Sling shot south

Another respectible day for Geronimo

Day 14
Position at 2317: 37°38 S 22°59 W
24hour run: 468 mile
Average speed: 19.50 knots


Another respectible day's run for Geronimo, Olivier de Kersauson's Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric sponsored trimaran sees her leading the 'virtual' race around the world against the two ghosts.

By our reckoning the maxi tri is currently 134 miles ahead of the present record set by Orange in 2002 and ahead of Cheyenne's equivalent position at the end of her 14th day at sea by a narrower margin of 62 miles.

Weather wise Geronimo is basking in a band of 30 knot northwesterly winds between a front associated with a depression directly to her south deep into the Southern Ocean and the south Atlantic high. The high looks set to track southeast and to skirt this de Kersauson will have to 'sail along the isobars' and will probably end up on a fairly similar course as Cheyenne took to avoid getting trapped in light winds. While this has the added bonus of allowing the maxi-tri to sail less miles there is the ever present danger of encountering icebergs if he decides to stick to sailing at a high latitude.