Cheyenne Update–Code Green…Finally: Steve Fossett and his 125-foot monstercat “Cheyenne” have been on stand-by since December for the right weather window to launch their Jules Verne round-the-globe record attempt. With his crew running up a huge bar tab in Plymouth’s pubs, as they await a start in the English Channel, Fossett has finally spotted a weather pattern which he thinks will be good enough for a start Friday. So he’s taking it. Cheyenne will leave the dock shortly to slog her way through 120 miles of stormy English Channel, facing headwinds up to 50-knots, to arrive at the Jules Verne start line at Le Stiff lighthouse on the French island of Ouessant (Ushant). From there, Cheyenne is staring at a 21,760 mile race track (probably closer to 25,000 miles since JV boats rarely get to sail the most direct route, as they look for optimum wind angles). The first leg will take her and her 13-person crew (navigator Adrienne Cahalan is the sole woman aboard) from the Channel to the Equator, via the notorious Bay of Biscay, and Fossett will be hoping to knock that off in under 9 days. This is going to be a hell of a record attempt to follow, so stand by for regular TWC updates. No word yet on whether Olivier De Kersauson and his 120-foot trimaran “Geronimo” likes the window Fossett has chosen enough to join the party. I hope he will, because seeing these two multihulls go head to head would be the match race of the decade…..



Cheyenne at Speed: “Ohhh, Olivier, won’t you come out and PLAAAAAAAY……..”

(Photo: DPPI / Christophe Baudry)