Sea, Sail & Surf newsJules Verne Trophy
Orange slows down one day to cape Horn
vendredi 12 avril 2002 –
Only 592 miles to go at 0800 this morning before turning left and entering the home straight up the Atlantic... Cape Horn is just ahead of their bows and the maxi-catamaran has been back up to speed again for several hours, progressively piling on the canvass. "The little tropical low that we saw on the met’ charts reached the point where we were expecting it," declared Bruno Peyron at today’s chat session. "But we preferred to lift off a bit because we were jumping from wave to wave and there was no need to force things, we could’ve broken something !" he continued : "It’s true that it’s a pity that our version of the Pacific Express should end like this... but we’re not here for that, we’re here to bring home the Jules Verne Trophy and nothing else !" And while the northerly wind whipped up a bit of a head seaway obliging the boat to sail wind abeam or even on a close reach from time to time, Bruno and his men "let the storm pass through" before picking up a north-westerly flow during the night that is now propelling them in the right direction. "Yesterday, with this northerly flow, we were going to pass 60 miles to the south of the Horn, now it’s not the case !"
And whilst the passage of the Horn is nothing but a "formality" for Hervé Jan who has already rounded the mythical rock seven times, Bruno is quite satisfied to think that his crew and "the rookies" will be able to see this "lands end" by daylight. "Of course, some of them are impatient to discover something so mythical !" declared Bruno Peyron whilst Hervé Jan, more blasé, said : "The Horn for me ? It’s a myth that belongs to another generation... It’s a compulsory passage point, that’s all !" But while each one will appreciate tomorrow in their own manner, when the maxi-catamaran Orange rounds Cape Horn tomorrow midday, she will have done Ushant to the "end of the earth" in 42 days and some change (42nd day of the race tomorrow at 0800 GMT). Meaning that she will be passing this final cape to be left to port with a 4 day lead over Olivier de Kersauson, knowing that in 1997, the latter rounded the Horn after 46 days 16 hours and 57 minutes. So the maxi-catamaran Orange will be setting a new reference time on this distance after those of Ushant-Cape of Good Hope and Ushant-Cape Leeuwin.
Quote / unquote :
Bruno Peyron : "I often think about 1993, when right here we were hit by a tropical low that neither the Americans, nor the Chileans, nor the Australians saw coming. It started at 40 knots peaking at 70 with gusts of up to 82 knots !"
Hervé Jan : "On the face of it, we should have a favourable start to our homeward leg. But it’s impossible to base things for certain on the two day models we are receiving".
Pierrick Garenne / Mer & Média Translation David Palmer / SeaSpeak
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