07.03.2005
www.orange.fr
Press Release N° 41
Paris, Monday, 7th March 2005
JULES VERNE TROPHY 2005
THE NORTH ATLANTIC ON A MEDIAN COURSE
Orange II is climbing back up the North Atlantic on a median course. They have not been slowed by their passage of the doldrums... but a calm zone awaits Bruno Peyron's catamaran on Tuesday.
A day and a half after its passage of the equator, the maxi catamaran Orange II has easily negotiated the doldrums. It is now climbing up the North Atlantic at 18 knots of boat speed but is likely to pass through a difficult zone on Tuesday. Between the West Indies and the archipelago of Cape Verde, a ridge of high pressure is blocking the route towards Ouessant. It is only once Bruno Peyron's catamaran has crossed through this calm zone that it will be able to join up with a depression dropping down off Ireland and meeting up with the tip of Brittany where he is expected from mid March.
Bruno Peyron during the radio session with the Race HQ this lunch time: « Today the sun is beginning to make its presence felt, but other than that the sky has been grey since the equator. The temperature is pleasant even though it's cooler than what we had a week ago. Otherwise, we are sailing under full indexsail and solent. We have been protecting the boat for the past few hours which hasn't stopped us from making 20 to 24 knots. We weren't really slowed down in the doldrums. Since then we've been sailing in a false NE'ly trade wind. It's a regular, though very shifty air flow. With regards the coming options, it's difficult to know what we're going to do so we're staying on a median course. There is very little chance of us being able to pass to the East as we'd have to sail upwind on a course pitted with numerous hazards. As a result, we are likely to attempt to cross the ridge of high pressure. We're going to have to make do with whatever the situation throws up and that's all part of the risk of this type of course. We've been lucky to have been able to benefit from a favourable turn of events since the start, but this is not really the case here. »
A lead of nearly ten days on Steve Fossett's record
« We still have a lead not far off ten days, but the forecast is a little different to that which Fossett encountered in 2004. From tomorrow, we will no longer be able to benefit from the same trajectory. We will be stopped in the ridge of high pressure for almost 24 hours. In contrast, we may well suffer the biggest storm of our round the world in the last 24 hours. There is a kind of monster over the North Atlantic that doesn't look very nice. This lead is unexpected though and even we couldn't have anticipated such an advance. We gained two days in the descent, four days in the South and two days on the climb up. We are lucid about the fact that we have worked well up till now and we've had a little bit of luck on our side which has meant that everything is ok. We are lucid because we also know that it isn't over yet. We have all the records apart from one. While we are yet to cross the line, we must reindex very attentive... Yesterday, in the choppy seas, we opened the sails and eased off the pace so as to protect the boat. My personal state of mind has reindexed unchanged since the start. I set out telling myself that there was a fine voyage ahead of us and a job to finish. There is no euphoria or stress aboard. The sea is calm so we are going to try and do as best we can! »
Data
day 42
Latitude : 8 05.72' N
Longitude : 36 20.60' W
Speed over 24hr : 18.8 kts
Distance over 24 hr : 452 nm
Speed since the start : 23.1 kts
Overall distance : 23258 nm
Distance reindexing : 2920.40 nm
Gap on day 42 :
- J.Verne record: +4112 nm (ahead)
- Outright record : +3383 nm (ahead)
« The hardest is behind us, the least pleasant is still to come... »
Returning to the North Atlantic on Sunday morning with three new records to cap
it off, the maxi-catamaran Orange II has not experienced any difficulties in
its crossing of the Doldrums, a convergence zone between the two hemispheres
where calm winds and violent squalls generally prevail. With less than 3000
miles to the finish, Orange II’s crew still have a lead of over nine days on
the catamaran Cheyenne, but must reindex concentrated as « though the hardest is
behind us, the least pleasant is still to come » admits Bruno Peyron. In fact,
the very N’ly position of the anticyclone, level with the British Isles and
enveloping both Britain and France in a biting cold, is generating NE’ly
headwinds down the course. Before reaching these upwind conditions, Orange II
will have to cross through some rather disorganised depressions as it passes
the Azores. For onboard navigator, Roger Nilson, this means that they’re going
to have to try and find a bolt hole, or failing that, the fastest trajectory.
Bruno Peyron, Monday morning at 0400 GMT: « We haven’t been slowed down by the
Doldrums. We have managed to indextain a good speed throughout, by going where
we wanted to go. There were obviously some squalls, but it was fairly
predictable. As a result we didn’t have to make many sail changes; we chose
the right configuration with the code zero and the trinquette. We simply had
to furl them in and unfurl them again.
There haven’t been any developments in the situation in the North Atlantic.
It’s not organised at all; there are some depressions which are very far South.
It’s not going to very enjoyable. The hardest is behind us obviously, but the
least pleasant is yet to come. It’s still a little early to speak about an ETA
and anything could happen with the forecast ahead of us. »
References
Day at sea : 42nd
Date : 07/03/2005
Time (GMT) : 03h50
Latitude : 6 26.48' N
Longitude : 35 40.32' W
Instantaneous speed : 22.4 kts
Instantaneous heading : 336
Average speed : 21.9 kts
Speed over 24hr : 18.6 kts
Distance over 24hr : 446 nm
Speed since the start : 23.1 kts
Overall distance : 23150 nm
Distance reindexing : 3006.40 nm
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