Press Release No.22
Friday 20th June – 0730 hours UT
Gitana 13 in refit in Hong Kong, Gitana Eighty at the start of the Record
SNSM
The Gitana Team couldn’t have imagined a better start to the season... Full
house for Gitana 13 in its record campaign and success for Gitana Eighty in
its programme of races, with the notable inclusion of Loďck Peyron’s
historic triple in The Transat, rewarding the work of the whole team. The
fleet in the colours of the LCF Rothschild Group clearly has the wind on
their tail and has no intention of stopping there! Whilst Gitana 13 is
benefiting from a few weeks well earned rest prior to setting out on its
final attempt in its 2008 schedule, the Tea Route, Gitana Eighty will take
the start of the Record SNSM this Sunday.
Gitana 13 undergoing a summer refit in Hong Kong
With almost the equivalent of a round the world in its wake, it’s time for a
summer break for the maxi-catamaran in the colours of the LCF Rothschild
Group. After six months sailing and as many record times gleaned by the crew
of Gitana 13, the analysis is rather positive for Lionel Lemonchois’ men.
Setting out from New York on 16th January 2008, the sailors of Gitana Team
have successfully completed the series of records and reference times they
were targeting: the Route de l’Or, the North Pacific Crossing and then the
Asian tour from Yokohama to Hong Kong, via Dalian, Qingdao and Taipei.
“Since we set out from the foot of the Statue of Liberty last January,
everything has linked together very well, as much on a sporting level as a
technical one. The reference time for the Route de l’Or was totally
accessible since it was held by a monohull, but this first course proved no
less demanding or complicated, with nearly 43 days at sea and the east to
west passage of Cape Horn. Following that there was the North Pacific, where
we beat the time set by Geronimo (Olivier de Kersauson’s maxi-trimaran) by
nearly 4 days. Finally, we had our various Asian records which comprised a
wealth of encounters both on the water and during our different stopovers"
explained Lionel Lemonchois.
On Saturday 14th June, the 33 metre maxi-catamaran was lifted out of the
water, not far from Hong Kong, for a few weeks summer refit. Besides the
rig, which will be replaced in its entirety, the crew of Gitana 13 will make
the most of this downtime to redo the appendage coatings (rudders and
centreboard), manhandled by the numerous encounters with drifting fishing
nets in the China Sea. It will also be an opportunity to perform a complete
check-up of the boat; a necessary general validation session after sailing
over 21,000 miles in, at times, harsh conditions.
The next challenge for Lionel Lemonchois and his crew is none other than the
Tea Route, a course covering nearly 15,000 miles between Hong Kong and
London. Gitana 13 will attack this new record, held since 1990 by Philippe
Monnet (single-handed in a multihull) in 67 days 10 hours and 26 minutes.
The departure is scheduled over the course of the summer.
Gitana 13’s records
The Route de l’Or* (New York – San Francisco, via Cape Horn):
43 days 3 minutes and 18 seconds
The North Pacific Crossing* (San Francisco – Yokohama):
11 days 12 minutes and 55 seconds
Taipei – Hong Kong*:
1 day 45 minutes and 59 seconds
*records approved by the WSSRC
The new reference times
Yokohama – Dalian: 3 days 20 hours 19 minutes 11 seconds
Dalian – Qingdao: 23 hours 50 minutes 20 seconds
Qingdao – Taipei: 3 days 52 minutes 15 seconds
Find all the latest about the Gitana Team at www.gitana-team.com
Tiphaine Combot-Seta
+ 33 6 85 58 53 00 or press@gitana-team.com
Photo credits: Yvan Zedda / Gitana SA
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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