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2010/03/12-17h46
At the zenith!
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| Jules Verne Trophy 2009 - 2010 |
| At 15°S, Groupama 3 is 900 miles from the switch of hemispheres, but the sun is at its zenith as the crew approach the boreal
spring: the Doldrums, it too stretched across the equator, is already in the sights of navigator Stan Honey and the onshore
router Sylvain Mondon. As such the trimaran can now set a direct course for this point at 32°W.
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The beat finally seems to be at an end! This is certainly the case for the southern hemisphere and probably true of the northern
hemisphere... Indeed, there's still a long way to go, the equivalent of that of a Transat Jacques Vabre, which nearly all
the crew of Groupama 3 have already competed in over past years. However, in this case, it's from Brazil to Ushant that these
4,250 miles are to be devoured and there are now just ten and a half days in which to do so! In the meantime the pace is gradually
picking up and the separation, which has reached 470 miles, is stabilising. All that remains now is to reduce their deficit...
This should start to happen this weekend as Orange 2 only made a moderate pace in 2005 on her equatorial passage and took
nearly nine and a half days between the switch of hemispheres and her arrival in Brittany.
"The weather's good
and we're sailing in glorious sunshine: it's perfect weather for staying outdoors! There isn't a lot of wind, not very big
seas and no noise... It was so hot last night that I slept on the trampoline up forward because down below, it was bordering
on 40°C. I feel more tired than when we were in the Deep South... We're in the process of entering the tradewinds with around
fifteen knots of breeze, where we'll be able to make fast headway. Groupama 3 is particularly fond of these conditions. We
even sent Loïc Le Mignon up the mast to do a check-up and a spot of DIY on the wind sensors" indicated Lionel Lemonchois
at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama's Race HQ in Paris.
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Under the starsThe gennaker is scheduled for Saturday with the gradual rotation of the wind from the NE to the E, then the SE. As such the
seventeen knot average speed over the past few hours is set to increase once the E'ly tradewinds become more established.
Furthermore, the Doldrums at this latitude don't appear to be either overly developed or overly active... Orange 2 took 40d
19h 05' to reach the equator in 2005: it is now an established fact that Groupama 3 will be a day (plus or minus a few hours)
behind the reference time when they switch hemispheres.
"We're still concentrated and relaxed: there's no
reason to be tense because we're still a long way from the finish and the weather may be favourable for us at the end of the
course. The die have not yet been cast: we've got a lot to do! The current conditions are very good for Groupama 3, which
is lighter and carrying a lot of sail area: the boat is pleasant in relation to Orange 2 which found it difficult in the light
airs, as much in terms of heading as speed... I recall a hard day in 2005 during a Brazilian transition".
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From the Round the World to the RhumAboard Groupama 3, three crew are preparing for the next Route du Rhum: Franck Cammas and Thomas Coville in the maxi-multihull
category, and Lionel Lemonchois on a fifty foot trimaran.
"We should cross the equator around 30°W: we're
now going dead straight and have our fingers crossed that we can carve out a very direct trajectory towards Ushant. We could
even head to the East of the Azores! This round the world, aside from a large chunk in the Indian Ocean, hasn't really favoured
the boat. If we'd had the conditions that Orange 2 enjoyed, we'd be at least four days ahead! For now we're keeping our minds
busy with projects after the finish... Along with Thomas and Franck, we're already spending a bit of time discussing the next
Route du Rhum!"
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