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Jules Verne Trophy

Orange is slaloming between two lows

samedi 6 avril 2002 –

"To our left, about 2000 miles away, the island of Tonga... a little to the right of that the Cook islands, then a bit further on, the lagoons of Raiatéa, Wahiné and Bora Bora... In four days we could be there leaving behind the icy waters of the South Pacific..."just for one instant, and one instant only, Bruno Peyron imagined a Jules Verne Trophy with some improbable ports of call. These lands with their charming names excite the imaginations of mariners. How they were populated remains a maritime mystery for which one of the keys resides in the invention of an incredible boat, the catamaran. And Bruno to ask the question : "Would we be capable of relearning what progress has made us forget ?" Outside, the sea is at a chilly 4° and Orange is slaloming between two lows.


Orange is celebrating her entry into the South Pacific with a complex equation to solve ; a low is deepening to her north and is moving exactly along her route. The maxi-catamaran should be able to overtake the warm front today, with the consequential light winds associated with such a phenomenon. On port tack on a NNE heading, Peyron and his boys are watching their speed tumble. On joining the warm sector of the front, they will see the wind progressively strengthen while shifting to the north, then the north-west. It will then be time to dive down south again and take advantage of a following swell to accelerate again and join the latitudes closer to the great circle route.

So Orange’s XIII will once again have to juggle with tricky weather conditions in her quest for a purer and straighter track. By remaining in the warmer sector of the disturbance, Peyron’s sailors will be avoiding the passage of squalls and will be able to maintain a good average. It’s up to them to escape from the calms of the ridge.

Quote/unquote...

Bruno Peyron : "From the Orange XIII to the French XV ? We’re on the other side of the globe south of "All Black" country ? our thoughts are with you. Marseilles brought you luck against the "Kiwis", Marseilles boosted you against the Australians and Marseilles is our homeport. The Grand Slam is for this evening !"
All the best
Bruno Peyron

Denis van den Brink / Translation David Palmer - SeaSpeak / Orange

Map : Orange autour du monde

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