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Right now we’re between the equator
and Fernando de Noronha,
which is the first course mark of this leg.
The equator notably marks the exit
from the Doldrums zone,
a complicated zone for the race
and for us, as it’s an area with
little wind and a lot of storms
and you have to thread your way
through the squalls.
It was even more complicated for us this time
because we lost a fair bit of ground
in relation to our rivals as we traversed
this rather hazardous zone.
Right now we’re in the tradewinds again,
but this time those of the southern hemisphere.
They are steady,
but we have some ground to cover
before we can catch up with our friends.
We’ve just crossed the equator
and there are about 9 guys on board
who have been helpless with laughter
for the past half an hour
and they’re beginning their preparations.
The undisputed leader is Martin Krite!
It’s a good atmosphere!
Martin Krite, our Swede,
has concocted a fabulous ceremony
and he played into their hands
and the novices played into his.
Everyone’s happy.
It wasn’t unpleasant at all!
I expected ten times worse
than that with these rogues.
In reality we had a really good laugh!
For me the thing that’s going to stick
in my memory the most
is traversing the Doldrums I think.
The transition, the passage across
the equator itself,
wasn’t really a big thing.
However, the separation of the two hemispheres
in the maritime sense, namely the Doldrums,
is something that really appealed to me.
I was expecting great things
and I wasn’t disappointed.
I’m delighted about that.
I hope we’ve celebrated Neptune
in the proper manner because we need him to be
on our side over the coming days!