HAMPSHIRE’S round- the-world sailors have reached the most treacherous and feared part of the Vendée Globe race – the Southern Ocean.

The five remaining ‘Britpack’ sailors now have the Roaring Forties to look forward to – which means gale force winds, mountainous waves and freezing temperatures.

At the time of press, leading the ‘Britpack’ in ninth was veteran solo sailor Mike Golding, pictured below, with Lymington’s Brian Thompson around 400 miles behind in 13th.

Sam Davies and Dee Caffari were in 14th and 15th respectively with Jonny Malbon in 19th.

Mike, from Warsash, said: “Arriving in the latitude of Forties is generally regarded as the beginning of the Southern Ocean, and so it is – Ecover is screaming along downwind in 26kts of wind.

“Steep seas periodically roll the boat in a precarious way that loads up the boat with the corresponding creaks and groans of protestation until the pilot pulls the boats bows down and away from the wind.

“It’s now also properly cold. Yesterday while gybing I took the full brunt of a very steep wave -–it was freezing.

“So that’s it, it’s official – we are definitely in the south.”

Jonny Malbon was recovering after ploughing into a whale in the south Atlantic.

The Southampton yachtsman was blasting along at more than 15 knots when his yacht Artemis struck the whale.

The collision caused permanent damage to the starboard daggerboard affecting the yacht’s upwind performance.

He said: “The boat immediately stopped dead in the water and remained there for about a minute until the animal released itself from the daggerboard.

“Once we had broken free, we sailed off very quickly, but I could clearly see the animal astern in a lot of trouble.”

Meanwhile Dee Caffari’s spirits were up as she increased the pace on Aviva, now in the Southern Ocean.

“It’s like being on a train on the edge of control,” she said.

“I have been doing 22 knots and the boat felt like it was a juggernaut but it’s not because it is really windy.

“She just catches a wave and she’s off on one.

“The noise is awesome – down below you are thinking this is absolutely horrendous then you go up on deck and the boat is fine. The noise does not relay how good it is.”

Caffari’s campaign was thrown into jeopardy after she developed an infected knee, however she has reported feeling much better since taking a course of antibiotics.

Sam Davies yesterday told of her frustration at losing ground in after unexpectedly hitting a high pressure zone.

“Here I am in the Roaring Forties of the Southern Ocean and I am going slower than I did in the Doldrums,” she said.

“I am so frustrated to have lost these miles.

“I can see that I was the slowest of the fleet all day.

“The leaders have done a runner, and those behind me have caught up.

“It is very annoying. It means I have some work to do to make up.”