Jules Verne Trophy 2005
Morning press release N°3 / 4 a.m. GMT
Paris, Thursday 27th January 2005
The Canaries lie in her wake…
As expected, the maxi catamaran left Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the lowest two islands of the Spanish archipelago, to her left during the night. Several gybes were required to get around the little group of islands, and it is now in light airs that Orange II is sailing on the leeward side of the Canaries. At 4 a.m. GMT, Orange II was recorded doing just 6.3 knots and averaging only 7.8 knots over half an hour. Stuck between a high-pressure area moving in towards the east and the African coast to his left, Bruno Peyron and his men are feeling their way through a narrow corridor with the wind directly aft. The only solution for the moment is to compromise on the speed to ensure they make headway south in order to pick up a steadier north easterly, which is starting to get up underneath the huge mass of high pressure, stretching out in a kidney shape along the African coast. It is this very same anticyclone that has been posing so many problems for the leaders in the Vendée Globe. In spite of this, Orange II is showing off her true qualities in this difficult phase of light winds by achieving an average speed of 22.7 knots since the start, and 16.6 knots over the past 24 hours. The maxi-catamaran has covered 400 miles towards home over the past 24 hours, bringing the total distance covered to 1,492 miles.
The latest data (4 a.m. figures):
Date/time of start: Monday 24th January 2005 at 10h 03 mins and 07 seconds GMT (11h 03 mins 07s CET).
Distance covered since the start: 1492 miles
Average speed since the start: 22.7 knots
Distance left to cover: 13,183.7 miles
Maxi-Catamaran Orange press contacts:
Pierre Giboire - Agence Mer & Média / 06 08 31 00 48 – pierre.giboire@wanadoo.fr
Bénédicte Etienne - C Sports Communication / 06 87 30 12 83 - benedicte.etienne@csports.fr
Copyright free photos (for press use) : www.maxicatamaran-orange.com (press section)
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