The night started at a slow pace with the smoke of the Etna lit up by the last rays of the sun to the West.
The wind gathered strength as we entered the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Strait of Messina just before 10pm.
On doubling Capo Peloro at 11pm it had built up to a nice 25 knots, which was driving us at more than 12 knots at times – our highest speed since the start of the race. But this was having my heart beat faster for other reasons: the upper wind speed for our light A1.5 spinnaker is only 14knots ! So I summoned all crew on deck and a nice peeling was swiftly executed under the stars. With our A2 runner up, we were elated to see the breeze hold until the late hours of the night.
As dawn was breaking, the shadow of Stromboli with its cloud of smoke emerged due East !
Yves Grosjean, Skipper of JIVARO