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Jules Verne Trophy

Orange is less than 1000 nm from Brittany

vendredi 3 mai 2002 –

"It does one good to see the GPS with three figures now..." said Sébastien Josse during today’s radio chat session. 960 nautical miles to go at 0800 this morning and the heading is 62° or NE : it’s beginning to smell of Brittany ! The helm was put ’right hand down a bit’ at about 1800 yesterday evening and this time they’re really round the Azores high and heading home. But the Atlantic hasn’t yet said its final word and they won’t be closing in on the imaginary line that stretches between the Creac’h light on the island of Ushant and the Lizard (UK) quite as fast as expected : "Whilst everything is fairly clear until Saturday evening, the weather models suggest a possible blockage about 80 miles from the finish..." said Bruno Peyron. That’s typical ! The Atlantic might not liberate the Marseilles Giant until Sunday midday or even in the evening.

The Atlantic has not finished with its pitfalls. And after the one that came up from behind yesterday, there’s now one showing up ahead... Not easy to slide those hulls through it ! Because while the other day, the weather models saw a maxi-catamaran Orange surfing on the North Atlantic lows, bowling along at full speed towards Ushant, there’s none of it today. In clear, while the Marseilles Giant will be enjoying good downwind conditions for the next few hours, she is soon going to stumble up against a cruel lack of air almost in sight of the line. "The weather models show a possible blockage 80 miles from the finish..." said Bruno at midday today. "So we don’t know whether we’ll be arriving on Sunday midday or evening. For the sake of some 80 miles we just don’t know !" Incredible but true : with the boat currently slipping along at between 23 and 28 knots under full main and medium gennaker and devouring miles with an appetite worthy of the Southern Ocean (or more than 500 miles in the last 24 hours !), it looks as though the giant is going to get bogged down with less than 200 kilometres to go the "line of deliverance". A delivery that is not really one because each member of crew on board has been following a daily routine set now for two months. "Our rhythm of life remains very constant" said Bruno. "There is no haste, no impatience. Everybody remains very focused and at the same time there is a sort of detachment. There’s mixed feelings between serenity and an urge to be back". And while the final hours and the last nights are for today and tomorrow, the mast, that "Damocles Sword" remains ever present in their minds : "I’m touching wood", said Gilles Chiorri, "but in view of what’s waiting for us up ahead, I don’t think we’ll be having any trouble with this damaged ball !"

Quote / unquote...

Bruno Peyron : "We are above all citizens and we haven’t forgotten it. As sailors and lovers of nature and freedom, we can only add a little force to those who have been in the streets these last few days..."

Jean-Baptiste Epron : "What I’ve been through ? It’s as if I’ve been in the biggest delicatessen with everything you could dream of on the shelves. I’ve seen all the beauty of the sea, we’ve been through all the seasons, seen all the oceans, in a very short time in the end !"

Pierrick Garenne/ Mer & Media Agency Translated by David Palmer / SeaSpeak

Dans la même rubrique

Jules Verne Trophy : Bruno Peyron : "In this Jules Verne, we’ll have tried it all !"

Jules Verne Trophy : Orange expected between Saturday and Monday

Jules Verne Trophy : Orange through the Azores high

Jules Verne Trophy : Peyron’s catamaran in an orange world

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