Reviewing the nav!

Charles Caudrelier, helmsman and person in charge of performance on Groupama 4

"Even though we can still improve our performance, we're satisfied because we can feel that we're in the process of taking the boat in hand. Groupama 4 has considerable potential whilst the other competitors already know that they have a less high performance boat. The first leg was very difficult for us when we ended up striking out on our own: the consequences in terms of distance were very severe and that had an impact on us. During the second leg, we pulled off some fine moves but we lost everything at the equator after an unfortunate combination of circumstances. We lost a bit of our confidence: something like that weighs heavily on the navigator and the skipper! That may have influenced our decisions not to break away from the others at times in this third race and we opted to remain in contact with Telefonica. We're now going to be able to be more aggressive for the next stage...

Between the three sisterships designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian (Groupama 4, Telefonica, Puma), we don't know exactly where the weight is positioned in these boats. The hulls are a little different below the water and Groupama 4 is more geared towards points of sail involving sheets slightly eased-reaching in a good breeze, whilst the other two are more centred on VMG when sailing upwind and downwind. As regards appendages, our bulb is set back quite far with a keel fin sloping aft, whilst the other two boats are a little bit more bow down: at low speed, our transom is a little deeper and we create a bit of drag under ten knots of breeze. We've been able to correct this slight fault through the positioning of weight and the form of the sails and now Groupama 4 is more versatile...

During this close-contact leg, we discovered that the other crews were using sails with angles we hadn't even imagined: in this way we've managed to make progress by observing the sails, their forms and their trim during the In-Port races. The first part of this race between the Maldives and Sumatra wasn't very difficult because it involved one long tack sailing upwind with sheets slightly eased. In the Straits of Malacca, it was necessary to put in a lot of manoeuvres in the light winds on a flat sea. However, the climb up to China after Singapore was hard-going, especially along the Vietnamese coast, with around thirty tacks in one day: we were exhausted!
We now have a few days' rest on shore after two days of debriefing then we'll pick up with our training again on Monday, with our coach Thierry Péponnet."


Cyril Douillet, onshore performance analyst

"We still have a fair bit to learn! And that's something which is very specific to the Volvo Ocean Race: you progress more during the race than during two years of preparation. 60% of the optimisation is made during the race. The important thing is knowing if you're making better progress than your rivals, which appears to be the case for Groupama 4.

Up till now, Telefonica pretty much dominated proceedings, but as time has gone by, we've realised that it's possible to get the upper hand. The boat is part of that equation of course, but so too are the decisions made by the navigator and the quality of the crew, which makes analysis of the different speed parameters somewhat difficult. With the past leg involving the boats sailing side by side, a whole stack of information has been able to be gleaned and the overall standing is a pretty good reflection of the level of the boats, though we haven't yet seen all the conditions, particularly those which we hope to have on Groupama 4, namely sheets eased in a fresh breeze.

We know that Camper stalls a bit on a reach but is very fast upwind. Puma is pretty inconsistent whilst Telefonica is steady on every point of sail. However, the performances by each boat remain extremely similar! The Spanish team is solid, with an interesting track record combining the Olympics and offshore sailing. The French team is more multicultural, which means that things take a little longer for everything to become fluid.

At the end of each watch, the crew takes notes, which I dissect at the leg finishes to compare them with the performance data. In this third leg, the fact that the crew were in contact with the others enabled them to carry out sea trials in relation to the trim of the appendages, the sail configurations and the sail trimming. That enables us to refine and validate what works best. Aboard the boat, there are several tools which gather up 80 variables a second. We have some software which enables us to analyse the performances in great detail so we can integrate them in a database. The aim is to provide graphs (trimming data), which facilitate the choice of sail area which is best suited to the sailing conditions at the time, in relation to the structure of the wind, the sea state and so on...

Franck Cammas' approach is different to that of the other teams. His career path thus far has meant that he is very involved in the search for high performance. That means that the bar is placed very high and it develops a scientific approach. We can't take everything as read because the collection of data is dependant on sensors, such as the mast wand, which is affected by the chop and the sails. You also have to take into account the feeling and the feedback you get from the crew. It's very important.

As regards our rivals, Abu Dhabi is very strong in the In-Port races, but less at ease offshore. The crew is highly experienced, but it lacked preparation time. I think that their progress hasn't been as quick as that of the leaders. As for Camper, the team is stalling slightly in terms of its progress. It has spent a lot of time sailing close-hauled in breezy conditions, a point of sail where the boat is very at ease, with the ability to sail 2-3° closer on the wind than everyone else. However, the boat lacks power and has difficulty lengthening her stride with sheets eased. However, we have to be careful as this is a Niña year (weather phenomenon stemming from a thermal anomaly in the surface temperatures of the equatorial waters in the centre of the Pacific Ocean and is characterised by the abnormally low temperature of these waters) and the general conditions during the circumnavigation of the globe won't necessarily mirror those of previous editions!

Telefonica meantime has a 24-point lead over Groupama 4. However, we're only a third of the way into the race and the crew is progressing in such a way that the end result at the finish in Galway in July is still wide open. Once we've analysed the last leg, we're going to begin next week by looking into the leg to Auckland. We're going to choose the set of sails according to expected conditions. We also have to estimate how long it will take so we can do the necessary victualling, as well as the general climate so we can try to save weight..."