Sunday 17th February – Press Release No.82
JULES VERNE TROPHY
(CREWED ROUND THE WORLD VIA THE THREE CAPES)
GYBE IN TURQUOISE WATERS
To the South of New Zealand, Groupama 3 performed a small tack 90° to the route
to reposition herself in the NE in order to avoid the worst of the steady
breeze, which is reigning over this entry into the Pacific. Their lead over the
reference time has been reduced slightly but Franck Cammas and his men are
anticipating good conditions over the coming days to enable them to slip along
at speed!
500 miles on from the antemeridian at midday, Franck Cammas and his nine crew
opted to reposition themselves to the NE so as not to suffer overly difficult
seas off New Zealand. With over 35 knots of breeze and six to seven metre waves,
the objective above all else is to skirt round this zone of low pressure,
generating very strong winds as it shifts northwards. Of course the route to
reach Cape Horn will be longer, but most importantly it is safer for the boat,
which still has over 10,000 miles to go before Ushant!
“We’re making towards the NE a little as the low is forcing us to distance
ourselves from the centre of the disturbance where there are fifty knot winds.
We should remain in manageable seas, because right now, we are in the strongest
of the wind... The sea and the swell are beginning to become more ordered, but
it's the first time we've encountered this type of wave. Groupama 3’s handles
exceptionally well in these conditions; she doesn’t bury into the seas, even
though there are some vibratory phenomena in the floats and beams, which are
requiring us to be careful” detailed Franck Proffit at today's radio session.
Batten breakage
The reason for this caution is that on a round the world, which lasts over a
month and a half, the goal is essentially to make a compromise with the seas and
the wind, so as the equipment doesn’t fatigue and the crew aren’t put under too
much pressure. Groupama 3 has demonstrated that she has exceptional potential
even with rather uncooperative weather conditions, but Franck Cammas and his men
also know that to go quickly, you have to have total confidence in your boat and
that it serves no purpose to make it ‘suffer’. It is sufficient to wait for the
situation to become more favourable before you put the pedal to the metal, which
shouldn't be too far away given the forecasts. The Pacific in around eight days
is the latest gauntlet the giant trimaran is running, in winds which will
certainly still be steady SW'lies, but are soon set to shift back round to the
NW with the arrival of a new low from Monday.
“We just made a gybe half an hour ago in thirty five knots of wind: we broke one
batten… We can perform this type of manœuvre with seven crew so that the guys
who are resting, can continue to sleep. It’s not just the gennaker manœuvres,
which require more people on deck though, so we try to set this manœuvre in
motion during a watch change where everyone is awake. Luckily it’s just batten
number one, which has broken (at the top of the mainsail, on the headboard), but
it’s not very serious: we have spare battens… We’re going to wait a while before
dropping the mainsail as we still have six to seven metre waves."
This repositioning towards Stewart Island should enable Groupama 3 to trace a
long wake towards Cape Horn, without the worry of icebergs coming up from the
Ross Sea, thanks to its rather N’ly trajectory along 48° South. The big glide
towards the tip of South America is therefore on the programme for the coming
days and we can expect some astounding average speeds at the start of the week…
And though Orange II was pretty quick in the Pacific, it is now an established
fact that Groupama 3 can effortlessly step up the pace and make up further
ground as soon as the big W’ly swell gets behind it. And in a week’s time
they’ll already be at Cape Horn!
Today’s interview
Interview with Franck Proffit, watch leader and helmsman aboard Groupama 3:
“We don’t have much free time, essentially just what we can get when we’re on
look-out watch. We have 1.5 kg of personal things and some of the crew have
brought books, others some DVDs or music. That enables us to get our heads away
from the boat, which is important to keep up your energy levels… Our focus is
on sleep though. We are a little cut off from the world, but that's partly why
we decided to come: we don’t miss it! We haven’t seen any land since Ushant!
Here in the Pacific though, the sea is very beautiful, a turquoise blue. It’s
superb: unlike the Indian Ocean, here the seas are longer and less chaotic. It
really bodes well!”
Extracts from the radio session:
http://www.windreportmedia.com/sailing/groupama/fp170208a_fr.mp3
http://www.windreportmedia.com/sailing/groupama/fp170208b_fr.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
Time to beat: 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes and 4 seconds – Average speed: 17.89
knots
Record held by Bruno Peyron, aboard the maxi catamaran Orange II, since March
2005.
Next time to beat: Tasmania – Cape Horn: 8 days 18 hours 8 minutes (Orange II in
2005)
Today’s figures
Start on 24th January at 07h50’17’’ UT
Arrival before Saturday 15th March 2008 at 00h09'21'' UT
Day 24 at 0800’ UT
*Distance covered on the water in 24 hours: 662.1 miles
*Distance covered since the start: 12,902 miles
*Distance to the finish: 11,628 miles
*Average on day 24: 27.59 knots
*Average since the start: 23.37 knots
*Lead in relation to Orange II: 574.7 miles
Find a detailed cartography at: http://cammas-groupama.geovoile.com/julesverne
Reference times
*Ushant-equator: 6d 6h 24’ (Groupama 3 - 2008)
*Equator – Cape Agulhas: 7d 02h 22’ (Groupama 3 - 2008)
*Ushant-Cape Agulhas: 13d 08h 47’ (Groupama 3-2008)
*Ushant-Cape Leeuwin: 21d 02h 00’ (Groupama 3-2008)
*Ushant - Tasmania: 22d 20h 53’ (Groupama 3 - 2008)
Kate Jennings
Expression.
P.O. Box 26,
Dartmouth,
DEVON.
TQ6 0YG
United Kingdom
+44 (0)7795 116699
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