PRESS RELEASE of 03/04/2005
Geronimo arrives in Sydney
Since retiring from the Oryx Quest, Geronimo has been en route to Sydney for repairs to the trimaran's forward crossbeam, which, despite the repairs made in Perth, is showing new signs of weakness and has prevented her entry into the south Pacific.
Not only has the sailing to Sydney been done with a very heavy heart, but it's also been a laborious task due to lack of wind. Olivier de Kersauson decided to make for Sydney “because they have the skills and resources to repair Geronimo”.
A berth for the trimaran was secured with the help of McConaghy Boats and Noakes Rigging, who also organized the berthing manoeuvres and pilotage at the harbour mouth. As soon as they arrive on shore, the Capgemini/Schneider Electric crew will have to go through the clearance and quarantine procedures imposed by the Australian authorities (despite the fact that they have only just left the country).
When asked about what happens then, Geronimo's skipper gives a characteristic reply: “Everything in good time. We're really suffering for the second time in just a few days. The first thing was to get the crew and the boat to safety, the next thing is to repair the crossbeam, and only then can we start making decisions about continuing our programme”.
A message from the project partners:
“It's only a twist of fate that is preventing us from battling on.
But that's the way it is in sport and in life: any one of us can find ourselves confronted by an event that neither professionalism nor courage can overcome.
What matters now is to prepare for our future challenges. Olivier de Kersauson and the Capgemini and Schneider Electric crew may have retired from the Oryx Quest, but they do so with heads held high. We share their enormous frustration and promise them that they'll be back at sea as quickly as possible”.
Site de l'Oryx Quest
Press Contact France :
Régis RASSOULI (Rivacom)
La Vigie
20 Quai Malbert
29200 Brest - France
Tél. : +33 (0)2 98 43 21 50
Fax : +33 (0)2 98 43 68 01
Press contact UK / RivaCom :
Camilla GREEN (Pitch Pr)
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Fax : 020 7437 5262
Free rights videos :
Claude BERTRAC (Sea Events)
Grand Large
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Fax : +33 (0)2 98 46 53 18
Audio files :
Didier PIRON (RivaCom)
Tel. : +33 (0)2 23 30 26 27
+33 (0)2 23 30 26 88
Port : +33 (0)6 08 51 72 73
Capgemini :
Fabrice BIDAULT (Bermudes rp)
Tel. : +33 (0)1 41 10 42 90
Tel. : +33 (0)1 41 10 81 35
Schneider Electric :
Véronique MOINE (Schneider Electric)
Tel : +33 (0)1 41 29 70 76
Free rights pictures :
CONTACT (Quest)
La Vigie
20 Quai Malbert
29200 Brest - France
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Fax : +33 (0)2 98 43 68 01
Geronimo © J.M.LIOT/DPPI/RivaCom
Surf’s up
It’s white knuckle sailing for the two leading boats in the Oryx Quest 2005 as they ride the edge of cresting waves deep in the Southern Ocean. For the last 24 hours the conditions have been perfect for maxi-catamarans, and the larger boats are gobbling up the miles, spitting them out the back in two rooster tails that rise 3 metres into the air. It’s the kind of sailing that these crews have come for and it’s the kind of sailing that they will remember long after the race is over. During a tough circumnavigation there are many times when you ask yourself why you signed up for another race around the world. There are also times when you make a silent promise to yourself that this will be last trip into the Southern Ocean. You plan to get a ‘real’ job, make an honest woman out of your girlfriend and buy a house in the suburbs. That all changes a few days after you hit land. The cold, wet, bone chilled days spent gazing at the horizon with bloodshot eyes are quickly forgotten, the memories replaced by those of being at the helm of large yacht, carving a clear path down the front of a perfect wave and feeling the surge of adrenaline that comes with knowing that you are wringing every scrap of living out of your life.
