Geronimo underway again

As de Kersauson crew go training again

Following the return from her Jules Verne Trophy record attempt Olivier de Kersauson's maxi-trimaran Geronimo has now been relaunch and her skipper and 10 man crew have set off training.

This training will take place in the English Channel and North Sea, selected by Olivier de Kersauson “to get as close as possible to racing conditions and maximise our performance. We will genuinely be on standby and I think that we’ll be recording our times. This will allow us to compare them against those we achieved last year with the boat in round-the-world trim, which means a whole tonne heavier”, explains the Breton skipper.

Since her return from the Jules Verne the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric sponsored trimaran has been lightened considerably. Every item required for her round the world voyages has now been removed from her, the number of bunks has been halved, the large number of spare halyards removed, along with a lot of supplies and many items of equipment. It all adds up Geronimo is now over 1000 kilograms lighter as she tackles her new training campaign.

Prior to her relaunching the crew has carried out a complete inspection of the boat, from her structure (using a method called 'tapping') to every item of her equipment including deck fittings, sails, IT systems and electronics.

At the same time, the project development group has been hard at work. Their current focus is the possibility of fitting a new mast that is taller than the current one at 42 metres, the installation of rudders in the float and the addition of foils. The results of these preliminary studies will be submitted to Olivier de Kersauson and his team in July; they will then decide on which direction Geronimo’s development will take.

After the training phase, which began this week, Geronimo will go to Rouen as Guest of Honour at the Armada de la Liberté (Freedom Fleet) from 28 June to 6 July.
Olivier de Kersauson is also an ambassador for this important maritime event.