19.02.2008
This Tuesday morning, at first light in France and at night in New Zealand,
Franck Cammas and eight of his crew took to the seas from Dunedin to return to
the zone where Groupama 3 capsized.
Without Yves Parlier, remaining on shore to ensure the link between the Groupama
team in Lorient and the men at sea, a motor boat measuring around 25 metres long
propelled by a 1000 hp engine, is carrying them eastwards across seas, which are
set to calm down progressively.
Contacted by telephone before he got too far from the New Zealand coast, the
skipper of Groupama 3 had this to say: “The Groupama team in Lorient sent us a
plan and a set of procedures, which should help us to right the boat again.
We've got a trip of around twelve hours before we find it. If all goes well, we
could be back on shore with Groupama 3 in tow in four days, most likely at
Christchurch”.
Aboard the tug boat, we can well imagine that the crew are dividing their time
between resting and preparing the righting operation. Ropes, chains, chainsaw,
drill and diving gear must be readied.
It’s only once they get Groupama 3 back to shore that they will be able to
finely assess the damage and then she will probably be loaded aboard a cargo
ship bound for its base in Lorient, France.
For its part, the management division of Groupama has sent a message to their
rescuers from the Rescue Coordination center New Zealand, thanking them for the
professionalism of their intervention.
Kate Jennings
Expression.
P.O. Box 26,
Dartmouth,
DEVON.
TQ6 0YG
United Kingdom
+44 (0)7795 116699
|
