Jeanne, 76, prays for wind in the world's wildest ocean

Brit sailing star Jeanne Socrates, a mere 76-year-old, sailing for more than seven months in her circumnavigation is - quite remarkably - being dogged by light conditions.

In one of the notorious corners of the Southern Ocean, near Tasmania, south of Australia, instead of the wild conditions I experienced on my singlehanded circumnavigation in Spirit of Pentax, Jeanne bemoans a protracted becalming.

 Her yacht, Nereida, is a fine seagoing vessel and like her captain, is certainly up to very strong conditions.

 Trying to head south

Instead, as Jeanne logged at 0630 yesterday, 'Still trying to persuade the boat to head south in a very light wind. So difficult! The wind is now East-South-East, but very light so that it's difficult to make a close-hauled course.

'The best we seem to manage is 200° at under a knot. I want some more sleep but have to keep an eye on the self-steering and the heading.

'We've just gone around in a circle. The wind is just too light.

 'I will have to furl in sail and just drift until some wind comes up again.

'The wind generator blades are now totally still. They are not managing to turn even a little.'

At 1445pm, Jeanne logged, 'We're rolling about a lot and quite often towards the South-East in three-metre swells. Otherwise, there's hardly any movement. No wind at all. Continues on the blogs for my ocean adventuring book, Sailing to Purgatory, at http://sailingtopurgatory.com/index.php/feeds/388-jeanne-76-prays-for-wind-in-the-world-s-wildest-ocean