Good first day for Geronimo.
[27 /2 /2004 ] The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran covered 495 nautical miles on the first full day of her Jules Verne Trophy attempt, at an average speed of 20.65 knots. This was a good start for Olivier de Kersauson and his crew, proving better than Day 1 of the 2002 Record. The northerly wind varied from 15 to 25 knots in strength over this first 24 hours, allowing Geronimo to indextain an average speed in excess of 20 knots.
The eleven men on board Geronimo can also congratulate themselves on having increased their lead over the 15-man crew of Orange 2, despite the difference in size between the two boats. At 08:00 (GMT) this morning, the real-time gap between the two boats was over 210 nautical miles, confirming that the trimaran is succeeding in holding off her rival in comparable conditions. The pace picked up spectacularly early this afternoon, with Geronimo clocking up over 29 knots at times.
The immediate future is now looking rather more complex: “Following the coast of Spain and passing between the forecast north-northwesterlies and northeasterlies. We expect this to happen somewhere south of Cape St. Vincent and North of the Canaries”, said the skipper. The eastern edge of the anticyclone seems likely to make its presence felt and considerably slow down the Bretons’ rate of progress south.
This could prove to be a real red light for Geronimo, whose crew would have a variable length of time in which to scan the horizon for their pursuers and hope to get away before them. But Geronimo will be able to rely on her abilities in light winds to lose the minimum amount of time...
DAY 1
Position of GERONIMO (Cap Gemini - Schneider Electric)
41°14N – 10°39W
495.65 nautical miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 20.65 knots.
2002 Record
42°12N – 11°11W
456.51 nautical miles in 24 hours at an average speed of 19.02 knots.
Position of ORANGE II
41°17N – 10°35W
494 nautical miles in 24 hours (source:
www.maxicatamaran-orange.com)
Geronimo approaches Cape Finisterre
[27 /2 /2004 ] The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran is now approaching the northwest corner of Spain, just 12 hours after the clock started ticking.
”A little bit slacker than forecast – sluggish even”, comments the skipper, who went on to add this about the following wind: “If there’s a knot extra wind, the boat makes an extra knot. There’s a direct relationship between the speed of the boat and the speed of the wind”. So weather conditions are a little less favourable than forecast and lack power. More importantly, the angle of the wind is not good for achieving maximum speed. The weather vane is set obstinately in the north or, occasionally, northeast, which means that the crew has to gibe regularly. “We have a fairly weak wind – it’s not very active. Not weak enough to shift direction and not strong enough to get us going really quickly” adds Olivier de Kersauson. The reality is that Geronimo is moving at exactly the same speed as the air, and reindexs just ahead of the more powerful switch to the northwest.
The crew is gradually getting back into racing routine, and the temperature has already risen by three degrees. “Casting off at night is always tiring, with all those manoeuvres in the dark and the hard work involved in getting to the line at the right time in the right trim”. As last-minute replacement for Rodolphe Jacq, Xavier Douin has the task of integrating into a highly trained and responsive group, headed by watch captain Didier Ragot. The ten crewmembers are split equally into Geronimo’s two 5-man watches. The skipper is not included in the watch system and devotes his time to navigation. Immediately after departure, the system was modified to two short watches before resuming the normal six-hour rhythm this afternoon.
Orange II, Bruno Peyron’s new maxi-catamaran, has also taken advantage of the same weather window, crossing the start line nine hours later. Before casting off yesterday, Geronimo’s skipper said that he would have preferred better weather conditions than his rival at the start, having no particular wish to prove that a boat 20% bigger often sails 20% faster... in equivalent conditions
Press Relations
RIVACOM
Régis Rassouli
Tel : +33 (0) 2 98 43 21 50
regis@rivacom.fr
Téléchargez le communiqué
www.trimaran-geronimo.com
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