Grands
Records - The Final Straight Line Dash For Geronimo
28
April 17:29
The
Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran changed
tack this morning at the centre of the anticyclone
off south-west Ireland, and has finally set her
bows straight for the Jules Verne Trophy finish
line. She is expected to cross the line tomorrow
afternoon.
This
change of tack is far from insignificant, since
it is without doubt the final change of heading
in a very long list. It's also the first time
for a very long time that the boat has sailed
with the wind coming from her left on a port tack.
As the skipper explained at midday today: "It's
like having to reformat your body, which has become
so used to living on the starboard tack. Over
and above the fatigue, the lads are having difficulty
moving around - we're all a bit clumsy. It's bound
to take a few hours for the helmsmen to recover
their reflexes and our brains to cope with finding
their way around the boat now that she's heeling
the wrong way..."
The
sea is coming from the northeast, as forecast,
and must therefore be climbed wave by wave, since
Geronimo's route is due east at the moment. It's
hard to make good speed on such a cart track as
this. Over the next few hours, the wind should
freshen to between 30 and 35 knots and move round
to the north, much closer to the direction of
the waves. This rotation will also allow the trimaran
to fill her sails and step on the gas a bit to
cross the line on this same tack... otherwise
they could find themselves close-hauled again,
as they were on the approach to Cape Horn at 50°South
all those days ago.
"We'll
take stock of everything tomorrow. But it's a
hard slog right to the end, and for now we're
concentrating on what's left to do", concluded
Olivier de Kersauson.
DAY 62
GERONIMO
(Capgemini / Schneider Electric)
48°57 - 21°28W
455 nautical miles in 24 hours, at an average
speed of 18.95 knots.
Distances
from the finish line:
Geronimo: 645 nautical miles
Orange: 959 nautical miles
To
win the Jules Verne Trophy, Geronimo must cross
the finish line between the Créac'h and
Lizard lighthouses before 07:54:04 GMT on Friday
30 April (09:54 French time).
Current
record: 64 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes
Bruno Peyron, skipper of Orange
Geronimo's
latest news are on http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com
