Until yesterday morning, the Cap Gemini/Schneider Electric crew had enjoyed very good sailing conditions on their attempt at the Route of Discovery which they started on Tuesday.

At almost 30 knots, with fair wind, Geronimo rounded the Canary Islands. The choice of course followed after rounding the islands was taken in the early hours of the morning. Whereas Steve Fossett (current record holder) was forced to seek the trade winds far south, their weakness has led Geronimo to find the shortest route.

In the early morning, the wind abated (10 knots) and this lull should last 24 hours. The grey trimaran sails at 13 knots in this calm weather. It aims to get away from the Canaries as soon as possible where the wind fluctuates greatly.

This lull should end this afternoon. The Azores anticyclone should provide a northern flow as it moves eastward. This wind, although not very strong, will nevertheless not be in the rear and will therefore allow a direct and very rapid route. It is best to have 15kts knots of side wind than 20kts of wind from astern. Gybing is time and course-consuming and Geronimo thus creates its own apparent wind with its speed. The race is still very tight though as it will be necessary to remain within reasonable distance of PlayStation’s performance, of 16.93 knots on average on the direct course.

On board, everything is fine. Pierre Corriveaud supervises the watches in the absence of Didier Ragot. Watches change every six hours and Olivier de Kersauson’s team take the machine up to its peak potential.