No respite for Geronimo

by Rivacom on 21 Apr 2006 Yesterday, on her seventh day at sea, the Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran covered 462 nautical miles at an average speed of 19.28 knots, as she continues to make excellent progress in the second half of a course that promises to present a complex challenge.

Having been forced a long way south of the direct route, the Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran has been heading back north towards Japan on her record attempt ever since passing Hawaii on Sunday. After seven days at sea, Geronimo and her crew have covered 3,178 nautical miles, leaving 'only' 2,344 to cover to reach Yokohama.

However, this latest track, which isn't really one at all, is giving Olivier de Kersauson cause for concern, as he explained in his latest audio report last night. «It's going pretty well. We're making nearly 500 miles a day, which is a good average. The problem is that those 500 miles bring us only 380 closer to the finish line». Geronimo must also cope with several areas of calm in the days that lie ahead. 'We can see several cycles of calm to the north and west. The last 1,200 miles could be hazardous.' This latter section of the course may give the maxi-trimaran yet another opportunity to show just how adaptable she can be. 'Geronimo is performing well. Apart from breaking a batten in a gybe yesterday, which we were able to replace quickly, we've had no problems at all. Once again, the boat is showing just how reliable she can be.'

'After we passed Hawaii, I thought it best to make the most of the simpler weather conditions to let the crew rest. But the many manoeuvres required mean that we must still be alert to what's going on.' This focus hasn't prevented the crew from relaxing, just like the only Japanese crewmember on board, Kazuhiro Nishimura: 'He's adapting quickly. He writes everything down and is always filming his watch mates with all the enthusiasm of a boy. Every time one of us shouts on a surf, he punches the air because he's having such a good time. We've asked him to teach us a few words of Japanese. The problem is that we've no way of knowing what it is he's teaching us to say.'