Geronimo sailing on the edge

by Courtesy ISAF on 20 Mar 2004 An intermediate position fix transmitted at 07:10 GMT today by Geronimo confirms the trimaran’s strong acceleration over the previous hours, since the GPS shows her spot actual speed to be 24.5 knots on an east-southeasterly heading of 105°.

Olivier de KERSAUSON and his crew had covered 178 nautical miles point-to-point in 8 hours, were on a starboard tack and were averaging 22 knots.

Her reported position of 47°01S, 72°32E puts Geronimo clear of the Kerguelen Islands, which as we already know they left to starboard (to their south). Her sights are now firmly set on Cape Leeuwin.

We should perhaps stop for a moment at this point to consider Geronimo’s position at the end of her 22nd day at sea in order to appreciate just how far the grey trimaran is from the longitude of Cape Leeuwin at the level of the 50th parallel south.

Geronimo is now 1856 sea miles from this Jules Verne Trophy waypoint. In 2002, the catamaran Orange still had 2822 nautical miles to run to this cape at the end of her day 22.

Geronimo’s lead over the record set by Bruno PEYRON and his crew is therefore 966 nautical miles, or two days’ exhausting sailing on the edge of the Howling Fifties.

Geronimo’s full position is available on their website at the address below.

Geronimo: www.trimaran-geronimo.com

WSSRC Website: www.sailspeedrecords.com