Turn the Tide on Plastic skipper Dee Caffari blogs from the Southern Ocean

Sailing through the Roaring Forties

We are deep in the Southern Ocean and nearly at the most remote place on the planet.......

We call this point Nemo, the closest humans to us are in fact in the International Space Station, except of course those on the other race boats. They would be our first point of call in an emergency, should anything bad happen.

Land is almost 2000 miles away in any direction and you soon realise Mother Nature is very much in charge. We have no land to interrupt the succession of low-pressure systems that circulate round Antarctica, therefore they create momentum and build big sea states that make life very difficult for us.

That is the beauty of the Southern Ocean, where we play with the Albatross.

We have also deployed a 'Drifter Buoy', all in the name of scientific research. These are supplied by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Team Alvimedica deploy a drifter buoy in the last Volvo Ocean Race

These pieces of tech weigh 20 kgs and are a water-based satellite. They send real-time live data back through an iridium connection for 400 days to scientists back in Miami, USA. The data they collect are sea temperature, ocean swell heights and currents.

Understanding the oceans better allow forecasters to make more accurate weather forecasts, which helps farmers, seafarers and everyone on a day-to-day basis.

Large bodies of water are instrumental in creating weather. Predicting hurricanes, cyclones and tropical storms are tricky, but the data we can get from these drifter buoys in the remote locations that the Volvo Ocean Race reaches is essential in helping.

Turn the Tide on Plastic brave the Southern Ocean

So we are off to Cape Horn and we will have some strong winds along the way but I look forward to updating you from this iconic landmark, which most of my crew will be passing for their first time.

Keep following our progress, at the moment Brazil feels a long way away.

Dee and Team TTTOP

Turn The Tide On Plastic sails into Newport, USA in May, and with Sky VIP you can win the chance to join Dee and the crew on board Turn The Tide on Plastic. On top of unique behind-the-scenes access, you'll get a high speed catamaran sailing experience, tour of the race village and attend the awards gala dinner. The prize includes flights, and five nights' accommodation for two. Download the My Sky app to join Sky VIP to enter.