Jules Verne Trophy 2005
Press Release N°8
Monday 24th, January 2005
ORANGE II RACING AROUND THE WORLD
• Bruno Peyron and his crew aboard Orange II crossed the starting line
of the RTW record this Monday January 24 at 11h03’07’’ (10 :03’07’’
GMT). Conditions were good at the start, with 20 knots blowing from the
north – north east. Orange II was sailing at 20 knots, under reefed
indexsail and staysail. They sent the gennaker up soon afterwards.
• In order to beat the absolute RTW record (set by Steve Fossett on
April 5, 2004 – 58d 9hrs 32 mn), Orange II must be back on the line at
Ouessant before March 23 at 19:34’52’’ GMT.
• In order to beat the Jules Verne Trophy (set by Olivier de Kersauson
on April 29, 2004 – 63d 13hrs 59mn), Orange II must be back on the line
at Ouessant before March 29 at 00:01’53’’ GMT.
First audio chat session
Bruno Peyron spoke this afternoon with the shore team, while Orange II
was flying along at 30 knots. “The wind kicked in as predicted, it’s
blowing at roughly 25 knots. Our speed is better than it was just after
the start, we’re still sailing with the reefed index, the staysail and
the gennaker, doing about 27 / 28 knots. It’s a bit tough, since the
boat is relatively narrow, and the windward hull is quickly airborne,
but the seas are beautiful”.
heading West
“We wanted to gain in the west, since the breeze is blowing from the
N/NE, it’s better to be on a starboard tack. We’ll gybe in the coming
hours, in order to take advantage of the wind shift. It makes the route
a bit longer, but that way we’ll stick to our strategy. It was a
magnificent start this morning, with a great atmosphere aboard and a
splendid light outside. By leaving today, we knew we’d be perfectly
serene and ready. Everything’s fine aboard Orange II, we have just the
right canvas up, hence the right speed. The watches system is running
smoothly, the prevailing feeling is satisfaction. The long preparation
phase is behind us, and its result is right here, on the water. We’re
in a fighting spirit, and very concentrated at the same time. We trust
the boat and the gear aboard, we accumulated 20 000 miles last year,
and that experience will be valuable. We know the maxi-cat’s potential,
and her limits: during this RTW journey, we’ll never be sailing at
100%, in order to preserve the boat’s longevity”.
First target, the equator
“Crossing the equator is the first benchmark of this circumnavigation.
According to the simulations we carried out yesterday, 80% of the
predicted routes gave us a Ouessant – equator passage below the current
record (6 days and 11 hours). Today, it’s not so sure anymore, but
we’ll keep our sights set on that goal. Conditions are similar for the
hours to come, and we’ll gybe in 2 or 3 hours. We have 25 knots of
wind, it’s nice weather and we should go fast, yet it’ll probably
weaken at the end of the night. Things might get more complex
approaching Portugal”.
The crew is in the right pace
Yves Le Blévec: “Everything’s fine, the boat’s fast – 25 to 30 knots –
and we’re installed in our watch system. Phlippe Péché is up on deck
with Nico (Nicolas de Castro), JB (Jean-Baptiste Epron) and Seb
(Sébastien Audigane). Yann (Elies), Ludo (Aglaor), Florent (Chastel)
and myself are on stand-by. Since we didn’t get much sleep last night,
we’re resting now. The third watch team, composed of Lionel
(Lemonchois), Bernard (Stamm), Jacques (Caraes) and Ronan (Legoff) is
completely off! It’s a major change for all of us, but we’ve all been
preparing for that. Last night, we spent a few hours in front of the
Brest bay entrance before going to the starting line ».
The records Orange II has to beat
- The Jules Verne Trophy has been held by Olivier de Kersauson and the
crew of the trimaran Geronimo, in 63 days, 13h 59mins, since the 29th
April 2004.
- The absolute round the world record has been held by the American
Steve Fossett, in 58 days, 09h, 32mins, since the 5th April 2004.
The most recent records set by Orange II
– The 24 hour world record (706.2 miles covered at an average speed of
29.42 knots),
– The Mediterranean Record (17h 56mn and 13s, at an average of 25.53
knots).
|
