[Garnalennet] Nieuw record: The North Pacific in 11 Days 12 Minutes 55 Seconds

[niels.tempel op trimaran-trojka.nl]

The North Pacific in 11 Days 12 Minutes 55 Seconds

Gitana 13 adds the North Pacific crossing to its list of conquests by
covering the 4,482 theoretical miles of the (direct) course in 11 days 12
minutes and 55 seconds. Leaving San Francisco on Saturday 29th March at
22h45'45''UT, for the second record of their 2008 campaign, Lionel
Lemonchois and his ten crew crossed the finish line off Yokohama, in Tokyo
Bay on Wednesday 9th April at 22h58'40" UT. The maxi-catamaran equipped by
Baron Benjamin de Rothschild improved on the previous reference time by 3
days 22 hours 27 minutes 46 seconds, held by Olivier de Kersauson and his
crew on Geronimo since 2006.

Sylvain Mondon, Gitana 13's router, announced it even before the
maxi-catamaran had even slid its bows under the Golden Gate Bridge: "This
Ocean is anything but Pacific!". By choosing to adopt a central route, in
order not to extend the course, the sailors of Gitana Team knew that the
weather conditions wouldn't be at all relaxing.

Gitana 13 covered the 4,482 theoretical miles of this crossing at an
average speed of 16.96 knots. However, in practice, the maxi-catamaran had
to cover over 5,616 miles, at an average speed of 21.26 knots, to make
Japan. Explanation: on this record the direct route would force the
sailors attacking the record to adopt a very northerly trajectory to make
Yokohama. Weather conditions dictate a much more southerly course then the
ideal track.

A peak speed of 39.7 knots Is a new personal record for the crew on this
crossing. The best day recorded by Gitana 13 in terms of distance covered
over the water in 24 hours is that of 3rd April with over 612 miles on the
counter.

"We're certainly very tired at the end, as the past eleven days at sea
have been intense. The Pacific offers some rapid and numerous weather
sequences. In total we encountered two lows, including a very strong one
at the approach to the Japanese coast, then three high pressure zones to
round and as many transition zones to negotiate. Prior to our departure,
the second part of our course was still very uncertain but everything fell
nicely into place in the end. The storm over the past few days gave us a
good boost on our journey to Japan. This period, though stressful, will
remain a highlight of our time at sea. We had strong winds gusting to over
60 knots but it was the waves above all else which were impressive, rising
to over 10 metres in cross seas. It was quite a spectacle!"

"Gitana 13 will remain in Yokohama until early May, since we're continuing
our series of records in the China Sea. The next destination for the crew
is Dalian, in China, after a 1,500 mile record crossing attempt between
the two towns. We will then follow that by trying to set new record times
between Qingdao, Taipei, Hong Kong and Macao, prior to returning to Hong
Kong to set off on the Tea Route."

The crew on Gitana 13
Lionel Lemonchois (Skipper / helmsman / watch leader)
Jacques Vincent (helmsman / watch leader)
Ludovic Aglaor (helmsman/ watch leader)
Cyril Dardashti (trimmer)
Olivier Wroczynski (trimmer /computing manager)
Jean-Baptiste Epron (trimmer / Photographer)
Nicolas Raynaud (trimmer / video manager)
Stefan Fodor (trimmer)
Kojiro Shiraishi (trimmer)
David Boileau (No.2 / trimmer/ deck hardware manager)
Leopold Lucet (No.1 /supplies and medical manager)

www.gitana-team.com

Uw record verslaggever
Niels Tempel