Geronimo makes tracks for San Diego

by Sam Crichton on 5 Nov 2005 After a two month stop over in the south Pacific paradise of Tahiti and a successful visit to Australia, the French maxi trimaran, Geronimo, is heading to the west coast of the USA. Geronimo will first be docked in San Diego utilising the facilities at Driscoll’s boatyard on Shelter Island to prepare for her upcoming record attempt.

San Diego is steeped in sailing history with the 1995 America’s Cup racing taking place in the waters off this iconic city. Similar to the technologies of their time when the latest designs and materials where being used to win the coveted America’s Cup, Geronimo brings to California shores one of the ocean racing maxi multihulls of this era.

Over the southern hemisphere winter Geronimo’s skipper Olivier de Kersauson and his crew made two successful attempts to set new speed sailing records for The Challenge around Australia and the Tahiti Nui Challenge for the distance between Sydney and Tahiti. Both of these challenges pitted the boat and crew against their toughest competitors, the clock and themselves.

Skipper de Kersauson spoke from the boat saying that 'It’s a long upwind sail to reach California from the South Pacific, but Geronimo is quite impressive in these conditions for a multihull’. The nearly 4000 miles trip from Tahiti to San Diego is currently being covered at an average of 13.5 knots. The 110 foot multihull covered 1200 miles in the first two days after she departed from Papeete and it is estimated that Geronimo will arrive in San Diego on November 6th.

Once Geronimo is in San Diego she will undergo preparations for her attempt to break Frenchman’s Bruno Peyron’s five day, nine hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds record for the 2215 mile Los Angeles to Hawaii route.

This will be the first time a multihull team has attempted to break this record during the winter months of the northern hemisphere. Weather dependant and preparations going to plan the crew are aiming for an early December departure for this attempt.