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Jules Verne Trophy 2008
www.cammas-groupama.com - Übersicht
Monday 11th February – Press Release No.76
JULES VERNE TROPHY
(CREWED ROUND THE WORLD VIA THE THREE CAPES)
FACING UP TO THE FRONT
Positioned between two fronts, Groupama 3 is alternating between accelerations
and reductions in pace after a great day’s sailing on Sunday. Having
reconstructed their lead this weekend, Franck Cammas and his nine crew must now
negotiate a depression in order to relocate some steadier wind.
Transition: behind a front, which is shifting eastwards and ahead of another
front in the process of deteriorating, the giant trimaran is having to face up
to some very fickle breeze, both in terms of strength and direction.
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Positionsvergleich mit ORANGE II
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The N’ly orientation of the wind is also limiting the boat’s ability to slip along but
the seas remain very manageable as the wind gods laze along 46° South! The
breeze has reached just fifteen or so knots this afternoon, which has caused the
average speeds to drop to less than twenty knots… However, this situation isn't
set to last too long and it should be recalled that Orange II wasn’t very quick
during its passage to the North of the Kerguelen Islands either.
“We’ve had to make quite a few manœuvres since this morning as the wind is very
changeable and has switched direction whilst traversing a front: it was
necessary to reduce the sail area since we were reaching in a N’ly wind. The
breeze has dropped again now though so we’ll have to make another manœuvre… We
had a good day and a good night under gennaker yesterday, as the seas were
smooth and we were able to slip along nicely. The S’ly course appears to be
difficult for the next few hours: we don’t want to drop down too far as the N’ly
wind would take us very low in latitude and then, we’d have to sail
close-hauled. We mustn’t pass to the other side of the centre of the low or we
risk having to sail in headwinds" detailed Franck Cammas at today’s radio
session.
Transition between two fronts
Unfortunately this transition is moving at the same speed towards the East as
Groupama 3, which is causing this unpleasant situation of “accelerations –
reductions in pace” to continue at the mercy of the clouds and puffs of wind …
However, the weather forecasts indicate that if everything goes to plan, the
phenomenon will regain a certain stability tonight, which will then enable
Franck Cammas and his nine crew to quit with the old concertina effects! It
isn't simply tiring on the nerves, but also wearing on the mind as you
constantly have to question which sail to carry… Not to mention the compulsory
periodic manœuvres to take in or shake out a reef, switch to the staysail or the
solent jib! “The problem is that we are making faster headway than the front,
which is behind us, but we’re not going fast enough to get past the front which
is ahead of us! We’re a little bit stuck between these two fronts, which are in
a transition zone with some N’ly winds. We’ll have to get past it but if we
can't, it could take us 48 hours to escape this unstable zone. As a result we’re
attempting a day with a rectilinear route towards the East. Our reasoning for
this is that the wind shifts have been too strong to the North or the South and
we mustn't cover too many extra miles” explained the skipper of the maxi
trimaran.
In any case, this depression should carry Groupama 3 as far as Cape Leeuwin, the
passage of which is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Most importantly though,
the giant trimaran should be able to slip along, under a fine zone of high
pressure within the next couple of days. In this way, in a good N’ly air flow,
backing to the NW, Franck Cammas and his men will be able to rediscover the
great sensations of yesterday, downwind under gennaker, pushed by the long swell
of the Deep South… This should provide the crew with the conditions they need to
reconstruct a more substantial lead over the reference time. In the meantime
they'll just have to be patient and front up to the adversity!
Today's interview
Interview with Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama 3
“It’s rained as a result of the front traversing our path, which has rinsed off
the gear. Conditions are in the process of calming down since we had gusts of up
to 48 knots early this morning... It's not been a very smooth course since this
morning and we’re making easting again in the shift: we’ve gone from gennaker
and full mainsail to two reefs and solent jib! You have to anticipate these
manœuvres well as the changes are very fast in the Indian Ocean and a lot more
severe than those we experience in Europe. You have to be careful, even with the
grib files, so as not to get caught out and you mustn’t look too far ahead but
instead watch where the lows are forming. The temperature still remains
acceptable as we have some N’ly wind, even though we’re now sailing along 46°
South. It was colder when we had the wind and the seas on the beam with a S'ly
breeze at 40° South! It’s rather wet and we’re trying to dry off our clothes
with the onboard heating.
As regards lamination, the repair of the bulkhead is complete and it hasn't
worsened despite the impact of the past few days. As regards the crew, there are
a few little scratches and scrapes but nothing serious: Fred has twisted his
knee twice, Franck fell on his back on a bunk but hasn‘t broken anything or done
anything serious. We had a taste of the gliding conditions yesterday, but for
the time being it’s over! Yesterday, when conditions were good both in terms of
the sea and the wind, we got up to 35 knots of boat speed under small gennaker:
it's impressive at night and the boat picks up speed easily. When the sea and
the wind are in the right direction, we go very fast…”
http://www.windreportmedia.com/sailing/groupama/fc110208a_fr_e.mp3
During the record, find Franck Cammas and his crew everyday at 1100 GMT live
from Groupama 3. For this nothing could be simpler: www.cammas-groupama.com or
connect to the Groupama 3 / WindReport platform and ask your questions, by
calling 0 825 15 30 70 (0.15 € / min).
References: Jules Verne Trophy
Today’s figures
Start on 24th January at 07h50’17’’ UT
Arrival before Saturday 15th March 2008 at 00h09'21'' UT
Day 18 at 0800’ UT
*Distance covered on the water in 24 hours: 637.9 miles
*Distance covered since the start: 9,563 miles
*Distance to the finish: 14,967 miles
*Average on day 18: 26.58 knots
*Average since the start: 22.14 knots
*Lead in relation to Orange II: 530 miles
Find a detailed cartography at: http://cammas-groupama.geovoile.com/julesverne
* Ushant to the equator: 6d 6h 24’ (Groupama 3 in 2008)
* Equator – Cape Agulhas: 7d 02h 22’ (Groupama 3 in 2008) * Ushant – Cape
Agulhas: 13d 08h 47’ (Groupama 3 in 2008)
Kate Jennings
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