Orange: code Orange

Bruno Peyron on stand by for New York to Lizard record

Bruno Peyron, skipper of the Orange II maxi-catamaran, has triggered the code Orange alert meaning that he may set off some time during the next 72 hours on an attempt at the North Atlantic crossing record, from New York to the Lizard.

The current record for this route, set in October 2001 by the American yachtsman Steve Fossett, is 4 days, 17 hours, 28 mn and 6s.

Having left Lorient, his Atlantic base, on Tuesday, 3 August, hardly Orange II has bearly had time to reach New York, before having to prepare herself to set out on this record attempt. Whether Orange II leaves is now in the hands of Team Orange's weathermen. A window is opening sometime in the next 72 hours according to New Zealand meteorologist Roger Badham and Frenchman Pierre Lasnier.

Since arriving in New York on the night before last, Orange II has been moored at the foot of the Manhattan skyscrapers just in front of Chelsea Pier on the banks of the Hudson.

Yesterday Orange II carried out a training session off Manhattan, under the watchful eye of the Statue of Liberty, in order to make some final adjustments before this high-speed crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

Her crew currently on stand-by in New York and France will include 11 people, chosen partially from those that took part in the attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy last winter. The crew line-up will be announced by Bruno Peyron on the eve of their departure.

"This will be the fifth time that I have had the privilege of getting a boat ready in New York and the magic is just as strong," commented Peyron. " Orange II in front of Manhattan was something that just had to be for this boat, the aim of which is very clear. The Atlantic record is considered to be the most important ocean record after the Jules Verne Trophy. Orange II cannot turn down this challenge, even if we are probably placing the bar too high with only a week on stand-by in New York.

"We will be aiming at living up to these ambitions, first of all by achieving the best performance possible on this mythical route, then by attempting to beat the 24-hour record and getting close to covering 700 miles in 24h. Finally, by getting into a position, if the miracle weather situation develops, which would allow us to get close to the record or even beat the absolute record for this route.

"The boat is ready, even if we have to do in two days what would normally take a week. Constant progress has been made concerning her reliability. Sailing to New York was a very good test, as the boat sailed for 10 days upwind. The crew is extremely motivated and if the weather conditions allow, we won't miss the opportunity of achieving a great time for this route. Sailing here will in any case be a smashing training period before our ultimate goal of winning the Jules Verne Trophy this winter."

New York-Lizard record background:

The first record time for sailing across the North Atlantic was established by the Atlantic schooner, a 56-m long three-masted vessel skippered by the famous American captain Charlie Barr in 1905, in a time of just over 12 days.

For 75 years this record was not beaten until Eric Tabarly smashed the record in 1980 aboard his trimaran Paul Ricard, cutting the time to 10 days.

Following this Marc Pajot on Elf Aquitaine I, Patrick Morvan on Jet Services II, Loïc Caradec & Philippe Facque on Royale II, Philippe Poupon on Fleury Michon VIII, and finally Serge Madec on the maxi-catamaran Jet Services V each reduced the time, the latter having achieved the crossing in 6 days 13h 3mn and 32s in June 1990 at an average speed of 18.42 knots. This record stood for more than 10 years until the latest generation of maxi-catamarans built for The Race arrived all Fossett and his PlayStation to claim a new time their passage sailed at the incredible average speed of 25.78 knots.