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Jules Verne Trophy

Current situation not simplest for Orange

jeudi 18 avril 2002

As forecast for three days now, the current situation is not the simplest for the maxi-catamaran Orange which must cope with the most complex of meteorological situations. While for the moment Bruno Peyron and his men are close reaching at almost 20 knots, they will be forced to ease up tomorrow when they enter a zone of high pressure that will be progressively barring virtually the entire Atlantic. Bruno is well aware of this and is currently privileging speed. Sail changes are multiplying and the barometer is under close surveillance.

The maxi-catamaran Orange is still gaining to the NE. And if we trace a straight line between Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Tristan da Cunha, the Marseilles Giant is exactly 1600 nm to the east of the Argentinean capital and 600 miles west of the islands annexed by the British since 1816. The wind is currently blowing 20 knots from the NNE and the boat is close reaching on a fairly smooth sea. They’re currently taking advantage of winds generated by a low beginning to move away to the south and that will pass behind the boat. "In any case, we don’t have many choices" declared Bruno at the radio chat session. "To our left is the low with winds of more than 40 knots and to our right there is a high and it’s impossible to go round it, it’s so big. So, we’re going to have to cut through it. We think we’ll be in it sometime tomorrow. The wind will progressively slacken remaining on the nose, then we’ll have to cross the slack wind of the high before picking up the leading winds of the eastern edge". It sounds simple when one reads it, but on the water it’s another ball game...

Indeed, on the water, they’re going to have to put the accent on speed and constantly keep one eye on how the wind charts, sent twice a day from onshore, evolve, and the other on the barometer that indicates the slightest changes in atmospheric pressure. "It’s a real race against the clock !" said Bruno, who knows that the difficult part will be for tomorrow. "But the advantage is that these boats don’t require much wind to keep going. It’s true that this high is really big, but there must be some wind inside it !"

And while the evolution of the situation is in close surveillance, the crew has been able to appreciate a radical change in temperature since today, because the sea has gone from 6°C just a few days ago to 16°C today. In addition, the northerly wind blowing across the zone is warmer, which has enabled the crew to peel off the second layer of fleece and to return to a slightly more "normal" rhythm of life : "I’ve even started reading a book again that I abandoned on entering the Southern Ocean" declared Benoît Briand. "Last night’s watch was magnificent with a sky full of stars. It was our first beautiful night since we left the South. The sky was low and grey before. I was even able to steer using a star as a bearing. One could almost believe we were in the Bay of Biscay...".

Pierrick Garenne / Mer & Média / Translation David Palmer - SeaSpeak


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Jules Verne Trophy : Orange slowed in the Da Cuhna high

Jules Verne Trophy : Orange goes East…

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Jules Verne Trophy : Orange credited with an average speed of 23.05


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