Update on Orange

Work-up program going well reports Bruno Peyron

Since her launch on 22 December the maxi-catamaran Orange II has been tested prior to her forthcoming Jules Verne Trophy attempt. The boat has returned to the shipyard for a week at the beginning of January for a few technical modifications, and is currently carrying on a set-up and optimisation process.

"We sailed recently in stronger wind and sea conditions, in order to confirm the choices made for the sail plan once and for all," commented skipper Bruno Peyron. "We also had to finish working on details of the deck layout, on the mast foot and the deck hardware. The first technical evaluation is positive - everything is going well as far as structure, sails and deck hardware are concerned. There's still a bit of work to be done on the deck layout, and we need to optimise the rudder systems, as well as the rudder blades.

"The boat sails well and fast... I reckon she's faster than Orange I upwind and her passage in waves is very satisfactory. It's the result of all the work we did on the hull shapes and on the overall power potential with Gilles Ollier's team. This catamaran seems to be cleverly designed - her dimensions are bigger then her predecessor's which makes things a bit tougher - but that's not surprising for such a big boat... I've always said that a boat over 50 feet is a challenge for a crew of little bipeds like us, so with this one, we've reached another dimension! It takes technique to sail it properly, because with such a powerful, heavy and fast machine, no mistakes can be made... We have to be cautious! But I'm not worried, a lot of time can be spared on our learning curve thanks to the fact that a majority of the crew has already sailed aboard Orange 1. To make a boat this big race-ready in six weeks is not an easy task, and the only way to achieve that is to work with people who know each other and bring complementary expertise."

The crew selection process set up by Bruno Peyron depicts his values: human qualities, technical abilities, and experience sharing. " If we respect that, we'll have a homogenous group which will work smoothly. No one must not get their priorities mixed up. The team that was with me in 2002 of course has priority - I think that's just fair. The story was great, so everyone deserves to have a place on board once again. That said, some of the guys will not be able to join us for schedule reasons and I respect their choices. We'll have to replace them... But anyway the list of names out numbers the places we have on board."

Bruno Peyron has also announced that Orange II is to have a new base - at the Lorient base formerly occupied by the Défi Français (America's Cup French Syndicate). From today the catamaran will enter her final preparation phase and should be on stand-by from February 15.