Skipper's log: Samantha Davies (Britain), Initiatives-Cœur (IMOCA)

Hello earthlings

Sorry to not be in touch for the last 2 days. The reason is the 
Doldrums!  Our passage through this crazy part of the planet has been 
quite complicated and Paul and I have been 100% to get the maximum out 
of the boat in these very unstable conditions.

Basically we have been slaloming through a pack of rather feisty 
thundersqualls that have thrown us a rapidly varying range of 
conditions, illustrated perfectly with dramatic cumulonimbus clouds and 
amazing sunrise and sunsets, and at night by ligtning strikes and 
flashes all around us.

The conditions change so quickly and so often that the person on deck is 
100% busy trimming all the time. AND coupled with that we have done so 
many sail changes we have lost count (and for each sail change we are 
both on deck of course.) Easier by day to predict the oncoming monster 
clouds and their strong cold gusts, so we can do the change at the 
pefect time. By night, things complicate themselves and we have to use 
radar, satellite images and our "feeling" to judge if the cloud is 
"packing a punch" or if it's just a little extra 2 knots of wind.

We were well rested before the doldrums, in anticipation, and it paid 
off as we have been at 100%. We will catch up on sleep (and food!) once  
out of the clutch of the calms and squalls and in the stable trade 
winds. (who are tantalisingly close but the doldrums just dont seem to 
want to let go of us!)

Apart from that, all is good on board, a bit humid! We have made the 
most of the rain ("free showers!") and our boat and ourselves are lovely 
and clean!

We have a nice group of competitors around us which is great motivation 
and we are enjoying the race with our group, albeit a bit tricky with 
the new boats! We're looking forward to the last few days in the trade 
winds to see how we go against the others and we  know that there maybe 
a place or two to gain...

More news soon...

Sam