Geronimo picks up speed.

After a slow day spent crossing a high pressure area, Geronimo has now picked up speed again and is making over 20 knots as she shivers at the first hints of the south.

"We're about to change worlds: we're entering the southern ocean and it's far from being a forgiving place. All the signs are there to be seen: the light, the wildlife - we've seen our first albatross - and especially the sea, Already it has a different pace and you can feel the swell of the southern seas rising. The light is sublime and the temperature is dropping. Yesterday it was summer - now it's spring. The wind is beginning to come back, but we're ready for it. At the moment, we have 20 to 25 knots of wind, but that will rise to 30 or 35 knots later", says Olivier de Kersauson, who is on his 7th circumnavigation and is clearly far from blasé about it.

Despite the last few hours of calm weather, during which Geronimo has once again shown how well she can perform in slack winds, the giant trimaran is now as far south as Tristan Da Cunha. "Making progress in such dull conditions was a struggle - you have to pay close attention and manoeuvre a lot. Every sea mile brought us closer to the end of it, but it's still tiring and stressful".

Geronimo will enter the Roaring Forties tonight, but she's well prepared for the challenge. The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric crew have used the calm weather to run a complete check-up on the boat.

"Geronimo should come into her own in the south". Everything continues to go well on board, although there's a lot of discussion going on. The Schneider Electric watch will be resting when they cross the 40th parallel, which, naturally, is very popular with the Cap Gemini watch… "It's funny" says their skipper. Nevertheless, the boss is insistent that everyone gets the rest they need. "Fatigue is the number 1 danger on a boat. I make sure that no one loses concentration or the ability to react properly, and that means that they have to sleep".

Geronimo's position : Day 12
Geronimo's position at 03:00 GMT

The boat's position at 15:00 GMT today (16:00 local time)