20.01.2010
Jules Verne Trophy: Groupama 3 to leave Lorient bound for Brest
At first light tomorrow morning, Thursday, the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 will
be leaving her home port of Lorient bound for Brest. From here she will set
off on her latest attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy as soon as a favourable
weather window presents itself.
As was the case during their last attempt, Franck Cammas and his nine crew
have opted to set off from Brest to make for the start line of the Jules
Verne Trophy off Ushant: “Closer to Ushant and easier to reach, especially
in NW’ly winds, Brest is ideally situated for the Jules Verne Trophy. We
were able to witness that last November so we’ll be happy to be back there,
especially as we were given a great welcome” says the skipper of Groupama 3.
For the delivery to Brest, the crew of the Jules Verne Trophy will be
complete and identical to that of the last attempt, which was cut short in
the Southern Atlantic, following damage to the section linking the aft beam
and the port float. As such, American Stan Honey will be taking care of the
navigation, the watch leaders will be Franck Cammas, Fred Le Peutrec and
Stève Ravussin, the helmsmen Lionel Lemonchois, Loïc Le Mignon and Thomas
Coville and finally the bowmen Ronan Le Goff, Jacques Caraës and Bruno
Jeanjean.
“It’s nice to be back together again. Those who made the return delivery
trip from South Africa have had the time to rest and spend some quality time
with their families. As far as Groupama 3 is concerned, she’s all ready to
go. The food for the round the world is stowed away onboard and all that
remains is to load the fresh supplies in Brest at the last minute” continues
Franck Cammas.
The only thing missing is the exact timing of when the weather conditions
will be favourable to set off: “Obviously we’re studying the weather
forecast with Sylvain Mondon. There’s nothing very clear for the time being,
but we’re ready to go. For now we’re still on a code red” concludes the
skipper of Groupama 3.
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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