Bermuda's solo around the world sailor, Alan Paris, says he's "having fun" as he approaches what might be considered the most challenging episode of the Around Alone Race.

In his latest despatch from on board BTC Velocity, Paris told The Royal Gazette: "Here I am deep in the formidable Southern Oceans, far away from land and approaching for the first time the latitude of 50 degrees south, known affectionately as the Furious Fifties.

". . . But there is something wrong. I am having fun!

"The weather conditions for the past 24 hours have been following winds of less than 20 knots in seas that are less than eight feet. Boat speeds are ranging between 7.5 and 10 knots in the slow swells as we are in a relatively upright position."

Paris noted that similar conditions were meant to last for the next two to three days as he negotiates Leg Four en route to Brazil around the treacherous Cape Horn.

But the threat of icebergs, he said, continued to play heavily on his mind.

"The only lingering point to contend with is the exceptionally high incidence of icebergs and growlers that have been seen as far north as 51.30 degrees," added Paris.

"So although I am tempted in these benign conditions to head further south, I will not as I would rather see icebergs in someone else's photos than in real life while sailing through them."

He continued: "I can remember very clearly the first week out of Cape Town last December when on about day five a storm came through, with winds of 50 knots and a wicked sea state that knocked us flat three times, putting the mast in the water.

"So today I will savour and enjoy with the ever present looking over my shoulder, waiting for what must surely come - Mother Nature's finest attempt to resemble the spin cycle in a washing machine."