The Orange II maxi catamaran skippered by Bruno Peyron arrived yesterday in the Brest harbour, in order to take part in the “Brest 2004″ festivities. An opportunity for the crew and the boat’s partners to sail everyday, while showing the boat to thousands of spectators wandering on the docks. Bruno Peyron seized the occasion to confirm the major dates of the giant’s forthcoming program. Interview…

Q: What is your high-tech giant doing among traditional tall ships?
BP: First of all, we were invited by the city of Brest, and wished to bring a touch of future to this great gathering. It’s a very good idea to welcome our modern boats in such a splendid traditional event. Being based in Lorient, it was easy for us to come over here, and it was a good opportunity to show the catamaran and the way she sails to quite an amount of spectators.

Q: What’s next, the Atlantic ocean, and a shot at the New York - Lizard Point record?

BP: Pushing a boat hard on the Atlantic at this time of the year is a bit ambitious, but we’ll set our objectives progressively. First thing, we’ll try and beat the 24-hrs record, then try and become the first crew to reach the 700 miles mark. We were the first to reach 600 miles aboard Club Med in 2000, now we have to do better than the current record, set at 694,78 miles. In order to achieve this, we have to be in the middle of the North Atlantic, ready to catch a hypothetical ideal weather window, even though we now it’s not the best period to make such an attempt.

Q: How many crew members will be aboard Orange II for this challenge?

BP: Our goal is to leave with the boat as light as possible. I reckon we’ll sail with two watches of 5 persons each; plus myself being off watch - that adds up to 11 people. I think we’ll try to leave around July 25th. We should be in New York by August 5th, and in stand-by mode shortly after that.

Q: And the back to Marseilles, around September 15th, for a 2-month program of training sessions and record attempts?

BP: That’s right. We’ll give a shot at the Mediterranean, which is a tough record to beat since the current benchmark time shows a high average speed. What’s more, it’s a bit more violent because of the Mistral… But it’s good, it’s a course favourable to sheer speed, and that’s easy for the media to follow - yet the boat is put to the test in such conditions. We’ll be preparing for the Jules Verne Trophy by then, and with the storms that reach Brittany at this period, we’ll be better off in the south of France to train and to sail with our partners. And Marseilles is the boat’s homeport, we’ve always been deeply attached to this city that has been changing dramatically since a few years, opening up more and more towards the sea and our sport.

Share or bookmark this story: