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2008/01/31 - 18h30
Skirting round the edge
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| Jules Verne Trophy |
| The connection with the tradewinds of the Saint Helena High were timed to perfection this Thursday lunchtime, and after a
reduction in the pace due to the Doldrums and the passage of the equator, Groupama 3 has kicked up her heels again and is
making nearly thirty knots! The objective of Franck Cammas and his men now is to quickly make southing to catch hold of an
Argentinean low...
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The North-South transfer has gone rather well for the giant trimaran. Franck Cammas' crew didn't waste any time after
the Doldrums, accelerating again at 4° South to over twenty knots in around fifteen knots of SE'ly. However, the change was
even more radical from sunrise (7° South), when the breeze backed favourably to the East. This enabled Groupama 3 to
sail with the wind on the beam (and no longer upwind) with an added intensity to the breeze, which rose to 18-20 knots. All
of a sudden, the average speeds surpassed thirty knots and their lead over Orange II has shot up to over 500 miles...
Given that the weather conditions are forecast to be stable for at least two days, we can expect a lot of headway to be marked
out on the map as we approach the second weekend of sailing!
"In two days, we shall be quite far South to
track down a front, which is shifting to the West and will enable us to "take the corner" and close on the Cape of Good Hope.
It's almost an ideal scenario even though we'll have to go quite far South, and therefore a little outside Orange II's course.
We are lucky to have a front, which will traverse the Saint Helena High level with Tristan da Cunha.... We still have some
leeway today to aim for the most favourable point to hook onto the low, slipping along nicely for most of the time. The moment
where we hoist the gennaker to adjust the place where we will encounter the Argentinean front will be important. We're handling
Groupama 3 with kid gloves by lifting the foil a little and raising the daggerboard. Since the passage of the equator, there
haven't been too many manoeuvres and the crew has been able to rest, do a bit of washing, clean up the gear and tidy up a
bit..." recounted Franck Cammas at the noon radio session.
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Hanging a left from TrinidadThis special Thursday radio session was the opportunity to visualise the living and sailing conditions of the crew on Groupama
3, thanks to a live broadcast of images films by Jacques Caraės and Steve Ravussin. It was also a chance for the whole shore
crew from the Lorient Base to come to Paris and see the boat after the passage of the equator, as she negotiated a tropical
squall. "Thank you to the whole team as the boat has been well prepared and above all for the vast amount of spares
that you've provided us with in the event of problems. Our lead of 480 miles over Orange II won't be easy to hang onto as
they had some good conditions around Saint Helena. It will be difficult not to lose a few hours before we pass the longitude
of the Cape of Good Hope..." detailed the skipper of Groupama 3.
The crew showed themselves to be in great
shape despite the equatorial heat and don't seem to have suffered from the repeated manoeuvres they've had to make to get
to the equator. Above all else, the increase in wind under a squall clearly showed how Groupama 3 was able to accelerate effortlessly
on very manageable seas and that the boat wasn't stressed after a week's sailing.
Indeed, navigator Yves Parlier will
be able to bend in the trimaran's trajectory as they make southing. In fact, the boat will follow the edge of the Saint Helena
High, from its NW to its SE on a single regular curve to round the centre of the high pressure. Bruno Peyron and his crew
took 7 days 5 hours 22 minutes to cover the 3,500 miles separating the equator from the Cape of Good Hope: will Franck Cammas
and his nine men benefit from similar conditions so as not to lose too much time?
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