28.02.2010
JULES VERNE TROPHY
(CREWED ROUND THE WORLD VIA THE THREE CAPES)
Time to beat: 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes and 4 seconds
Cold ahead!
The sailing conditions have become tougher over the past few hours as a low
catches up with Groupama 3. Indeed the current aim for the giant trimaran is
to try to stay at the front of this system until it rounds Cape Horn… To
pull this off she will have to maintain a high speed to benefit from what is
expected to be a NW’ly breeze as far as the Falkland Islands.
Still faster than Orange 2, the giant trimaran is having to cover more
ground to reach Cape Horn and hence her lead continues to yo-yo today… When
Groupama 3 switches onto a NE’ly course, she distances herself from the
direct route, and when she gybes, as she did on Sunday evening, she makes
gains. The upshot of this is that her lead over the reference time changes
according to the manœuvres, with dramatic fluctuations from one hour to the
next. Ultimately though, Franck Cammas and his men still have a lead of
nearly a day over Bruno Peyron and his crew…
“Right now we’re pretty much on a SE’ly course, but we’re going to gybe
again at lunchtime tomorrow, and then again to get onto a direct course
towards the Horn… We’ve had some choppy seas over the past few hours, but
they’re gradually becoming more regular now” explained Loïc Le Mignon at the
1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris.
On the look-out for ice
The crew aboard Groupama 3 have been eating a lot more over the past few
days due to the persistent cold reigning over the Pacific Ocean. The
consumption of calories is considerably larger the longer you’re at sea (one
month on the water already) and the more the temperatures drop to close to
zero degrees Celsius.
“As a member of both the technical crew and the sailing team, I consider
that the trajectory is being well managed: we can make very fast headway
without having big seas. We’re not cutting the corner but it’s still very
agreeable. Right now it’s rather cold: the gloves are out and we’re keen to
round Cape Horn to dry things out… We’re eating a lot more and we aren’t
lacking in food as we have been during other attempts. We’ve run out of our
special Lannilis bread already though…”
There is still some ice to watch out for too as the water temperature has
dipped below 6°C. The ice isn’t far off, but the satellite images confirm
that the actual icebergs are further South… The crew is nevertheless
remaining very attentive both on the radar and on watch on deck. Not
surprisingly fatigue is beginning to set in onboard.
Taking a low punch
A ‘nasty’ low is tailing Groupama 3, which must maintain a high pace to stay
ahead of the system and benefit from the resulting downwind breeze. As such
Franck Cammas and his men are going to be plagued by this depression until
they make good their escape from the Southern Ocean.
“This pattern is rather reminiscent of when we rounded Cape Leeuwin: we have
to stay ahead of a depression until the Horn, or beyond! However, this
disturbed system is faster than us… We’re reckoning on three days to reach
the cape! We’re into a good rhythm onboard as we’ve known each other a long
time, though there is the usual friction too. Everyone’s taking care of each
other. It’s a very good crew which is competent, competitive and kind. We
really want this third attempt to be successful!”
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)
Day 24 (24th February 1400 UTC): 638 miles (lead = 208 miles)
Day 25 (25th February 1400 UTC): 712 miles (lead = 371 miles)
Day 26 (26th February 1400 UTC): 687 miles (lead = 430 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 797 miles (lead = 560 miles)
Day 28 (28th February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 517 miles)
WSSRC record for the Pacific Ocean crossing (from the South of Tasmania to
Cape Horn)
Orange 2 (2005): 8d 18h 08'
Find all the latest about the Groupama trimarans on:
www.cammas-groupama.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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