|
|
2008/02/13 - 18h16
In search of the lost wind
|
| Jules Verne Trophy |
| Groupama 3 is in a bizarre situation at 51° South, just a few hundred miles from Cape Leeuwin and unable to free itself
from a strong, disruptive front... The N'ly wind has suddenly backed to the West as it eases and their lead over the reference
time is melting like an iceberg in a tropical sea!
|
A chilly atmosphere and a rather morose ambiance with a colourless sky and moonless nights, make this a far from settling
experience, as Frédéric Le Peutrec beautifully described during the radio session: "There is good humour aboard even
though it's not easy to sail in the South at the moment. You have to know how to be patient and wait and see what the next
day brings, hoping for better things to come: we still have a slight lead over Orange II and it's not a matter of life or
death... The coming situation is shaping up and it doesn't look like it'll be very easy to negotiate either... In times of
difficulty, you have to retain your enthusiasm and don't sink into yourself! We are ready to seize the opportunity which is
bound to come along at some time or other."
|
|
Evanescent breeze and asthmatic puffs of airWho would have thought the Indian Ocean, which spans 73,426,000 km² and harbours the amazing moon fish in its waters, would
suffer from such a `feeling of exhaustion'! Indeed, it has slowed Groupama 3 to less than twenty knots and has distilled
her lead over Orange II to less than 400 miles! Pushed by a breathless wind, the giant trimaran is having to make a
course 90° from the direct route at times in order to extract herself from this airless trap. Not surprisingly, Franck Cammas
and his nine crew are impatient to begin barrelling along once more...
"We're approaching Australia and there is
some high pressure under the continent, which is forcing us into a fairly S'ly position to pass below it. For several days,
we have been running along behind a front, which could have enabled us to get into a N'ly wind and catch up with a high pressure
airflow. Unfortunately the front is moving a little bit quicker than us! This lunch time, we have little air and big but manageable
seas, which are enabling us to slip along gently: the boat goes fast in these conditions, which is one of its great qualities...
We've just gybed to make ground towards the SE. We're hunting for a way through under fairly clear skies, with some pretty
cold temperatures and the water at 6°C, but it's not at all wet on deck! One dry day under full mainsail, gennaker and staysail...
It's a bit frustrating and we are impatient to find a constant wind: we're managing a few bursts of speed but it's difficult
linking these moves together. You can feel that Groupama 3 has the power under her bonnet and that she has the potential to
outdistance Orange II without any problem!" enthused Fred Le Peutrec in conclusion.
Cape Leeuwin won't be
a very positive passage point for Groupama 3 then, which has conceded a considerable amount of ground in relation to
the reference time. However, the giant trimaran is still likely to improve on the record established by Orange II in
2005 by crossing the Indian Ocean (Cape Agulhas - Southern Tasmania) in less than 9 days 11 hours 4 minutes.
|
|
|
|
|
