Jules Verne Trophy - Orange II - Geronimo - Cheyenne zur Übersicht www.orange.fr Press Release N° 22 Paris Wednesday March 3rd 2004 ORANGE II headS BACK HOME Bruno Peyron and his 14-man crew decided last night to temporarily withdraw from the Jules Verne Trophy, because of the technical incident discovered yesterday. "We dove to inspect the damage, took some pictures, analysed the situation with the shipyard, and we have to face the facts: we do not have the possibility to repair the broken part ourselves. We're at 80% of our potential, and it's not possible to tackle such a challenge if we're not at 100%", says Bruno Peyron. Will they take another go at it, later? "It reindexs an open question, and we wish to study all the possibilities before taking a premature decision. We're coming back to start again, that's for sure! But when, we don't know". Quite frustrating, especially since Didier Quillot (Orange France CEO), Alain Prost and Laura Flessel (who officially launched the boat) were today at the Orange Race HQ for a special audio chat session. There's disappointment, but wisdom reindexs the keyword today. "If we did manage to fix the boat, nothing tells us that our repair would not experience the same fate! And it surely is not our ambition to take a shot at the record knowing we can't count on the boat's full potential. So we took the decision to head back home, correct Orange II's little OEyouth flaws in order to take a better start", said Bruno Peyron today. The incident was discovered Monday during the night, and major vibrations have led the crew to decide that an underwater inspection of the starboard hull was necessary. The fairing which protects the propeller shaft (Stern Drive) is damaged. "This problem is not a structural one, the hull is not endangered. We started by taking on the Everest, because that's the challenge that fits this season. Maybe we should have more progressive ambitions... So the Everest, definitely yes, but once again when we'll be back at 100%". Orange II was launched on December 22nd, and only benefited from 6 weeks of set-up and training — very little time to validate many details which, seen from ashore, can be considered minor ones, but which take another dimension at sea. And of course, it's simply wiser to take such a decision off Cape Verde Islands, rather than waiting to be in the deep South. Let us remind the fact that Club Med (who eventually won The Race) had had 20 000 miles of sea trials before setting out around the world, and all this experienced had been valuable for Club Med's sister-ships, Team Adventure and Innovation Explorer (which became Orange). "With all of this, I even forget we're still the current Trophy holders", says Bruno, shaken by the disappointing outcome of his campaign. "But let's be clear about one thing: we won't let go of our title without putting up a fight", ends the skipper, who's the only one to have broken the record twice. Currently 2200 miles away from her birthplace in Brittany, Orange II was at noon today off Santo Antao Island (Cape Verde archipelago). She's heading north-west at 14 knots and sails in 15 to 20 knots of wind. The maxi-catamaran will have to exit the Trades which force the crew to sail upwind, and will catch the various lows scattered across the North of the Atlantic ocean at this season. A "dog leg", which will make the way home longer in terms of miles covered, but will also be faster. Orange II should reach Brittany in about a week, but Bruno Peyron did not say towards which harbour he was heading. Quotes: Didier Quillot: (CEO of Orange France): "we obviously support that decision, and think it's wise to turn back. If Orange is not at her full potential, it's useless to carry on. Bruno knows we're by his side, and with the crew. We also know that if they come back now, it's to take a better start! They have our full support, and it's not in our habits to turn our back on tough situations. As far as another start is concerned, the skipper's decision deserves respect. We trust Bruno Peyron, and he reindexs the favourite for the Jules Verne record — a record he broke twice, with two attempts". Alain Prost (former Formula 1 champion): "I sympathise and I understand the disappointment felt by Bruno and his crew. Before his start, we compared sailing and Formula One, which both are mechanical sports. Today, the similarities are more than patent. Even the best machine has sometimes to experience mishaps... That said, I really share the team's sadness". Laura Flessel (fencing champion): "Competition implies ups and downs... But the principal is to be relieved from any kind of pressure, and to know that this splendid adventure is made possible by a sponsor who is truly supportive and willing to give his trust. Everything that's happening now is not done for nothing, it's only a step back to take a bigger one forward towards the Trophy !" TV: copyright-free images for all TV stations available at the Serte from 16:30 to 16:45 French time Today's audio chat session can be downloaded on the website www.orange.fr Download the press release of the day, PR22.pdf Crew : Bruno Peyron (skipper) ; Roger Nilson (navigateur) ; Halvard Mabire (chef de quart) ; Klabbe Nylof (chef de quart) ; Yann Eliès (chef de quart) ; Jacques Caraes ; Nicolas Pichelin ; Ronan Le Goff ; Sébastien Audigane ; Florent Chastel ; Yves Le Blevec ; Jean-Baptiste Epron ; Vladimir Dzalba Lyndis ; Nicolas de Castro ; Eduardo Valderas. About Orange ... Orange France is a subsidiary of Orange SA, which includes all the Mobile Phone activities of the France Telecom Group. Orange France is the leading mobile phone operator with a market share exceeding 48,8%, and more than 20,3 millions of customers (December 31th 2003 figure). Maxi-catamaran Orange official suppliers : France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications, TD Com Henri Lloyd, UKHO, Eduardo Valdéras, Nera SatCom, Telemar Sweden, International Peinture Marseilles, Official Port Copyright-free pictures (for press purposes) upon request : Gilles Martin-Raget +33/(0)6 07 55 45 85 - gmr@martin-raget.com Press Contact Maxi-Catamaran Orange : Bénédicte Etienne - C Sports Communication : +33/(0)6 87 30 12 83 - benedicte.etienne@csports.fr Pierre Giboire - Agence Mer & Média - pg.mer.media@wanadoo.fr Press Contact France Télécom / Orange : Sébastien Goalès - France Télécom : +33/(0)1 44 44 93 93 - sebastien.goales@francetelecom.com Marie-Cécile Leprat - C Sprts Communication : +33/(0)1 58 47 84 58 - mc.leprat@csports.fr Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE