JV Jumble–Ho-Hum: Geronimo is passing under New Zealand, a solid 500 miles behind Cheyenne’s pace, but 1350 miles ahead of Orange 2002. Unlike Cheyenne, they just haven’t been able to sit on one or two depressions, and ride them across the Southern Ocean. Still, they have been improving on Orange 2002’s performance, and Geronimo’s web site helpfully provides the figures to prove it:

“The total number of nautical miles covered in the first 30 full days at sea was 12,904.04 for Geronimo, compared with 11,847.37 for Orange.

Geronimo’s best day so far was Day 15 (12 March 2004), in which she covered 608.61 nautical miles point-to-point, at an average speed of 25.26 knots. Orange’s best day was her Day 17, when she covered 532 nautical miles at an average of 22.15 knots. In both cases, these best performances were recorded in the South Atlantic, a few days before rounding the Cape of Good Hope.”

One thousand miles from the Equator, Cheyenne has finally found the trade winds, and has managed to maintain a lead of a few days over Orange 2002. It’s been a frustrating 3 days for the crew. Dave Scully is reduced to pleading:

“The track made by the little green boat on the chart plotter has changed from long smooth arcs, to a drunken scrawl, and all the while the ghost ship Orange is closing the gap we have spent three quarters of the distance around the world opening. The crew is tired of looking at it.

Well, you get a bit of this on the big jobs, and one knows that all it will take to turn the mood around is another 5kts of wind speed. We are not hard to please. But we would like it NOW PLEASE, BECAUSE WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF LAUNDRY TO WASH! The WSSC does not offer a consolation prize for cleanliness on arrival in Ouessant.”

Next up are the Doldrums and Equator. Very tricky stuff, which will keep Adrienne Cahalan glued to the nav chair…



Yo, Adrienne: “I know Steve is worried about the record, but I wish he’d let me up on deck at least ONCE a day…”