Thomas Coville: Six degrees from the Equator

(January 22, 2014; Day 5) French skipper Thomas Coville and the maxi-trimaran Sodebo continues its descent towards the equator in established trade winds of 25+ knots, covering over 500 miles in the past 24 hours. At 6 degrees north, his speeds remain solid as the intertropical convergence zone is positioned well to the south. Coville has needed a westerly route to prepare for the St Helena High, which is positioned well to the west in the South Atlantic. Coville trails the solo around the world record set of Francis Joyon (FRA) by 158 miles as of Jan. 22 21:45 TU. Team website.