09.02.2010
JULES VERNE TROPHY
(CREWED ROUND THE WORLD VIA THE THREE CAPES)
Time to beat: 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes and 4 seconds
Tuesday 9th February – Press release
Groupama
Post-tropical dilemma
Since crossing the Tropic of Capricorn at around 0700 UTC this Tuesday,
Groupama 3 has been confronted with two differing options as a result of a
cold front. Indeed the speed at which she makes headway will depend on the
choice between a succession of gybes or a longer hook towards the
South-West…
First you have to get over a col before dropping down into a valley of low
pressure! Such are the issues involved in skirting around the Saint Helena
High. Indeed Franck Cammas and his nine crew had to put in a gybe early this
afternoon so as to shift across to the SW to avoid being caught up in the
calm conditions.
“This lunchtime we’re on the SW edge of the Saint Helena High on flat seas
in a warm, but not very consistent wind, pumping out around fifteen knots of
breeze. We’re slipping along very nicely though… The boat isn’t suffering
and neither are we. We’ve managed to maintain our lead over the reference
time, but we’re going to lose a little ground over the coming days.
Nonetheless, we hope to reach the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope with a
deficit of less than half a day in relation to Orange 2” analysed Frédéric
Le Peutrec during the radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris.
Dilemma
In fact their course hasn’t yet been totally marked out this Tuesday as some
small zones of high pressure are forming across the ideal trajectory. Two
solutions have been envisaged according to the motion of these zones, which
are generating little breeze. Either a long tack on starboard in order to
hunt down a cold front off the Rio de la Plata will be necessary for
Groupama 3, or a series of manoeuvres so she can pick her way between these
windless zones.
“It’s still very hot down below! However, we’ve been able to make headway
under gennaker, gradually bending our course as the NE’ly wind has given way
to the N’ly, and now the NW’ly wind. We’re following the natural curve of
the zone of high pressure. Between now and the start of the afternoon we’re
going to put in a gybe, so as to shift across into a better position to be
able to hunt down a steadier breeze. We’ll be trying to reach the latter by
Wednesday. First of all though, we’ll have to get over a small col between
two centres of high pressure. Tonight we’re going to be in light airs… but
as we exit that zone, we’ll hook a ride on a train of lows!”
Therefore it’s already been established that the giant trimaran will see her
393 mile lead drop away sharply on this ninth day. However, once she reaches
the Roaring Forties, the wind will become more stable from the West and the
crew will be able to link together distances of over 600 miles a day. This
probably won’t be sufficient to come back on Orange 2 though, as the Jules
Verne Trophy holder amassed some very good days as they swept across the
bottom of the Atlantic. In the meantime, Franck Cammas and his men are
making the most of the ideal conditions to perform a general scrub down…
“We’re drinking a fair amount of water at the moment; between 50 and 60
litres a day! We’re also benefiting from the temperature of the sea to have
showers and even rinse ourselves off… There’s not a drop of spray on deck,
but in a few days time we’ll be stringing together a number of weeks in the
Deep South so we won’t be able to strip off then…»
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)
Best passage time to the equator from Ushant
Groupama 3: 5d 15h 23’ (November 2009)
Jules Verne Trophy reference time to the equator
Orange 2: 7d 02h 56’ (January 2005)
The crew aboard Groupama 3:
* Franck Cammas, Loïc Le Mignon, Jacques Caraës, Stève Ravussin,
Thomas Coville, Bruno Jeanjean, Fred Le Peutrec, Lionel Lemonchois, Ronan Le
Goff.
* Stan Honey, navigator, off watch
Find all the latest about the Groupama trimarans on:
www.cammas-groupama.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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