Jules Verne Trophy 2005
Press Release N°13
Monday 31st, January 2005
ORANGE II CROSSED THE EQUATOR AFTER SEVEN DAYS OF SAILING
The maxi-catamaran Orange II crossed latitude 0° around 1 o’clock GMT
this afternoon (Monday 31st January 2005) after 7 days and 3 hours of
sailing from the start off Ushant. This first stretch sees her slightly
ahead (190 miles) of the time for the Jules Verne Trophy and 534 miles
ahead of the absolute round the world crew record, held by the American
Steve Fossett. In spite of very different weather conditions from those
that were forecast, the giant Orange II covered the 3500 miles at an
average speed of 20.1 knots. On the radio link-up today the skipper of
Orange II looked back over the first week.
Bruno Peyron :
«We crossed the Equator a quarter of an hour ago. We
still have very light winds and are only making 10-12 knots, but we
have checked on the satellite photos that we are in the right place.
Since the Canaries, we have had very light winds. We can see that from
the averages, but the good news is that the boat sails quickly in
little wind. We shall be coming out of the Doldrums around 1°South and
we should then start to pick up speed. In the next few hours, the south
easterly trade will be appearing and we should be sailing upwind in a
steady twenty knots. Afterwards, we shall be heading due south for two
days and trying to pick up the system that is around 20-25°S, and then
head off to the left.
A look back at the first week
«The weather was a bit awkward and not really what we were expecting.
Looking back, we clearly made one or two little errors. We could have
avoided the calm zone off Cape Verde by heading south after the
Canaries. As far as the boat is concerned, it’s absolutely fabulous.
The boat was well prepared and we haven’t had any problems with her.
Concerning the team, they’ve given their all. On board there is the
spirit we were expecting and it’s just great. We are arriving at the
Equator with a boat that is balanced and well run in. We’re not asking
ourselves too many questions about what has to be done and when to do
it. There are points to check during each watch. When it is a little
calmer, we check the 50-metre high mast. We check the halyard rubbing
points. It’s all going very smoothly and we’re enjoying it, which is
vital for this type of journey.»
First little shock…
«Apart from a few suicidal flying fish, we hit our second UFO
yesterday. We didn’t dive, as there was no damage. On my previous
boats, we hit whales. In the old Explorer, I never hit anything. I
think some boats make more noise than others. I like whales, but prefer
to see them in pictures or several miles away. »
Happy birthday Yann Elies
One of the watch leaders, Yann Elies, was 31 today: «Yes, it was today.
It was nice, because my present was crossing the Equator and it’s great
to be at sea. I got an e-mail from my family to tell me they were going
to be celebrating. I feel that the Orange II team is in top form. The
boat is giving 100% all the time. The osmosis between the fourteen men
is incredible, the boat’s performance astounding and the speed
impressive. Apart from that, we’re amazed by the finish of the Vendée
Globe. Bruno said we’ll be there next time. We shall see.»
Some data:
Day: 7
Latitude : 0 43.40' N
Longitude : 25 55.84' W
Recorded speed: 14.3 knots
Recorded bearing : 176
Average speed: 13.0 knots
Speed over 24h: 21.3 knots
Distance over 24h : 512 nautical miles
Speed since the start: 20.3 knots
Total distance: 3410 nautical miles
Reindexing distance: 21467.60 nautical miles
Lead over the J.Verne record : 189 nautical miles
Lead over the absolute record: 534 nautical miles
Radio sessions: Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1.15 p.m. GMT at
Orange race headquarters and live on Internet. Wednesday’s broadcast
will be a live video link on Internet and on Orange mobile handsets.
This broadcast also takes place from 1.15 p.m. GMT and will be
re-broadcast twice.
Orange Race headquarters: French Yachting Federation (Fédération
Française de Voile)
17, rue Henri Bocquillon
75015 PARIS
(Metro Boucicaut)
Audio: Apart from the radio session three times a week, an audio
recording is made every morning at 5 a.m. with the boat.
These recordings can be heard and downloaded in MP3 format in the press
section of the website: www.maxicatamaran-orange.com
For any individual requests, please contact Bénédicte Etienne on 06 87
30 12 83
Boat’s positions:
The position of the boat is updated every quarter of an hour on the
website: www.maxicatamaran-orange.com
The records Orange II has to beat
– The Jules Verne Trophy, held since 29th April 2004, by Olivier de
Kersauson and the crew of the trimaran Geronimo, in 63d, 13h 59mn.
– The absolute round the world record held since 5th April 2004, by the
American Steve Fossett, in 58d, 09h, 32mn.
Orange II’s most recent records
– The world 24 h 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).
About Orange ...
Orange, a subsidiary of France Télécom, is one of the world's leading
mobile phone operators. Orange France is the leading player in wireless
telecommunications in France with a market share above 47.7% and on
31st December 2004 had more than 21.3 million clients..
Official partners : Orange, France Telecom
|
