Jamaica has changed course in their bid to reach the winds they need to accelerate towards Brazil and according to Race Director, Joff Bailey, “They should move into these steady winds over today and we’ll see their speeds pick up.”

Simon Bradley, skipper of Jamaica, reflects on this in his email to the Race Office this morning. He writes, “Our turn for a slow frustrating day, slow progress but at least it is progress! Everyone is working hard, but we’re relaxed, happy and we won’t give up the fight! One Love - Jamaica.”

Jamaica’s loss is Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper’s gain as they move up into third place again, pushing for the second podium position of their Clipper 07-08 campaign. But with just 24 nautical miles separating the six yachts just behind them – Hull & Humber, Qingdao, Uniquely Singapore, westernaustralia2011.com, Jamaica and Liverpool 08 – it is still impossible to predict a likely winner of this race from La Rochelle to Salvador da Bahia.

Explaining the conditions they are dealing with, Joff says, “Although from the outside the trade winds appear steady at approximately 15 knots from the north east, they do actually move around several degrees in direction. Each of the crews will be gybing several times during the day to make best use of the change in wind angles and maintain the highest possible Velocity Made Good (VMG) towards the finish.”

At the head of the pack the dog-fight between Durban 2010 and Beyond and Nova Scotia continues with the South African entry taking the initiative today. It could be something to do with what they’re eating. As everyone knows, an army marches on its stomach and the crew of a 68-foot racing yacht is no different. Ricky Chalmers, the skipper, writes, “After starting with a small pot of porridge a day, mainly for myself, the crew has finally been won over and it has become the meal of choice in the mornings. Now there is a seemingly impossibly large pot of the stuff bubbling away in the morning, with toppings varying from condensed milk (my favourite), honey, brown sugar or jam. Yumm...” Judging by the picture of Ricky and Jan Nel’s pre-race modifications to the galley, they should have enough to keep them going to Brazil.

Onboard Nova Scotia they have drink, rather than food on their minds and are looking forward to a jag in Salvador, according to their blog. “Much as we’re enjoying life on the ocean wave, we’re also counting the miles and days to Salvador - halfway points and Equator crossings are eagerly anticipated. We’re not ashamed to admit that one of our motivations is that the faster we go, the closer we get to a cold beer in the marina!”

The yachts continue their drive south towards the Cape Verde Islands and the ever present challenge of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), more commonly know as the Doldrums.

The ITCZ is now only six or seven days’ sailing away and all onboard planning efforts will be aimed at crossing at its narrowest point. The ITCZ is wider in the east which is the shortest route but narrower in the west – the longest route. It is likely that most of the teams will cross between 25W and 28W however one or two of the yachts may break away and try something different. Keep checking the Race Viewer to discover what tactics they have decided on. One near certainty is the bunching up of the fleet as the lead boats grind to a halt, while those at the back of the pack keep driving forward with the trade winds.