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2007/04/12 - 16h00
Groupama 3 in record configuration
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| During a delivery or a race, maxi trimaran Groupama 3 may look the same... But not exactly! |
To actually see the difference, we have to crawl inside the "belly" of this giant of the sea, into the living quarters
located in the main hull. One of the main differences is the auxiliary engine removed from Groupama 3 in record configuration.
Usually equipped with two engines - a 235 horse power and a 14 one - Groupama 3 leaves the most powerful one onshore during
races. Aside from the engine, the propeller shaft and drive strut, as well as the propeller itself are taken off by Franck
Cammas's men. That is a weight gain of nearly 600 kg: « It is an important weight gain, allowing us to reduce boat's wake
and improve its hydrodynamics performances.»
The 14 horse power engine remains on board as it used to produce
the energy and the water, via desalination.
A 120 kg of food on board Groupama 3 for the Columbus Route...
On
a sailing boat such as Groupama 3, performance lies on weight, reason why every superfluous kilo on board is tracked and avoided
if possible. Thus, every single thing is weighed, starting by the sailor's daily ration of food: "Food wise, we take 1kg
per day per person, that is to say 10 kg for the crew. We dispatched the food in daily bags that are numbered. Each bag contains
the daily food ration as well as the hygienic essentials. For the Columbus Route, we will take 12 days of food as we will
not stop in San Salvador and go directly to Miami" commented Pascal Blouin, Groupama 3 boat captain.
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