14.03.2005
www.orange.fr
Press Release N° 44
Paris, Monday 14th March 2005
JULES VERNE TROPHY 2005
UNDER THE 51 DAY MARK
The maxi-catamaran Orange II should complete its round the world tomorrow night, Tuesday. Its race time will be 50 days and around ten hours.
Another big day at sea and the record will be exploded; pulverised by over a week. Having made 630 miles over the past 24 hours and the Azores archipelago now in its wake, the way to Brest now seems free of obstacles. Ideally situated at the front of an Atlantic depression, Orange II will be able to indextain this pace with, of course, one established rule that has been the guiding principal throughout this hopefully soon to be victorious campaign: not taking any unconsidered risks, constantly checking all the gear, making sure it's as good as new according to the crew. The wind has been blowing at over 30 knots from the SW since last night. Bruno and his navigator are waiting for the wind to head, a more S'ly wind then kicking in to aid their progress as far as Ouessant.
Bruno Peyron, 1400 GMT radio session:
« The conditions are very fine. We have a 30 knot SW'ly. We're on a broad reach with one reef in the indexsail and the small gennaker. We went a little off course 20 minutes ago so we're going to put in a reef (experienced live thanks to the video conference). It's like we're doing the Mediterranean record with this limpid blue sky. The air is moist and we're in a warm front, with the depression behind us. We haven't had any hairy moments during the round the world as we're always careful to be slightly under the threshold of losing control. Right now we're in a controlling phase: we're making 30 knots while we could be making 35. If something breaks that we haven't been able to see, we don't want it to happen in the last 30 hours. The weather conditions will dictate the time of arrival. It will be night-time, which will enable us to have a little time to ourselves. During the night, we're selfishly going to savour the privileged moment and after that we'll make for the port of Brest! We will enter into the harbour early Wednesday morning! We should have thirty knots of wind at the finish. We haven't had any more than that on the round the world apart from once when we were below the Falklands, with a gust of 48 knots, but on flat seas. If we manage to finish this adventure like that, we ourselves will qualify our voyage as a job well done. I am proud for all the teams who have worked on this project. All those that have worked on it; like the shore crew, the architects, the yard, the developers who have done a superb job. If we set off again tomorrow, I am sure we'd be better still as we are better today than we were at the start. We've learnt a lot of things during this round the world! We already know that with the same conditions Steve Fossett had from Brazil, we would finish in 47 or 48 days. Orange II has been designed to be the fastest around the planet for the next 5 years. There are still a lot of other courses for it, like the one across the North Atlantic of course. »
Bernard Stamm, during the 1400 GMT radio session:
« It's a superb voyage! It was close to perfection so I wouldn't head out again for just anything. Two months ago, I didn't think I'd be doing the round the world, even less so in 50 days! I didn't realise the average speeds these engines could keep up. Orange II is a machine, it's impressive. Even in big seas, it doesn't stop! At the helm, it's balanced..after that, it depends on whether the seas are crossed and if they're following seas. My best memories are linked with the speed you clock in the surfs. I think my best speed was 39 knots something! But the goal was never to rack up the biggest score! »
Data :
Day at sea : 50th
Date : 14/03/2005
Time (GMT) : 15h20
Latitude :40 36.28' N
Longitude :24 14.68' W
Instantaneous speed :28.3 kts
Instantaneous heading : 56
Average speed : 25.1 kts
Speed over 24hr : 26.7 kts
Distance over 24hr : 641 nm
Speed since the start : 22.0 kts
Overall distance : 26040 nm
Distance reindexing : 940.30 nm
Gaps on day 49 :
- J.Verne record: +3826 nm (ahead)
- Outright record : +2843 nm (ahead)
Website: http://www.maxicatamaran-orange.com
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.
Orange Race headquarters: Fédération Française de Voile
17, rue Henri Bocquillon
75015 PARIS
(Métro 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 latest records
- The world 24 h record (706.2 miles covered at an average of 29.42 knots) - August 2004.
- The Mediterranean record (17h, 56 mins and 13s, at an average of 25.53 knots) - September 2004.
- The Record between Ushant and the Cape of Good Hope (14 days, 8h and 19 mins) - February 2005.
- The Record between the Equator and the Cape of Good Hope (7days, 5h, and 22mins) - February 2005.
- The Record between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin (7 days, 5 hours and 35 minutes) - February 2005.
- The Record between Ushant and Cape Leeuwin (21 days 13 hours and 54 minutes) - February 2005.
- The Record between the Equator and Cape Leeuwin (14 days and 11 hours) - February 2005.
- The Record between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn (10 days 23 hours 35 minutes)
- The Record between Tasmania and Cape Horn (8 days 18 hours 06 minutes)
No Tourism in the Azores
The Portuguese archipelago will be in their wake from the first hours of
daylight. The SSW’ly wind is blowing at 30 knots and will accompany Bruno
Peyron to the finish. The fantastic pace set on this round the world was found
again yesterday, at around 1500 GMT. Since then, the maxi catamaran Orange II
has covered 300 miles in half a day, which augers well for another 600 mile day
or more. The only fly in the ointment this morning: it is impossible to follow
a direct course again, with a heading that is 15° too far East. To round the
archipelago and glide between the island of Florès in the North and that of
Faïal to the South, Bruno Peyron is anticipating a gybe in two or three hours
time to head North again. This realignment onto a N’ly heading again, should
be short term, prior to making for the finish line off Ouessant once more.
Orange II’s crew is expected between Tuesday evening on 15 March and early
morning on Wednesday 16 March, on the 50th day at sea.
Bruno Peyron, this morning at 0400 GMT: "The first part of the night was starry
with the sky gradually clouding over and with a barometer continuing to drop.
The depression system is settling into position. We’ll keep it up to the
finish, even though there’s still a doubt as to whether it really touches
Brittany. We have 30 knots of SW’ly and we have all the sail area up, with one
reef in the indexsail. We’re currently trying to decide if we should pass to the
small gennaker. We’re making a constant 32/33 knots and it’s at this speed that
we begin to ask ourselves this type of question. The sea is ok, even though it
was crossed at times when we climbed up to the archipelago’s plateau. We are
having to get used to this pace again, get back into the rhythm, try to get
re-accustomed to sleeping in these conditions. We are less than 100 miles from
Faïal and we’re going to take a left in a few hours to round the archipelago.
We’re going to make the move before the wind backs, which will set us in good
stead for the rest of the voyage. We should finish on Tuesday, during the
second part of the night. We’re not going to take any unnecessary risks for
nothing".
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