The virtual lead of Bruno Peyron's Megakat over the "Playstation" with which Steve Fossett set the 2001 transatlantic record (4 days, 17 hours, 28 minutes, 6 seconds) is currently a good 200 nautical miles or a good ten hours. A comforting cushion for the last third of the route still ahead. Especially since it is not yet clear whether the wind will continue to play along.
Yesterday afternoon "Orange II" broke its own 24-hour record, which was set only the day before. At an average speed of just under 32 knots, the 37 meter long two-hull covered an incredible 766 nautical miles.
The skipper is currently worried about the weather. The prognoses are ambiguous, so it is still unclear whether the westerly wind will decrease or turn east in the coming hours. Bruno Peyron has therefore decided to sail a slightly more northerly course in order to be able to react better to a change in the wind.
At the moment, "Orange II" has been heading east at an average speed of 29.8 knots since its start on Sunday in New York. The average speed of the "Playstation" was 25.78 knots for the 2925 nautical miles long route.
The "Orange II" crew experienced a moment of shock yesterday when the boat collided with an unknown object. The port rudder was affected. It is still unclear how severe the damage is and how much it will affect the cat's further progress.
It is a good 800 nautical miles to the finish at Lizard Point at the west entrance of the English Canal. If everything goes according to plan, "Orange II" will cross the line tomorrow morning.