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18 November 2005, 04:45 pm

STOP PRESS: Geronimo Sets New Transpac Mark

WSSRC Record Attempt

4 days, 19 hours, 31 minutes and 37 seconds after crossing the start line off Los Angeles, USA, Capgemini and Schneider Electric's maxi trimaran Geronimo has broken the Transpacific Los Angeles to Honolulu record by over 13 hours, subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC). Crossing the finish line off Diamond Head in Hawaii at 0436am local time (1436 UTC), Geronimo and her men have completed a hat trick of sailing speed records.

First it was The Challenge Round Australia record for the sydneyaustralia.com trophy, then the Tahiti Nui Challenge record for Sydney to Papeete Tahiti passage and now Geronimo has the Los Angeles Honolulu Challenge record for the Transpacific 2,215 mile passage; a trifecta in six months.

After an anxious 24 hours prior to crossing the finish line, the crew onboard Geronimo have succeeded in breaking the previous record of 5 days, 9 hours, 18 minutes and 26 seconds, set in the 1997 Transpac race by Bruno PEYRON (FRA), by 13 hours. This is the first time this record has been attempted in the northern hemisphere winter and the maxi trimaran averaged 19.17 knots boat speed over the 2,215 mile course to be placed as the third fastest WSSRC long range (more than 2,000 miles) speed sailing records to date.

'We are very happy to have broken this record. I worried a number of times during the race that we would not make it but we have and the crew did a very good job. Today they have had to concentrate very hard and not watch the clock,' said skipper Olivier DE KERSAUSON (FRA) after Geronimo crossed the finish line off Diamond Head in Honolulu. The Geronimo crew will enjoy their victory at sea for the next two hours and at sunrise will be put under tow to make their way to the dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club.

Geronimo's eleven man Franco American crew include DE KERSAUSON, Didier RAGOT, Philippe LAOT, Antoine DERU, Pierre ENGLISH, Yannick AGAËSSE, Xavier DOUIN, Lucas ZAMECKNIC, Jean Charles CORRE and the two American team members Cam LEWIS and Larry ROSENFELD.

As the giant ocean warrior crossed the finish line to a fantastic Hawaiian welcome, verifying the finish time for the WSSRC was official observer Skip WINTERBOTTOM and Geronimo will be docked at the Hawaii Yacht Club during her two day stopover before heading back to San Diego. West Marine will host a traditional Hawaiian welcome, including a lei presentation to the newly crowned title holders.