Geronimo, heading straight for the Doldrums.
[3 /3 /2004 ] The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran continues her southward dash to the Equator, having covered 444 nautical miles on Day 6. She’s now heading straight for the Doldrums, which are covering an exceptionally wide area at present. None of the simulations of this passage, which are re-run every six hours using different computer models, look encouraging. There’s no easy way through to the east or to the west. However, a more precise analysis has helped the team select the least bad option, which the crew will undoubtedly tackle with characteristic enthusiasm.
Again yesterday, the sailing was enlivened by attacks from Bruno Peyron and his 14-man crew, who tried day and night to gain the upper hand. Geronimo made easy headway propelled by the trade winds and pursued by a giant with huge legs. In the space of a day, there’s no more competitor and – soon - no more wind, so analysing slack winds and Geronimo’s progress are once again the only preoccupations for the crew.
The 11-man Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric crew have nothing but sympathy for the Orange2 team, who have been forced to abandon their attempt when things seemed to be going so well. They understand the enormous disappointment of all the technicians and sailors who have worked so hard to build, prepare and sail the huge catamaran, not to mention all the hard work done before she set sail: all of them now robbed of the excitement of competition. They hope that they will soon have another opportunity to measure themselves against this giant of the seas.
The skipper, who is also the Chairman of the Jules Verne Trophy, had this to say: “We also know what it is to have these problems and we understand how painful it is for a team like Bruno Peyron’s to have to give up on a record attempt”.
- http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com
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