so far. By sailing the shortest distance in the competition, GUYOT environnement – Team Europe was the first crew to pass latitude 0. It was a moment to high-five and congratulate each other for what they had achieved so far.

“We put a lot of concentration into the trim and only made small course corrections. It also looks very good on the tracker. For the last two days we have all been sleeping on the sails in the bow to make the stern light. The mood is good, although it’s very hot on this black yacht,” Robert Stanjek reports and continues: “The passage of the Doldrums is a real test of patience. And after that, there are still almost 4,000 miles ahead of us. So it’s not a stone’s throw. From a navigational point of view, this leg is really the king’s leg.”