Fossett Challenges - Challenging Trough Of Low Pressure To Cross Tomorrow

Monday 22 March 2004 - 1710 GMT - 475 nm E/SE of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: It has been another excellent 1/2 day Monday for Steve Fossett's team aboard Cheyenne, with 281 miles covered on a NE course over the past 12 hours (avg 23.4 kts) on their Round The World Sailing record bid. Their lead over the 2002 RTW record track of Bruno Peyron's team on Orange I is now estimated at 900 miles - and the present good Southerly breeze is expected to continue for the next 6 - 12 hours. That's the good news.

But the next several days pose another weather challenge: A N-S trough of Low pressure, located at approximately 36 - 37 degrees W longitude, is the focal point for tonight's weather and course discussions - both aboard the boat and at meteorologists Commanders Weather. For at some point tomorrow, Cheyenne's crew will have to point East and plough their way through the trough which (if they are fortunate) will only be 100 miles wide at that point. If they time it correctly, they will reappear on the other side of this obstacle to find winds emanating from the NE or E, permitting onward progress North.

Stay tuned.

For further details and regular position updates, please see: www.fossettchallenge.com