Grands Records - Geronimo approaches Cape Finisterre
26 February 17:10

The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran is now approaching the northwest corner of Spain, just 12 hours after the clock started ticking.

”A little bit slacker than forecast – sluggish even”, comments the skipper, who went on to add this about the following wind: “If there’s a knot extra wind, the boat makes an extra knot. There’s a direct relationship between the speed of the boat and the speed of the wind”. So weather conditions are a little less favourable than forecast and lack power. More importantly, the angle of the wind is not good for achieving maximum speed. The weather vane is set obstinately in the north or, occasionally, northeast, which means that the crew has to gibe regularly. “We have a fairly weak wind – it’s not very active. Not weak enough to shift direction and not strong enough to get us going really quickly” adds Olivier de Kersauson. The reality is that Geronimo is moving at exactly the same speed as the air, and remains just ahead of the more powerful switch to the northwest.

The crew is gradually getting back into racing routine, and the temperature has already risen by three degrees. “Casting off at night is always tiring, with all those manoeuvres in the dark and the hard work involved in getting to the line at the right time in the right trim”. As last-minute replacement for Rodolphe Jacq, Xavier Douin has the task of integrating into a highly trained and responsive group, headed by watch captain Didier Ragot. The ten crewmembers are split equally into Geronimo’s two 5-man watches. The skipper is not included in the watch system and devotes his time to navigation. Immediately after departure, the system was modified to two short watches before resuming the normal six-hour rhythm this afternoon.

Orange II, Bruno Peyron’s new maxi-catamaran, has also taken advantage of the same weather window, crossing the start line nine hours later. Before casting off yesterday, Geronimo’s skipper said that he would have preferred better weather conditions than his rival at the start, having no particular wish to prove that a boat 20% bigger often sails 20% faster... in equivalent conditions.

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