29.12.2009
Check-up for Groupama 3
Expected to make landfall in Lorient early yesterday evening, in the end it
took Groupama 3 until 2330 hours to tie up in her home port in an absolute
downpour. Soaked to the skin but happy, the crew of the maxi trimaran took
16 and a half days to make it back from Cape Town, South Africa. Welcomed
home by Franck Cammas and his team, the ten crew will now be able to enjoy a
much deserved break as the technicians take over to prepare Groupama 3 for a
fresh attempt to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy the minute the weather
conditions are favourable at the start of 2010.
Wearing a beard, the features slightly drawn despite a big, telling smile of
pleasure on making landfall, Fred Le Peutrec is a fulfilled skipper: “The
delivery trip went very smoothly with a crew made up of some excellent
sailors, half of which were on Groupama 3 for the first time. We’ve sailed
well and I really appreciated the role of skipper, which requires you to
shoulder a large amount of responsibility and to make decisions in view of
what were difficult weather forecasts at times, particularly over recent
days”. However, Fred is also a happy man: “We’re all delighted about making
it home and seeing our families and children again to celebrate Christmas,
which will certainly be joyful albeit a little late”.
Seated at the table despite the late hour (thank you to the team at La Base
restaurant), the sailors and landlubbers didn’t waste any time exchanging
their impressions of the voyage, giving their opinion about Groupama 3 and
about the work which will ensue: “It really is a superb boat, that is very
pleasant to helm. She never stops but she does require a great deal of
attention” says Ludovic Aglaor, the current holder of the Jules Verne
Trophy, who came along especially to see his friends Jacques Caraës and
Ronan Le Goff.
Alongside him, Clément Surtel continues: “Each time it was my turn at the
helm, the first ten minutes were stressful as I was only just finding my
feet on Groupama 3, which is very sensitive. The following fifty minutes
were a pure delight, to the extent that I found it hard to give up my
position to the next person. I really appreciated the atmosphere onboard
too. It was fantastic”.
As for Eric Lamy, a full-time member of the Groupama team for a number of
years, he will shoulder the role of Boat Captain at the end of the Jules
Verne Trophy. The pleasure he experienced when sailing was only equalled by
seeing his two daughters and his wife again: “The climb up the Atlantic was
really great and I now know my way around Groupama 3 really well. She goes
very quickly. When you’re helming and you see the number 37 indicating the
boat speed, you tell yourself how lucky you are to be where you are. It’s
magical” concludes the very talented sailor and cook.
Passing from group to group, Franck Cammas thanks the crew which have
returned Groupama 3 safely back to port. Already the list of work to be
carried out over the next few days is taking shape in the skipper’s mind:
“We’re going to change the standing rigging as it’s already covered over
half a circumnavigation of the globe and it would be risky to keep it. We’re
also going to reinforce the centreline on the aft edge of the floats where
the engineers have identified a weak point. The rest of the work will now
focus on the smaller details due to the normal wear and tear after 16,000
miles on the water”.
Happy to see his men and his trimaran again, Cammas hasn’t lost sight of his
objective, the Jules Verne Trophy: “We’re closely monitoring the evolution
in the weather with Sylvain Mondon from Météo France. For the time being
there is no weather window. As such Fred (Le Peutrec), Ronan (Le Goff) and
Jacco (Caraës), who all made the delivery trip aboard Groupama 3, will be
able to get some rest before setting off around the world with the same crew
as during our last attempt”.
With the lateness of the hour, the crew gradually leave La Base to get home
to a dry, motionless bed. On the pontoon, it’s now over to the technicians
to be on watch.
The crew of Groupama 3 for this delivery trip were:
1. Fred Le Peutrec
2. Ronan Le Goff
3. Jacques Caraës
4. Eric Lamy
5. François Salabert
6. Clément Surtel
7. Ludovic Aglaor
8. Thierry Duprés du Vorsent
9. Mayeul Riflet
10. Nick Legatt
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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