Grands Records - Wear And Tear
12 April 16:50

Now off Uruguay, Geronimo is battling upwind towards Brazil, through squalls, weak northerlies and, occasionally, north-easterlies. Short periods of acceleration and changes in wind direction are inevitably followed by a return to the never-ending headwind. The crew has been tacking two or three times an hour since yesterday evening, with every drop in the wind accompanied by a change of course, as if they were sailing a weekend regatta. "Given the winds we have, we're going quickly! It's okay, but it's not great. On the other hand, I keep telling myself that statistically at least, we can't have a worse time in the Atlantic than we had last year. Which is kind of reassuring...".

The crew is taking advantage of this mediocre weather to catch up on some regular maintenance and repair work. Quite a lot of the boat's equipment is showing signs of wear, which was coped with at the time, but now demands replacement. The identical winches are dismantled in-situ in the cockpit so that each can be worked on without disrupting manoeuvres. The only real concern is with the new sails, which caused problems during Geronimo's first attempt when she set off in hot pursuit of Cheyenne and which continue to demand days of re-stitching. The solent, the large foresail used to sail upwind, has just failed for the second time, despite the fact that it is the boat's basic means of propulsion in light winds...

"In a day or two, when everything is repaired and we've had a bit of sleep the crew will even be able to have a wash in fresh water...".

DAY 46

GERONIMO (Cap Gemini / Schneider Electric)
36°04S - 43°44W
352 nautical miles in 24 hours, at an average speed of 14.66 knots

Distances from the Equator
Geronimo: 2,295 nautical miles at 30°W
Jules Verne Trophy: 2,421 nautical miles
Cheyenne: 1,528 nautical miles

Geronimo's latest news are on http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com