While still on the mend after his encounter with the whales nine days ago, Bermuda's Around Alone sailor Alan Paris is currently enjoying ideal sailing conditions.

The frontrunners on the final leg of the solo around the world race are enduring mixed weather patterns of high and low pressures, but Paris - at the back of the fleet - says he's moving along smoothly in consistent winds.

Still positive despite the collision with two whales which left him with badly bruised ribs and in considerable pain, Paris wrote yesterday: ". . . pleasant and fast conditions have returned for at least the last two days and as with all sailors, we have a short memory for the bad and a long memory for the good . . .

"Presently (I am) in lovely reaching conditions which keep us on the level, easier to move around the cabin and deck as I favour my left side."

As the miles to the finish decrease - Paris is now some 2,300 nautical miles from his Newport, Rhode Island destination - the Bermudian says he is appreciating the experience of his solo sailing a bit more.

The temperature has levelled out to a "bearable 88 degrees", down from the scorching 96 degree temperatures of the Southern hemisphere, and the familiarity of being on this side of the world, he added, has offered "a certain level of solace".

"I am increasingly feeling the comfort of being in home waters," said Paris. "With Bermuda on the horizon I am savouring all the sensations of being at sea alone."

Paris hopes to bring his yacht, BTC Velocity, close to the Island before heading on the final stretch up to Newport.