Grands
Records - Testing conditions
28 February 16:00
After
two and a half days at sea, Geronimo finds herself
in a “weird but interesting” weather
system.
“Conditions
are unstable and not really viable, but it’s
fun to sail in such a varied range of weather,
even if it is pretty tiring. It demands a lot
of attention and concentration at the helm and
in the way we set up the boat. In just one day,
the wind has ranged from 9 knots to 27, and swung
around from north to northeast and back to north
again. With systems as variable as this, helming
isn’t always so simple when the wind moves
about so much. But despite all that, Geronimo
is a fantastic boat and she’s giving us
a lot of fun, although there are a few too many
calm patches for our liking”.
It’s
now a time of maximum concentration for the Cap
Gemini and Schneider Electric crew… but
also one of intense activity. On deck, manoeuvres
follow one after the other at the rate of twenty
or more per day. “The crew is working well”,
continued Olivier de Kersauson, “there’s
a relaxed feeling and they’re stringing
manoeuvres together magnificently – everyone
seems happy”.
On
the subject of the gennakers, no news is good
news: “I’m touching wood. I have a
big wooden clothes peg on my chart table…
it seems to be working, but these are hardly ideal
conditions for checking that things are working
as they should”.
As
Brittany was waking to this morning’s surprise
of overnight snow, the crew were enjoying a warm
20°C on board Geronimo. “It’s
a real luxury – we’re in waterproof
trousers and shirtsleeves”.
With
his eye now firmly on the Equator, Olivier de
Kersauson only leaves his chart table to take
part in manoeuvres. “In 48 hours, we’ll
be passing the Cape Verde Islands, where I hope
we’ll be able to pick up some decent wind.
I can’t wait to get into the proper weather
systems of the trade winds to see how well we
can go”.
Point-to-point positions over 24 hours. - Day2:
GERONIMO
33°55N/14°20W
Number of nautical miles covered in 24 hours:
472.5 Average speed: 19.69
2002
Record:
35°23N/16°13W
Number of nautical miles covered in 24 hours:
471.7 Average speed: 19.65
Orange
II:
34°50N/11°16W
Number of nautical miles covered in 24 hours:
388.3 Average speed: 16.18
Geronimo's
latest news are on http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com
