Weekend Update–Geronimo Pasted, Cheyenne Almost Home: You sail the Southern Ocean often enough, and sooner or later you are going to get whacked–even if you are in a 110-foot trimaran that is capable of outrunning most weather. That’s been the fate of Geronimo, southeast of New Zealand, which got blasted by an intense storm lying across their path. 50 knot winds, 25-30 foot seas, frigid temperatures. C’est horrible. Geronimo ended up taking down all sail, and the crew endured numerous dings and dents as they were thrown around. The boat-breaking conditions also slowed the big tri considerably, knocking her more than 1000 miles behind Cheyenne’s fast Southern Ocean pace. De Kersauson is clinging to the fact that he is still about 1000 miles ahead of Orange 2002 (for a video of what it’s like onboard Geronimo at speed, go the above link and click on the video link below De Kersauson’s portrait…). But beating Orange 2002 to lose to Fossett won’t make The Admiral very happy…

Meanwhile, catching Cheyenne is going to require a big, fat run of good weather for the French boat, because Cheyenne is continuing to stretch. She hit the Equator over the weekend, setting the fastest times from the English Channel to the Equator, and the fastest time from Cape Horn to the Equator. The weather for the remaining 2500 miles to the finish is looking anywhere from okay to pretty damn good. So Fossett’s big cat just needs to sail the remaining distance without a major breakdown. So far, the only major worry is the collapse of the starboard hull toilet seat. Dave Scully reports on the indignities of round the world record breaking:

“I am sure it was designed by responsible engineers, who probably calculated test case loads of up to 100kg or so, based on static load, added a safety factor, and called it good. What they did not count on is the dynamic load of a seated body rising and falling through about 3m. The resultant compression on the seat when the dynamic force of the falling body is taken into account must exceed their wildest imaginings.

Ours, on the starboard side, started developing stress cracks in the Southern Ocean. As we charge up the south-east trades, the bows chopping the whitecaps like twin cleavers in the hands of a demon butcher, sitting on the toilet is a major feat. As the bow drops, one is suddenly weightless, suspended in space like an astronaut. Then the bow crashes into the trough, and gravity suddenly resumes its calling with interest, and one compresses into the circumference of the plastic ring separating flesh from raw porcelain.

We have, we hope, another five days of this punishing sailing, and the seat, well, it may join the cooking gas, the Mars bars, and the porridge on the list of things we will have to live without, unless Mike finds the time to have a go at it with some carbonfibre and paste.”

At least they are in the tropics, so the porcelain is not too cold…



Cheyenne Crewman Jacques Vincent is on His 7th (!) Racing Circumnavigation…

(Photo: Nick Leggatt)

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