20.03.2010
JULES VERNE TROPHY
(CREWED ROUND THE WORLD VIA THE THREE CAPES)
Time to beat: 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes and 4 seconds
Saturday 20th March – Press release
Groupama
48 days 07 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds!
The Jules Verne Trophy now belongs to ten men who have sailed around the
globe at an average of 18.76 knots along the optimum course, beating the
reference time set by Orange 2 in 2005 by 2 days 08 hours 35 minutes. Franck
Cammas and his men crossed the finish line off the Créac’h lighthouse at
Ushant (Finistère) at 21h40’45” UTC Saturday 20th March. They are due to
make the Port du Château in Brest at around 0900 UTC tomorrow.
The skipper Franck Cammas, navigator Stan Honey, watch leaders Fred Le
Peutrec and Steve Ravussin, helmsmen/trimmers Loïc Le Mignon, Thomas Coville
and Lionel Lemonchois, and the three bowmen Bruno Jeanjean, Ronan Le Goff
and Jacques Caraës, supported on shore by router Sylvain Mondon, have pulled
it off: they have beaten the round the world record under sail via the three
capes!
In 48 days 07 hours 44 minutes, Groupama 3 has certainly had her highs and
lows, as she hasn’t always been ahead of the reference time set by Bruno
Peyron and his crew in 2005. On the contrary! The giant trimaran had a
deficit of just over 500 miles in relation to Orange 2 and was only able to
beat the Jules Verne Trophy record thanks to a dazzling final sprint from
the equator. At that stage they had a deficit of one day and two hours, but
by devouring the North Atlantic in 6 days 10 h 35’, Groupama 3 quite simply
pulverised the reference time over this section of the course.
Spring parade
Setting out on 31st January 2010 whilst the weather ‘window’ was not
particularly favourable, Franck Cammas and his men have alternated between
some extremely fast sequences and some very slow ones. Indeed, the
conditions were very varied on this round the world, and even the wind
rarely exceeded 40 knots. It has to be said that the chosen trajectory
sought to avoid the heavy seas and the overly strong breezes, which
considerably increased the distance to travel: in fact Groupama 3 sailed
28,523 miles whilst the official optimum course amounts to 21,760 miles. As
such, in terms of actual speed across the ground, the giant trimaran
maintained an average speed of 24.6 knots! The trickiest zone, both on the
outward journey and the return proved to be the South Atlantic. During the
descent problems arose due to the calms and on the ascent due to the
headwinds.
Tonight Groupama 3 is remaining offshore of Ushant to await daybreak: she
will enter the channel into the harbour of Brest at around 0830 UTC under
sail, then a parade around the harbour will culminate with her tying up in
the Port du Château at around 1000 hours UTC. A number of France’s top
sailors, including Bruno Peyron, previous Jules Verne Trophy holder since
2005, have made the trip to Brest to welcome in the victorious crew and the
locals are planning to come out in force to welcome home the ten round the
world sailors on Sunday morning.
Arrival of Groupama 3
Saturday 20th March 2010 at 21 hours 40 minutes 45 seconds UTC
In 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds
Improvement in relation to the previous record*
2 days 8 hours 35 minutes 12 seconds
*Subject to approval by the WSSRC
(Orange II – Bruno Peyron - in 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes and 4 seconds in
2005
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
|
