ATLANTIC OCEAN — Ellen MacArthur has emerged from the light, shifty and non-existent winds that had held her Open 60 Kingfisher to a three-knot pace yesterday into fresh breezes that had the vessel moving along at 10 and 11 knots throughout last night. MacArthur is clearly loving the ideal conditions that have materialized after a long day of flogging sails, and after a great night sleep—broken only by the sound of water streaming along the hull, two sail changes, and walking the deck of the boat four times—she's prepared to face a day of sorting, tidying, checking, and rechecking the systems on the boat that has been her home for the last month.
Now off the coast of Brazil and nearing the equator and a 1,500-mile stretch of doldrums, she'll likely see fickle breezes again. MacArthur is also concerned about fuel, having used one-quarter of what she had before Cape Horn with still twice as far to go until reaching Europe. The solo skipper estimates she has enough for the next 30 days, although the closer to Europe she gets, the more fuel she'll use as the temperature drops, leaving her hoping for sunny days for the solar panels.