Grands
Records - Geronimo Heads For The Cape Of Good
Hope
10 March 16:45
At
the end of last night, the Cap Gemini and Schneider
Electric trimaran gibed once more and onto a heading
for South Africa. The wind had finally moved round
to the north-northwest as predicted by the forecasting
models. Now sticking rigorously to one particular
isobar to skirt around the high pressure area,
the 11-man crew found the southerly edge of the
anticyclone and were on their way to the Southern
Ocean.
Since
Day 13 was spent rounding the high pressure area,
the point-to-point distance covered was only average,
not helped by the progressive shift and slackening
of the wind. The current record holder covered
only 277 nautical miles on her day 13, leaving
Geronimo still significantly ahead.
In the early hours of today, the northerly wind
picked up a slight easterly component and a few
extra knots, allowing the trimaran to make for
the southeast at over 20 knots. Despite the extra
distance involved, the decision to keep outside
the high pressure area seems therefore to have
been the right one and has been rewarded with
a higher average speed.
The
forecasts as far as the Cape of Good Hope are
good. Only the wind direction, which will continue
to move round to the west, offers any threat to
Geronimo’s progress. A following wind full
astern would mean continual gibing to avoid being
forced too far south and into the threat of ice,
which can occur as far north as 40°South on
the same longitude as South Africa. The challenge
will therefore be to maintain the best possible
point-to-point speed within a narrow corridor
between the anticyclone to the north and floating
ice to the south.
DAY
13
GERONIMO
33°20S – 30°59W
368.55 nautical miles in 24 hours, at an average
speed of 15.36 knots
Distance to Waypoint 1 (35°S-24°W): 360
nautical miles
2002
Record
29°18S – 29°32W
304.64 nautical miles in 24 hours, at an average
speed of 12.70 knots
Distance to Waypoint 1 (35°S-24°W): 442.5
nautical miles
Geronimo's
latest news are on http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com