On board Doha 2006 New Zealander Fraser Brown is on his second circumnavigation in less than a year. He was part of Steve Fossett’s record breaking team on Cheyenne when they set a new outright circumnavigation time last April. Now, as a seasoned veteran on Doha 2006, he is enjoying the ride. His log speaks eloquently of the thrill of sailing big cats in the deep south. “The Southern ocean is definitely a place you either love or hate,” he wrote, “but for me it's the one part of the round the world course that fulfils my desire for this kind of yachting. The last couple of night watches have provided me with some of the most rewarding driving I have had since our 24-hour record in 2002 when the boat was Maiden II. Our sail configuration was simple, but effective. With two reefs and Yankee we were ranging between 25 and 30 knots of wind, but most importantly the sea conditions were almost ideal. The brief I was given when I started driving was quite simple ‘around 30 is a good speed. Anymore is starting to get a little fast’. Nice number. After only 10 minutes on the helm and well in the groove the moon suddenly decided to break through those all too familiar dark gray to black clouds to light up the water and the boat. This just topped it off, to be down south on this 110-foot maxi-cat surfing the boat down the swell sitting on 30 knots of boat speed in the early hours of the morning with the moon shining down. Trying to extract me from the helm proved to be a very difficult task.”
A thousand plus miles astern of Doha 2006, Cheyenne has been enjoying similar conditions as they thunder along at 30 knots. Instead of a nice moon breaking through, Dave Scully and his team have been enjoying some sunshine as Wouter Verbraak describes in his daily log. “As I write this the sun has just come up and March 3rd has started for us,” he wrote. “I am very glad to be able to tell you that we had a beautiful sunset. Just the fact that we could see the sun made it perfect. After more than three days in gray, foggy conditions it is a big, big relief to see blue sky again. The blue skies, however, are the message that the ridge is catching up with us and we can expect a big change in the wind in the next day. A small but intense low is diving south behind us bringing strong northeast winds to the Cheyenne. To be able to have a good angle to the wind, we have worked a little north in the last days. As we have learned from the southeast trades, strong upwind conditions can be very damaging to the boat, so the index goal is to keep the boat in one piece. We are very keen not to go down the path of Geronimo with 2,500 miles to any land. With our northing, we will be able to have the winds from almost perpendicular to the boat which is much more gentle on both crew and boat.”
The crew on Cheyenne have also been dealing with breakages that have slowed them down. The equipment failure probably comes from the team pushing hard to catch Doha 2006, but it’s a fine line between pushing hard and breaking gear. Sometimes, however, it’s just bad luck when something breaks. This time it was the spinnaker halyard that let go. Verbraak’s log continued: “There was a loud bang earlier today. The loads are enormous on all sheets and halyards and this time it was the spinnaker halyard that gave in. Within seconds our 500 square meter Code Zero reacher fell down from the mast and into the sea. Our boat speed immediately dropped from 22 knots to 10 knots with the sail dragging behind us. It took eight men 15 minutes to retrieve it all and we were lucky not to have lost the sail altogether. This sail is crucial, and losing it would have been disastrous.”
On board Daedalus they have had a good run of repairing things rather than breaking them. Their Fleet 77 satellite communications equipment has been down for the past three weeks. Tony and his team have been diligently working away at the problem and this morning they were finally able to send some video footage back to race HQ. They were also able to rehoist the Solent headsail that came loose form the furling unit a few days ago. Tony’s log describes some general housekeeping on board. “We have had the time to clean out the long term stowage area for the provisions,” he wrote. “We did a check on the fuel consumed and what we have left, and we have spent some time checking around the boat to ensure there are no hidden problems. Yes, it has been a good day.”
The good news was only marred by the fact that they have been sailing in light winds. Tony’s log continues: “The only sad thing about the day is the weather conditions. In actual fact we have a blue sky with little cloud, calm seas, and light winds. A perfect day for cruising, but not for racing. The wind is developing and we are now doing around 18 knots in the right direction. That is a big step forward. Now we want to see a consistent 20 knots plus and we can start to knock off regular 500 mile days. Four or five of these and we would soon be around Cape Horn and on our way up the South Atlantic to Uruguay.”
At the 07:00 GMT poll on Friday morning Doha 2006 had 860 miles to go until the tip of South America. They are sailing at 21.6 knots. If they indextain that pace they should round the infamous cape less than two days.
Read Fraser Brown’s complete log in the Gallery or at www.maxicatdoha.com
--- Brian Hancock brian.hancock@qisel.com
www.oryxquest.com
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