Sea, Sail & Surf newsJules Verne Trophy
Bruno Peyron : "In this Jules Verne, we’ll have tried it all !"
jeudi 2 mai 2002 –
"We did well to delay our gybe to the east" announced Peyron. "The high is climbing with us and barring the route." In 24 hours, the cards of this Jules Verne Trophy have been reshuffled. "Yesterday we saw ourselves racing direct for Ushant on a single gybe" said the skipper of Orange without bitterness. "Things are getting more complicated and we won’t be picking up the wind until later today." With full main and big masthead gennaker, the Marseilles Giant is still on port tack. A slight wind shift to the SW and the men on watch will gybe the sails onto the other tack, enabling the yacht to finally head for the French coast. "Smells are changing, and, something that is trivial to a landlubber, we’re seeing more vapour trails from aircraft in the sky, a sign that we’re closing in on the goal" said Jean-Baptiste Epron. And yet, the men are applying themselves to the job with no apparent impatience. "We’re out to beat the Jules Verne Trophy record Record #sailingrecord . But not necessarily to sign the reference time for the next three decades." Said Bruno with moderation. "We could quite easily arrive at high speed off Ushant and get parked a few cable lengths from the line..." A scenario that could be possible, although not catastrophic in view of Orange’s lead (6 days) over the round the world reference time. With less than 1,200 nm to the finish, Peyron and his men are as focused on driving the boat as on the first day. The westerly swell that is picking up and shaking the boat about a bit has momentarily rekindled concern for the cracked mast ball. There’s no doubt ; the wind shift will be very welcome...
Quote / unquote...
Bruno Peyron : "It’s quite astonishing, but we are not really conscious of having been round the planet. We’re under the impression that our world is not as big as all that. The South is still incredible purity, contrasting with our hemisphere where not a day goes by without us glimpsing the symptoms of our civilisation on the surface... "
Jean-Baptiste Epron : "We’re getting nearer ! Imperceptibly I believe we are all starting to think about the finish. Curiously, we’re not obsessed about the record Record #sailingrecord . It’s the boat that’s occupying all our thoughts. Her technical dimension is enormous, and so far, we’re proud of not having been caught out..."
Denis van den Brink / Mer & Média Translation by David Palmer / SeaSpeak
Dans la même rubrique
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
Jules Verne Trophy : Peyron : " We had not been expecting much wind anyway "
