JV Jumble–Geronimo and Orange II Dead Even: Well the first day of the head-to-head cat versus tri match race delivered the following result: in the first 24 hours Orange II sailed 494 miles, and Geronimo sailed…495. Amazing, just a mile difference. Both boats are ahead of Orange I’s 2002 record pace, and well ahead of Cheyenne’s early pace. And they’re skirting the Portuguese coast as they try to avoid some lighter winds to their west. Bruno Peyron is happy with Orange II’s performance potential, but he’s learning that the boat is a beast (just like Cheyenne):

“It’s easy to tell, the boat is heavier and more powerful than Orange I. She requires more efforts, more anticipation. We really must be careful not to lose control!…Earlier today, we performed 2 consecutive manoeuvres, which took us about an hour, and right afterwards, I saw the guys taking out oysters and a nice piece of “foie gras”. “

It’s a French boat, alright…

Meanwhile, Cheyenne peeled off 564 miles down South, and stretched to a 780-plus mile lead (a day and a half) on Orange 2002. Plus, they saw only one additional iceberg. Click here, for chart. And, here, for a great description of all the personalities sailing aboard Cheyenne.

Orange II Setting Off: She’s Really Ugly, So She’d Better Be Really Fast