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Three new benchmarks have been captured when the giant crossed the longitude of Leeuwin (115°08E): Good Hope - Leeuwin previously held by Loïck PEYRON aboard Innovation Explorer (new record by Orange: 7 days, 5 hours, 35 minutes). Orange II also bettered Cheyenne's time on the Ouessant - Leeuwin portion, taking 4 days and 14 minutes off the previous best time! Finally, Peyron and crew beat the Equator - Leeuwin performance set by the Geronimo trimaran, doing more than 5 days better with a new time of 14 days and 11 hours. Last figure: by getting to Australia after 21 days, 13 hours and 54 minutes at sea, Bruno PEYRON and his crew have signed an average speed of 22,8 knots since their start, which amounts to a 15% gain compared to Cheyenne's time.

But for the moment, conditions are tough under Australia, and Bruno PEYRON had to ease off a bit, and take the gennaker down: first of all for basic safety reasons, since Orange was doing 30 to 35 knots of speed in 6 to 8-metre waves, and secondly because there's no interest in catching up with a front generating 40 to 45 knots of wind…

Bruno PEYRON: "We had not been so successful on the Indian Ocean in the past, in 1993 during the first Jules Verne ever, or in 2002 with Orange I… This year it's radically different, and I think it's a good sign. Yet it does not impress us that much - true, it only took us 7 days between Good Hope and Leeuwin, but the boat can swallow that portion even faster, I'd say in 6 days. What matters more is the fact that we sustained a satisfactory average speed while following a route full of zigzags. For the moment, all things considered everything, it's not been so bad!"

New benchmarks (subject to ratification)

Ushant - Leeuwin
New time: 21 d 13 h 54 mn: Orange II - Bruno PEYRON - 2005
Previous time: 25 d 14 h 08 mn - Cheyenne 2004

• Equator - Leuuwin
New time: 14 d 11 h: Orange II - Bruno PEYRON - 2005
Previous time: 19 d 17 h 27 mn - Geronimo 2003

• Good Hope - Leeuwin
New time: 7 d 05 h 35 mn: Orange II - Bruno PEYRON - 2005
Previous time: 7 d 14 h 30 mn 5 sec: Innovation Explorer - 2001

Key figures
Day at sea: 22
Date: 02/15/2005
Time (GMT): 04:00
Latitude : 50 30.04 S
Longitude : 117 52.72 E
Instant speed: 24.4 kts
Instant heading: 102°
Avg speed: 22.5 kts
Avg speed over 24 hours: 24,6 kts
Distance over 24hours: 590 mn
Avg speed since the start: 22,8 knots
Distance covered: 11899 nm
Remaining distance: 13356.8 nm
Lead over standing records - day 21:
• Jules Verne: 1866 nm lead
• Absolute record: 1850 nm lead