Orange retires again

Disappointed Bruno Peyron and his team return to France

Bruno Peyron and his 14-man crew have decided to withdraw from the Jules Verne Trophy temporarily, because of the technical incident involving the fairing for the drive unit attached to one of their engines, discovered yesterday.

"We dived to inspect the damage, took some pictures, analysed the situation with the shipyard, and we have to face the facts: we do not have the possibility to repair the broken part ourselves," explained skipper Bruno Peyron during the daily radio 'vacation' today. "We're at 80% of our potential, and it's not possible to tackle such a challenge if we're not at 100%.

The question remains will they have a third attempt this season? "It remains an open question, and we wish to study all the possibilities before taking a premature decision. We're coming back to start again, that's for sure! But when, we don't know.

"If we did manage to fix the boat, nothing tells us that our repair would not experience the same fate! And it surely is not our ambition to take a shot at the record knowing we can't count on the boat's full potential," continued Peyron. "So we took the decision to head back home, correct Orange II's little teething problems in order to take a better start."

Peyron went on to explain "This problem is not a structural one, the hull is not endangered. We started by taking on the Everest, because that's the challenge that fits this season. Maybe we should have more progressive ambitions... So the Everest, definitely yes, but once again when we'll be back at 100%". Orange II was launched on 22 December, and only benefited from six weeks of set-up and training - very little time to try out the many details which, seen from ashore, can be considered minor ones, but which take another dimension at sea. And of course, it's simply wiser to take such a decision off the Cape Verde Islands, rather than waiting to be in the deep South.

"It should be remembered that Club Med (Grant Dalton's winner of The Race in 2001) had had 20,000 miles of sea trials before setting out around the world, and all this experience had been valuable for Club Med's sister-ships, Team Adventure and Innovation Explorer (which became Orange). With all of this, I even forget we're still the current Trophy holders", says Peyron, clearly upset by the disappointing outcome of his campaign. "But let's be clear about one thing: we won't let go of our title without putting up a fight."

At noon today Orange II was off Santo Antao Island in the Cape Verdes, heading north-west at 14 knots into 15-20 knots of wind to get back to Britanny.

Today's radio 'vacation' in Paris with Peyron on the boat was attended by Orange France CEO Didier Quillot, Formula 1 motor racing driver Alain Prost and fencing medallist Laura Flessel.

"We obviously support that decision, and think it's wise to turn back," said Quillot. "If Orange is not at her full potential, it's useless to carry on. Bruno knows we're by his side, and with the crew. We also know that if they come back now, it's to take a better start! They have our full support, and it's not in our habits to turn our back on tough situations. As far as another start is concerned, the skipper's decision deserves respect. We trust Bruno Peyron, and he remains the favourite for the Jules Verne record - a record he broke twice, with two attempts".

Alain Prost gave his views: "I sympathise and I understand the disappointment felt by Bruno and his crew. Before his start, we compared sailing and Formula One, which both are mechanical sports. Today, the similarities are more than patent. Even the best machine has sometimes to experience mishaps... That said, I really share the team's sadness".