Watch Alex Thomson in the Atlantic Ocean in videocast 14

Latitude: 40 01.31' S

Longitude: 45 21.91' W

Position: Second

Average speed: 15.5 knots

Since re-entering the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend, we are having a great time on HUGO BOSS. We have managed to make up a few hundred miles on the leader Paprec Virbac, and each day the air temperature gets a little bit warmer. The weather ahead is going to be very tricky to negotiate, due to its unpredictable nature in this area of the world. However, this could work in our favour as we are hopeful of catching up with the leader.

The weather over the last 24 to 48 hours has been pretty varied, with light conditions followed by some of the most punishing weather that we have seen on this race so far. Last night was particularly hairy as we negotiated a large low pressure system that moved east from the Argentinian coast. We had been sailing in a very pleasant 20 knots of breeze in a relatively flat sea, making good progress towards the next racing mark. The breeze started to build and we continued to decrease our sail area accordingly. The wind strength then increased quite quickly, and within no time at all, it was gusting at 50 knots! The sea state that accompanied this weather was short, sharp and pretty horrible. HUGO BOSS was receiving a real pounding as we surfed off the top of waves at up to 30 knots boat speed and crashed into the toughs between the waves. It is a very disconcerting feeling, as you feel the boat become airborne off the top of waves and you brace yourself for the landing. It feels a bit like losing your stomach as you drive over a small bridge in your car, however the crash landing feels like the boat is landing on concrete. The boat survived pretty much unscathed, and early this morning the wind died down and things became a lot more comfortable.

Unfortunately, due to the weather Capey and I haven't eaten much in the last 24 hours. When the conditions are bad, it becomes quite dangerous to boil up enough water to dehydrate our meals, and most of the time you are just too busy to eat. Food plays a very important role in long distance ocean racing, as it gives you something to look forward to. Whenever I get bored, I come up with new and ingenious ways to make food fun and tasty. My latest culinary experiment resulted in what I like to call the HUGO BOSS Panini. You take a part cooked pita bread, cut it in half and stick some cheese and salami inside. Then all you do is fry it in a pan with some melted butter. Capey has taken a real liking to them and whenever I suggest making them, it puts a little spring in his step. I am going to make up some bacon butties for lunch today, and I would like to extend an invitation to Jean-Pierre and Damien onboard Paprec Virbac to slow down a bit and join us for a butty or two.

With the temperature rising as we head further north, life on deck is becoming a lot more pleasant. I am currently contemplating whether or not to lose the mid-layer during the day, which would be a great feeling I can tell you. The wind is going to drop over the next few days, as we experience the effects of a high pressure system that has replaced last night's low. This will help increase the temperature further, but is not particularly good for catching up with Paprec Virbac. Over the next few days we think that we will lose a few miles to the leader, but the weather in this area is so changeable we could still catch a break. For now though, we are very happy with where we are, and we are really looking forward to continuing our progress north.