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Another record time for Groupama3
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| Mediterranean crossing record, Marseilles / Carthage * |
| And that makes five! Franck Cammas and his crew have bagged the first record of their 2009 campaign and the fifth since the
105 foot trimaran saw the light of day in June 2006.
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Setting out from Marseilles on Friday 15th May at 0719 hours UT in a bid to beat the time set by Bruno Peyron in 2004 between
Marseilles and Carthage, Groupama 3 crossed the finish line situated abeam of the Ras Quartajamah lighthouse on Cap Carthage,
this Saturday 16th May at 00h 27' 23'' (UT). After 17 hours 08 minutes and 23 seconds and in contact with Sylvain Mondon
from Météo France, the crew of the maxi trimaran managed to get the very best out of the wind on offer and can now be satisfied
with the work they've accomplished. (Course time subject to approval from the WSSRC).
A year and a half after their
capsize during the Jules Verne Trophy attempt, Franck and his men have snatched a fifth reference time, improving on the previous
record of 17 hours 56 minutes and 33 seconds, by 48 minutes and 10 seconds.
Groupama 3 covered the 458 miles
separating Marseilles from Carthage at an average speed of 26.72 knots, compared with an average of 25.53 knots for
Orange II.
Franck Cammas just minutes after crossing the finish line: "We had a very good first section of
the course with peaks of speed reaching in excess of 42 knots. However, the final section was more difficult with some lighter
winds than forecast, which were very variable in terms of direction. It was a feisty passage as the seas were short and breaking
but Groupama 3 behaved very well. We didn't break a thing and the crew was fantastic. We'll arrive in Hammamet in a few hours'
time with a fifth record to add to our list of wins. It augurs well for the next stage in the programme as Groupama 3 is really
quick".
* A record held by Groupama 3 and her crew from May 16, 2009 to May 15, 2010
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 Mediterranean crossing sailing crew
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• Franck Cammas
• Frédéric Le Peutrec
• Stève Ravussin
• Loic Le Mignon
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Ronan Le Goff
• Lionel Lemonchois
• Thomas Coville
• Onshore: Sylvain Mondon
weather adviser (Météo France)
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 From Marseilles to CarthageThough this Trans-Mediterranean course is proving to be very short in terms of time, it nevertheless represents over 800 kilometres
as the crow flies and the reference time set by Bruno Peyron warranted an average speed across the water in excess of 25.5
knots...
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Testimonials..."Even though the record is fairly short, we're all tired. This is due to the intensity of the effort as well as the
stress because, over this duration, the slightest mistake is fatal. Indeed I'd like to thank my crew, who manoeuvred perfectly
...
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