MULTIPLAST AND THE TROPHEE JULES VERNE 2003
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Trophée Jules Verne 2003 - Geronimo and Kingfisher 2 in pursuit of Orange.60-foot trimaran - 2003 Vintage Gitana.With the first victory of Commodore Explorer in the Trophée Jules Verne in 1993 and of Orange last year, the multihulls designed and built by Multiplast have twice improved upon the event's reference time since its creation. This year, two other Multiplast machines are racing against the clock, Geronimo and Kingfisher 2.
Multiplast, currently in the process of building its 5th maxi-multihull of more than 30 m long, is once again involved in record chasing. Geronimo, the Van Peteghem & Lauriot-Prévost designed 34 metre long maxi-trimaran belonging to Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson is currently pushing the door of the Screaming Fifties.

Geronimo is gone

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Since her stop in winter 2002, Geronimo start again at the conquest of the Jules Verne Trophy and hope to beat maxi catamaran Orange.
The trimaran is currently in Brest (Atlantic/France), engine and shaft taken off, victuelling on board. Crew is waiting for a good weather window to start and trying to recapture the Jules Verne Trophy held by Orange (ex Innovation Explorer built by Multiplast), absolute record under sail around the world. Reference time : 64d, 8h, 37 min, 24s.
Kingfisher II (ex Orange), skippered by talentuous English women Ellen MacArthur, is arrived in Lorient (Atlanbtic/France), working place where the Kingfisher Team is preparing their own attempt on The Jules Verne Trophy. Start in a few weeks.

Maiden II, new Round Britain & Ireland record holder*

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September 10, 2002 : at 06:52.29 local time (05:52:29 Gmt) Tracy Edwards' maxi-catamaran Maiden II (ex Club Med) skippered by Brian Thomson, crossed the finish line on their Round Britain and Ireland record attempt, smashing the existing record by more than 24 hours.
They completed the course in 4 days 17 hours 3 minutes and 23 seconds with an average speed of 15.8 kts over the 1,787 mile course. A new honnor on Maiden II score line who is since June 2002, the 24-hour record holder with 694,78 miles at the average speed of 28,94 knots. Geronimo, the 34 meter-trimaran of Olivier de Kersauson also built by Multiplast (design Van Peteghem/Lauriot-Prevost), started from the Lizard point the same day but 41 minutes earlier, has run the course with a chrono of 4d 22h 05' 52" : only 5 hours more than Maiden II.