Maxi-Catamaran Orange is ambassador for The Race 2004

The next edition of The Race will take place in February and should, in the meantime, give rise to the organisation of an international circuit and classification for the giant multihulls, taking into consideration the planet's most important oceanic records.

The maxi catamaran "Innovation Explorer", recently re-baptised as "Orange" after the name of France Telecom's mobile telephone subsidiary, will soon set sail in pursuit of the most famous of these records ­ the Jules Verne Trophy. The project was entrusted to the French sailor, Bruno Peyron, who was the first to win the Jules Verne Trophy in 1993 and who fully intends to reconquer this prestigious title. The Jules Verne Trophy was carried off by the New Zealander, Sir Peter Blake in 1994 who was in turn dethroned in 1997 by the current holder of the Trophy, the Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson. This new campaign for the Jules Verne should set sail as soon as next February.

The Race 2004 in the firing line!

Similar to the previous campaigns of the catamaran "Explorer", this new odyssey is marked by a spirit of renewal and the international promotion of THE RACE 2004. This first attempt by a new generation maxi-catamaran to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy should produce many new lessons and proudly carry forth the colours of THE RACE 2004, as a sign to its future challengers. For Bruno Peyron, the goals and strategy are clear : " this new Jules Verne attempt must privilege the development and the positioning of Orange in the field of global oceanic sailing. As for myself, this new challenge is only the first phase of a project, the medium and long term goal of which is to launch the design and construction of a new giant multihull for THE RACE 2004 ".

Preparation in Marseille

Since June, the maxi-catamaran Orange is being prepared at the shipyard in La Ciotat, France where she is now showing off her new " orange " coat. The work accomplished by the shipyard was above all focused on assuring the boat's reliability. " The Jules Verne Trophy is, in my mind, the most prestigious record of all and we will not take the risk of testing something technologically new. We have, of course, a few little secrets that we will not reveal, but nothing too innovative. The boat has already made a magnificent trip around the world and she does not have much new to prove ". The Orange giant should be in the water again by the end of December in Marseille where she will train during the entire month of January before returning to Brittany. As far as the crew goes, there will be a dozen crewmembers, a majority of whom were already aboard one of the three boats represented on the podium of THE RACE.

The end of January shall mark the beginning of the " stand-by " period and the wait for a favourable weather window. " if the weather allows, we hope to meet Olivier de Kersauson and his crew to try and organize a joint departure and a veritable duel in real time. The result will only be better ... ".

Rendezvous in a little more than two months somewhere off Ouessant's coast where two of the largest multihull in existence will open the doors of the world's oceans to write a new page in the human adventure of around the world sailing.