Tuesday 23rd February – Press release
JULES VERNE TROPHY
(CREWED ROUND THE WORLD VIA THE THREE CAPES)
Time to beat: 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes and 4 seconds
Groupama
From one ocean to another…
Still maintaining the high speeds that have coloured the past five days,
Franck Cammas and his nine crew should make their entry into the Pacific
Ocean tonight. In so doing Groupama 3 is set to pocket the record for the
passage from Cape Agulhas to Tasmania in a time of under nine days.
Furthermore, with the favourable weather conditions set to last, the coming
days are likely to be just as fast.
Groupama 3 is on the point of collecting her first trophy of this Jules
Verne! Indeed this round the world sprint has also provided the crew with
the opportunity to beat three other records recognised by the WSSRC (World
Sailing Speed Record Council), the official body in charge of validating the
best times under sail. It is also hoped that the prize haul will include the
record passage across the Indian Ocean (Orange 2: 9d 11h 04’), that of the
passage across the Pacific Ocean (Orange 2: 8d 18h 08’) and that from the
equator back to the equator (Orange 2: 33d 16h 06’).
“We’re monitoring our progress in relation to Orange 2 and even though she’s
not a direct opponent, we’re looking at her virtual wake. We knew that under
Australia we were going to make up our deficit as Bruno Peyron and his crew
had to put in several gybes with some slower phases. However, they traversed
the Pacific very quickly… It will be difficult to maintain the same average
speed as far as Cape Horn. If we have a bit of a lead at that stage that
wouldn’t be bad: theoretically the climb up the Atlantic should enable us to
claw back the time!” said Fred Le Peutrec at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with
Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris.
At the end of 23 days at sea then, Groupama 3 has been tracking ahead of the
reference time for some ten days and lamenting a deficit for thirteen days…
Right now Franck Cammas’ aim is to commit to the Pacific with a lead of
several hours over the record pace.
Shift and gybe
With the NW’ly breeze accompanying them for the past five days, the sea
state remains sufficiently well organised to enable the crew of Groupama 3
to make good speed effortlessly and free from stress. The situation is set
to change a little after Tasmania once the breeze backs round to the W or
WSW on Wednesday. The giant trimaran will then have to gybe to avoid New
Zealand. However, as far as the average speed is concerned, there shouldn’t
be any signs of a drop in pace yet…
“Happiness is a funny thing! Not only are we getting used to these average
speeds in excess of thirty knots, our enthusiasm is waning… We’ve noticed on
board that when you’re sailing at 28 knots, it feels like you’ve come to a
standstill! At times you have to get it into your head that you’re sailing
at 33-35 knots, or even forty… We’ve got our bearings now since we’ve been
sailing on the same tack for the past five days: we’re organising ourselves
to eat, sleep and keep up the maintenance on the boat. We’re going to have
one manoeuvre to perform during the course of tomorrow, Wednesday. A gybe
will be required to reposition ourselves given that the low off New Zealand
has filled in. At that point we’ll hook onto a fluctuating W’ly breeze.”
However, for the next 24 hours, the wind will oscillate between the W and NW
whilst remaining fairly strong: 28 to 32 knots, gusting to 35-38 knots. The
waves are also building, but for now they’re still on the aft quarter so
they’ll be driving Groupama 3 forward over these last few miles across the
Indian Ocean and the first few miles across the Pacific.
“It’s still very grey… as has been the case for the past five days! It feels
like we’ve been under the same cloud. It’s still wet with little visibility,
but the temperatures are continuing to be mild. It’s rather different to
when I did The Race in 2001: it was very cold then, but we were treated to a
fantastic aurora australis.”
Avoiding the ice
The entry into the Pacific Ocean with the passage of Tasmania is expected to
take place late this evening (UTC/ early hours of the morning in Tasmania).
As such Groupama 3 should complete her journey across the Indian Ocean in
under nine days and hence claim the WSSRC record between Cape Agulhas (South
Africa) and the southern tip of Tasmania. Right now it is likely she will
reduce the previous record held by Bruno Peyron and his crew since 2005 (9d
11h 04') by a dozen hours.
“With the final known zone of icebergs having been left a few tens of miles
to starboard, Groupama 3 has been able to bear away a little this Tuesday
and make full benefit of the fairly strong NW’ly wind to put a little big of
southing into her course. Indeed, with the latitude at which Franck Cammas
and his crew have been sailing, Groupama 3 was still relatively close to
Australia: this trajectory has been guided by both the wind from the
previous days and by the presence of a large quantity of icebergs to the
South of 47 degrees. This southward shift is necessary since you have to
follow a course of at least 47°30 S to avoid New Zealand! Therefore we can
expect to see Groupama 3 making a very high VMG (velocity made good)
bordering on 28/30 knots and with that their lead should continue to
increase between Tuesday and Wednesday” explains Sylvain Mondon from Météo
France.
Groupama 3’s log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55’ 53’’ UTC)
(Number of miles covered in relation to the optimum course for the Jules
Verne Trophy)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 751 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21st February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
WSSRC record for traversing the Indian Ocean (from Cape Agulhas to the South
of Tasmania)
- Orange 2 (2005): 9d 11h 04'
Find all the latest about the Groupama trimarans on:
www.cammas-groupama.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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