SEGEL.DE > Oceanyachting 2005 > Aktuell Geronimo - Rund Australien 6300 Meilen www.superyachting.com -Übersicht animierter Kursverlauf PRESS RELEASE of 06/27/2005 Rund Australien Geronimo already has 2000 miles in her wake After 5 days at sea, the Capgemini/Schneider Electric team is already nearly one-third of the way round The Challenge course. Australia is the world's largest island. At over 2,300 miles from North to South, and 2,500 from East to West, its land area (including Tasmania)is 14 times greater than that of France. Sailing around it requires complex coastal navigation, and therefore a very high level of vigilance. This 6,500-mile course is quite unique in terms of the different weather conditions encountered along the way. Foto: www.superyachting.com/ On Saturday evening, the Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran attacked the Coral Sea outside the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral formation. At that time, she was heading north-east to cross the EAC (the Eastern Australian Current), which flows all the way down the east coast of Australia as far as Tasmania. A long way further north, the Gulf of Papua took the Franco-Australian crew past Marion and Tregrosse islands, with their echoes of the historic presence of the French in these waters so far from the Les Fillettes buoy and the Minou lighthouse. The trade winds are now beginning to “sort out” the sea and a preferable long swell is replacing the random chop that reigns either side of the EAC. Temperatures have risen dramatically. The crew of Geronimo made the most of the last predictable part of the course before having to negotiate one of the most complex and difficult straits in the world, which they entered last night. “It's difficult and tortuous. The night was black and we were shooting through at over 20 knots between invisible reefs. It was nerve-racking” said Olivier de Kersauson yesterday about his attack on the Torres Strait. At 140 miles wide, the strait is rough and beset by violent currents of up to 7 knots. “We have total trust in Geronimo, because most of us are so familiar with the boat. Having Australian crewmembers on board is a considerable bonus, the atmosphere is excellent, and one of them, who knows these waters well, is acting as pilot for us – which is by no means a luxury here!”. Press Contact France : Régis RASSOULI (Rivacom) La Vigie 20 Quai Malbert 29200 Brest - France Tél. : +33 (0)2 98 43 21 50 Fax : +33 (0)2 98 43 68 01 Press contact Australie / Geronimo : Sam CRICHTON () + 61 (0) 407 636 416 Free rights videos : Claude BERTRAC (Sea Events) Grand Large Quai de la Douane F- 29200 Brest Tél. : +33 (0)2 98 46 41 17 Fax : +33 (0)2 98 46 53 18 Audio files : Didier PIRON (RivaCom) Port : +33 (0)6 08 51 72 73 Capgemini : Fabrice BIDAULT (Bermudes rp) Tel. : +33 (0)1 41 10 42 90 Tel. : +33 (0)1 41 10 81 35 Schneider Electric : Véronique MOINE (Schneider Electric) Tel : +33 (0)1 41 29 70 76 Free rights pictures : Vincent CAUMES (Rivacom) La Vigie 20 Quai Malbert 29200 Brest - France Tél. : +33 (0)2 98 43 21 50 Fax : +33 (0)2 98 43 68 01 27/06 - www.superyachting.com © www.superyachting.com Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE