After 13 hours of racing, Bruno Peyron’s catamaran Explorer, which left Miami yesterday at 18.29 GMT, has already notched up 270 miles at an average speed of 21 knots. During the last radio session recorded this morning with race Headquarters, Bruno Peyron told us that the watch on deck had just taken in a reef because of the wind rising to 20 knots. The manoeuvre was carried out in the light of the full moon and in spray of about 28°C. The sea was still choppy and the boat was sailing on a close reach, on a northerly heading, on starboard tack, definitively clearing the Bahamas atoll.

For the next 12 hours, Explorer should, thanks to her starting option, be well placed to negotiate the wind change. On board the big catamaran, they are getting into the routine. The crew is divided into two three hour watches, one American, the other French. “There’s a bit of a competition between two continents being played out by the record attempt crew” underlined Bruno Peyron who if the wind conditions keep up could arrive during the day on Wednesday.

Weather : for the next 24 hours, rotation of the wind to the South-east 15/20 knots in the evening of May 31st, then South falling 8/10 knots on the approach to Cape Hatteras before rotating to the South-west.

Listen to the satellite telephone interview on the website : http://www.therace.org