The Official
Website of the
International
Sailing Federation

At 20 knots, they were travelling at a lower speed than on Sunday, when they hit an Orca at 30 knots. Once again it is likely to have been a cetacean that the boat collided with and it was the same rudder and the same port daggerboard which felt the shock.

The crew is continuing on their way, but have slowed down for the time being. Around 150 miles off Cabo Frio (the cape near Rio), the crew of Orange II is heading north eastwards towards the transition zone ahead of the St. Helena trade winds that Bruno PEYRON (FRA) and his men should reach on Wednesday evening.

The number of collisions with UFOs is fortunately not the only figure increasing aboard Orange II. The lead over Cheyenne, the American cat which holds the record, continues to widen and is likely to reach almost nine days this lunchtime. In spite of these chance meetings, which are bound to be handicapping the maxi-catamaran, PEYRON's crew are taking advantage of their virtual opponent's bad days in this area last year to steal away another few precious minutes.

With a lead of more than 3000 miles over the outright record - and 4000 miles over the Jules Verne Trophy - the fourteen-man crew will be able to take their time to repair the damaged appendages without giving up too much of their lead. They just have to hope that the weather will allow them to carry out this intervention. We shall know tomorrow.

References:
Day at sea: 37th
Date: 02/03/2005
Time (GMT): 03:40
Latitude: 24 49.44' S
Longitude: 39 22.40' W
Instantaneous speed: 18.4 knots
Instantaneous bearing: 48
Average speed: 22.7 knots
Speed over 24 h: 22.8 knots
Distance over 24 h: 548 nm
Speed since the start: 23.9 knots
Total distance: 21104 nm
Remaining distance: 4898.80 nm