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2007/05/17 - 11h34
AS Lease Challenge : Groupama 2 wins the offshore course
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| AS Lease Challenge |
| Crossing the finish line (on a mooring offshore Lorient) this morning at 7h08'45'', Groupama 2 wins the opening event of the
2007 ORMA circuit: the AS Lease Challenge offshore race. Setting off from Lorient on Monday 14th May at 20h, Franck Cammas
and his five crew covered the 1 212 miles in 2 days 11 hours 8 minutes and 45 seconds, at the average speed of 20,5 knots.
Lionel Lemonchois' Gitana 11 finished 1h 44'12'' later.
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Unfortunately, and to everyone's great regret, only two boats were at the finish of this Celtic triangle. Yesterday afternoon,
Sopra Group, and then Banque Populaire announced their retirement one after the other following a break in the centreboard
for one and damage to the fairing of the arm for the other.
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A solid start to 2007 ! Wind rarely below 20 knots and a choppy sea was the scenario of this first event... Damp, fast
and particularly physical, back on dry land, they all agreed on these adjectives: "A hard, but happily a short race...
We have just been through three full-on days : a big sea, demanding reaching tacks, always on the ropes, in short we slept
very little !" said Franck Cammas when he arrived. "Most of the time, we had between 20 and 25 knots. The maximum
wind speed was 20 knots and the minimum was 15 knots along the Galician coast. But worst than the wind, was the sea. On the
start on Monday evening we had a heaving sea from the Southwest with a Northwest wind and it was blowing really hard. The
sea was rarely moving in the right direction for smooth sailing, excepting after passing the Fastnet rock".
Franck
Cammas is a happy skipper ! A few weeks after winning his first record at the helm of Groupama 3, he wins the first competition
of the 60-foot multihull season. Besides the satisfaction of a victory achieved in strong and trying weather conditions, Franck
mentioned the work done to make Groupama 2 safe and seaworthy : « A part from a small problem with the carriage, we
return to port with no damage to complain about ! The boat is truly well prepared and finished. It is in good condition, and
despite strong winds and a big sea, we never felt we were reaching the limit on board. Since it was launched in 2004, the
team led by Bruno Laurent has done a great job during the repeated refits.»
Following ten days of well-deserved
rest, Franck Cammas and his crew will put on their boots and spray-tops again as of Saturday morning to take part in the multihull
Trophy, scheduled for this weekend offshore Groix. Until then, let's hope all the competitors will have been able to carry
out the necessary repairs.
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The AS Lease Challenge offshore race ranking1. Groupama 2, finished on Thursday 17th May at 7h08'45''
2. Gitana 11, finished on Thursday 17th May at 8h52'57''
Retirements
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Sopra Group, following the break in the lower part of the centreboar
- Banque Populaire, following a crack in the fairing
of the stern port arm.
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