> 2005 Jules Verne Trophy

> Morning Press Release
> Paris, Tuesday February 8, 2005 – 6 :00 AM

> Staggering
>
> Bruno Peyron and his 13-man crew entered the Indian Ocean aboard the
> Orange II maxi-cat last night, in the most staggering fashion. During
> the past 4 days, it’s been but an impressive race against time, the
> boat arriving under the cape of Good Hope in 14 days and 8 hours!
> Which implies smashing two previous “intermediary” record for that
> portion of the course: Ushant – Good Hope, and Equator – Good Hope.
> “And we’re still going strong!, said Bruno Peyron this morning during
> the audio chat session. The issue today will be to find the right
> compromise between “surrealistic” speeds (i.e. 30 to 35 knots) and the
> necessity to spare the men and the gear. Orange II is now sailing in
> the most hostile areas of the planet. The seas are rough, even though
> the Orange II “bulldozer”, as Bruno sometimes affectionately calls his
> catamaran, easily copes with 5 to 6-metres swells. But caution and
> concentration have to reindex at their highest level at all times.
> Bruno knows that it may be a good idea to ease off a bit, and let the
> crew recover from their crazy weekend. “We’re under two reefs and
> staysail”, explains the skipper, “a bit underpowered, and the boat’s
> doing 25 knots. The wind will pick up, it’s necessary to be able to
> anticipate”. For the 15th day at sea, Orange II is immersed in the
> tough but magnificent reality of the Southern Oceans, the crewmembers
> are under the charm of the albatrosses and the cold lights of the
> Indian Ocean. Prince Edward and Crozet Islands already are the next
> landmarks… And Orange II is blasting towards the howling fifties.
>
> Bruno Peyron: “It’s my responsibility to look after the men and the
> gear. We pushed very hard for the past 4 days, and it’s not without
> any consequences. It’s necessary to know when to ease off, according
> to the level of tiredness of everyone. I can see this tiredness in
> certain looks… It’s a question of attention and anticipation. Until
> now, our progression has been satisfactory, there was a trick to be
> pulled in the south Atlantic, and we succeeded, without endangering
> our safety, despite a crazy reaching session in very rough seas. We’re
> in good posture for what’s to come next. For us, the game is now to
> respect our weather strategy, with a total concentration. The radar
> surveillance is on, but we won’t go and play among the ice”.
>
> Key figures
> Day at sea: 15
> Date: 02/08/2005
> Time (GMT): 04:48
> Latitude :    46 44.84' S
> Longitude :    25 46.96’ E
> Instant speed: 24,4kts
> Instant heading: 132°
> Avg speed: 25,8 kts
> Avg speed over 24 hours: 24,3 kts
> Distance over 24hours: 583 mn
> Avg speed since the start: 22,3 knots
> Distance covered: 7924 nm
> Reindexing distance: 16943.9 nm
> --------------------------------------------------------

> About Orange ...
> Orange, a subsidiary of France Telecom, is one of the global leaders
> in mobile telephony. Orange France is the leading operator in mobile
> telecommunications in France with a market share of 47.7% and more
> than 21.3 million clients on 31st December 2004.
>
> index partners: Orange, France Telecom
> Local authority partners: City of Marseilles, Marseilles Metropolitan
> Authority
> Official supliers: TD Com, International Peinture, Henri Lloyd, UKHO,
> Lomac, Yamaha, Nera, Valderas Consulting, Telemar Scandinavia, Aramid
> Rigging, Southern Spars.
>
> Press contacts for the Orange Maxi-Catamaran:
> 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
>
> Freely available photos (for free press use) :
> www.maxicatamaran-orange.com (press section)
>
> Video production for the Orange Maxi-Catamaran:
> Arnaud de Belinay : +33/(0)6 84 84 14 71 - debelinay@therace.org
>
> Official Photographer: Gilles Martin-Raget : +33/(0)6 07 55 45 85 -
> gmr@martin-raget.com