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The Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Schneider Electric crew covered 472 nautical miles in the first 24 hours of their attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy: an average speed of 19.65 knots. "The boat isn't travelling particularly fast yet and the weather is as forecast for the time being", explained Olivier de Kersauson in yesterday's radio bulletin. The north north-easterly winds are still holding up, but remain variable at between 15 & 30 knots.

The sea is also rather unpredictable and the risk of colliding with oil slicks during the night requires a high degree of vigilance in these waters. Geronimo has already passed the Atalante, the ship monitoring the site where the Prestige sank.

The giant trimaran has also encountered its first technical hiccup. One of the rudder linkages began to show signs of weakness during the night and the crew had to slow the boat for several hours in order to repair it; a task which they managed to accomplish in the minimum amount of time.The crew had a rather difficult night coping with many boat manoeuvres and large breaking waves during a series of squalls. Nevertheless, they were very quick off the mark, as the Schneider Electric watch leader was proud to report during today's radio bulletin.

Now attacking his 7th circumnavigation, Geronimo's skipper is clearly very happy to be back at sea: "I really love being here, especially on this exceptional boat…"

The Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Schneider Electric crew hope to be as far south as the Canaries by Tuesday.

Geronimo's Position at 14.00 GMT 12/1/2003
39.03N, 13.45 W
Distance travelled in 11 hours : 213 nautical miles
Average speed over the last 11 hours: 19,39 knots