Sea, Sail & Surf newsJules Verne Trophy
Rounding cape Horn andPacific record for Orange
samedi 13 avril 2002 –
It’s raining. A foggy day dawns ahead of Orange’s bows. Two miles to port, Cape Horn’s sombre mass can be made out by the two pale lights of the Chilean lighthouse. A strong westerly wind of more than 30 knots and Orange has just double reefed. At full speed last night north of the Diego Ramirez Islands, the big cat from Marseille had to change tack this morning in order to round the famous cape on a on the port tack. Emotional moment on board with everyone up on deck. It’s cold out and the rain is blotting the view. Never mind, those on board are fully aware of just how lucky they are. For a short instant, each sailor relives the litany of suffering which is associated with this rock at the end of the world. " It’s a moment of mixed feelings " admits Bruno. " There’s the relief of leaving the stress of the Southern Ocean behind and a sense of humility for those who have gone before us... " For the first time in 42 days, Peyron allows an ounce of satisfaction to come through in his voice. " We’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Our course through the Indian Ocean was truly chaotic. The Pacific turned out to be the right place to attack and, as I have always made perfectly clear, Orange will only when every single one of the conditions required to do so come together to ensure the safety of the men on board and the machine herself. This has been the case for the last 8 days. We’ve really stepped on the gas ! " 12 days and 19 hours between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn. We’ve sailed days of 600 miles and more. We even peaked at 39.7 knots. The sheer power of the Orange cat is amazing. " The main thing is that she is intact after 42 days at sea in difficult conditions " continued Bruno. " Rounding the Horn does not mean that our difficulties have come to an end. I’ll never forget the rotten shaking Enza was given in 94 a stone’s throw from the finish. " The way back home to Brest Brest #brest is thwart with weather traps ? the Saint Helena High, the Doldrums, the Azores High, the Bay of Biscay. First things first. Peyron’s objective is the Trophée Jules Verne. To pull it off, Orange has gone through a cocktail of experiences since 2nd March, based on a mixture of reliability, safety and performance. Managing to stay on the same tack over a smooth sea, Orange reeled in the miles over the Pacific. Everything we needed to push the boat had come together. " A treat for Peyron, for whom the Pacific Ocean is a friend. He holds two Pacific records - the east-west crossing (Los Angeles-Yokohama) as well as the west-east crossing (Yokohama-San Francisco). Today Orange leaves the tip of Latin America to sail east along her southern coastline, before pointing eastwards of the Falklands to make a new bet on the weather. Beat the speed of a developing low off the coast of Buenos Aires. Orange flies past leaving Staten Island to windward.
.This evening, the last bottle of Burgundy on board will be sacrificed in celebration of a rather special day...
Quote/Unquote
Gilles Chiorri : " That’s the end of the Southern Ocean ! And we’re already working on our route up the Atlantic. What we mainly saw of the Horn were the lights of the lighthouse kept by the Chilean army. Ronan Le Goff, came by this way last year on board " Watcher " working on the safety set-up for The Race called the keepers on the VHF to say hello. Everyone was up on deck - except for Hervé Jan, that is, who is now up to his 7th passage round the Horn and didn’t want to be woken up !! "
Sébastien Josse : " The Horn will remain one on the highlights for me, even though we could only just see it. It was not quite so emotional as the times when we were sailing among the icebergs. But it does effect you as it is unique in the life of any sailor. We had an exceptional crossing of the Pacific - exciting stuff. This is an amazing boat. She’s in great shape. We give her a good bleach down every now and again. A quick hello to my friends setting out on the AG2R Lorient Lorient L’actualité du port de Lorient et de sa région. -Saint Bart’s... "
Denis van den Brink / Mer & Media
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