Competing Crewmembers

The watches on board the giant trimaran change every six hours. Right from the start line, the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric watches have been having a race within a race to see who can clock up the highest number of nautical miles on this round the world trip. It’s a healthy bit of extra competition for a team whose main focus is a shared objective.

Geronimo is now heading due south off the coast of Argentina, 45° from her most direct route. “We simply can’t turn left, because the anticyclone is in our way and we have to make our way around it. That’s just the way it is”. The winds have again become variable over the last few hours, “the trade winds are playing hide and seek with us”, jokes Olivier de Kersauson, “and it’s rather annoying for the crew. Since there’s a little competition going on between the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric watches, the current situation doesn’t suit everyone, since too much depends on the weather conditions”. But the contest has done nothing to compromise the decidedly relaxed atmosphere on board Geronimo. “They are focused and working quickly and well. Everyone is doing what they should be, with no need to be asked. Everything is going well and the boat is performing brilliantly. Nevertheless, it’s not a life of routine at the moment, because we have to pay a lot of attention to the weather and every time the wind changes, we have to manoeuvre to cope with it”. The crewmembers are taking it in turns at the helm. “I work on the principle that everyone on board a boat must be able to do everything to understand what is involved. Good helmsmanship requires anticipation: a boat can only perform as well as the man at the helm. The level of skill has become more consistent since we started, to the point where 8 of us out of the total of 11 are very good helmsmen”.

In winds fluctuating between 14 and 26 knots, Geronimo is averaging 21.29 knots and has covered 254 nautical miles in the last 12 hours. “Sail changes are relatively frequent, but you have to think hard before making a change and that can take time and cause you to lose speed. With the sails well set, Geronimo is travelling at the same speed as the wind up to 25 knots. The forecasts we have are only accurate to 5 knots. That’s not the fault of the forecasters: I think that there just aren’t any systems to cope with Geronimo’s performance”. In the waters off Argentina “It’s scorchingly hot, but we know that it will get cooler quite soon”, says a delighted ODK.

Please note a radio bulletin with Olivier de Kersauson, in English, is now available on line on grandsrecords.com

Geronimo's position : Day 10
Geronimo's position at 03:00 GMT

The boat's position at 15:00 GMT today (16:00 local time)