| USA. Geronimo meets up with Cheyenne-Playstation in snowy San Diego |
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| Thursday, 16 March 2006 | |
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Régis Rassouli/Sam Crichton: Snow is currently falling on the mountains, which separate the coastal strip from the desert. However, the drizzle and strong winds forcing the CapGemini/Schneider Electric team to work in waterproofs on the deck of the trimaran remind them somewhat of the weather back home in Brittany This week, all the deck fittings aboard Geronimo were removed, the winches completely refitted, and the joints, pulley spindles and bearings changed. The six crew members present have three weeks to get the machine back in top form. They had to look for the same skills in San Diego as they were used to finding in Brest, which was no easy task, as the work involved welding titanium, turning the huge mechanical parts with aeronautical precision and repairing the gigantic sails in materials that are not very common here. They had to convince the crane operators that the boat only weighed 20 tonnes and not 120, that the comprehensive insurance policy was something wide ranging, in other words adjust to a rather conservative world, where yachting is more of a pastime than a mechanical sport. In the Driscoll shipyard, Geronimo met up with one of her former rivals, Cheyenne-Playstation. The giant catamaran was brought back here from Argentina. She dismasted in the Oryx Cup after Geronimo's accident and will be undergoing some major modifications. The contrast is striking between the brute power and size of the catamaran and her bright colours on the one hand, and the relative modesty of Geronimo on the other, as she is smaller, leaning over on her float and her colours are invisible in this dull weather. Two different philosophies, two radically opposing cultures. However, Geronimo has by no means come to the end of her career chasing ocean records… After this annual refit, the CapGemini/Schneider Electric trimaran will head up to San Francisco in early April to tackle the North Pacific crossing record against the prevailing winds. This record still belongs the American Steve Fossett...the owner of Cheyenne, the neighbour moored alongside her at the pontoon. RivaCom |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 March 2006 ) |
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