In our last update, Lecomte had been forced to flee from an approaching super typhoon. Safely out of danger, the team kept a careful eye on the storm and were pleased to note a sudden change of direction. The super typhoon began to move north-west and allowed the team to set sail for their previous position, and hopefully resume the swim.

However, it took the best part of five days before Lecomte was actually able to return to the water and new issues sprang up almost immediately. On day 148 the support dinghy experienced engine problems, forcing Lecomte to stop after only six hours of swimming. The problem has yet to be fixed and so the team have been forced to use a kayak instead. This has created yet more issues. Expedition member Maria had been supporting Lecomte in rough conditions on day 150 when she suddenly capsized. Unbeknownst to her, the kayak had been taking on water through a damaged compartment. Maria and Lecomte were forced to radio for the main support boat, Seeker, and worked to remove the barely floating kayak from the water.

Over the past few days the weather has deteriorated further and coupled with continuing electronic issues with the dinghy, it has been too dangerous for Lecomte to swim. Lecomte reports that the last week has been the most difficult of the expedition so far, “we have experienced weather and sea conditions that have tested our crew and equipment. We were pushed to the limit and kept on pursuing our mission and progressing towards our goal.”