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2008/06/16 - 19h13
Two new floats, but no Jules Verne Trophy for Groupama 3 this winter
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| Jules Verne Trophy |
On 18th February 2008, whilst sailing with a day's lead over Orange's record, Groupama 3 fell victim to serious damage to
her port float. In a matter of seconds, the maxi trimaran skippered by Franck Cammas flipped over.
Five days later,
thanks to a great chain of solidarity, Groupama 3 was righted in the New Zealand port of Dunedin and then loaded onto a cargo
ship.
After five weeks at sea, the Atlantic record-breaking trimaran was unloaded in Lorient and then delivered to the
Multiplast yard where it was built.
Whilst the list of work to be undertaken was as long as a day without wind, the
architects and engineers have not yet decided with any degree of certainty about the precise cause of the damage. Experts
and members of Groupama team's design office have a host of hypotheses: "Fatigue of the materials where there has been
impact with a floating object may be the source of the damage. What we are sure about is that the construction is not in question"
details team manager, Stéphane Guilbaud.
In these conditions, the shipowner Groupama rapidly made a decision: "Groupama
3 must be repaired according to the book so as to be fit to continue its record campaign in the best possible conditions.
To take risks by working quickly would make no sense as, beyond performance, it is the safety of our crew that takes precedence.
Delaying the attempt for a year to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy is the best decision we can make today" declares
Frédérique Granado, the group's communications manager.
Alongside them, skipper Franck Cammas continues: "maxi
trimarans like Groupama 3 are increasingly quick. In big, messy seas like those you face in the Indian Ocean, any impact is
incredibly violent. To live aboard sometimes becomes almost an impossibility. With the wealth of experience we've gained,
we have decided to alter the two floats by replacing the honeycomb-carbon sandwich with monolithic carbon. Groupama 3 will
be a little heavier whilst continuing to be high performance".
Team manager Stéphane Guilbaud explains the
repercussions of this: "To alter the two floats will extend the duration of the work by nearly two months. Rather than
being relaunched at the start of November, Groupama 3 won't be able to leave the Multiplast yard prior to January. Suffice
to say this will be too late to attempt to contest the Jules Verne Trophy again in 2009".
For the shipowner,
Groupama, risk management has become second nature rather than simply a job: "We have been placing our trust in Franck
and his team for over ten years now. It's them who are aboard, in good times and in bad. The attempt to conquer the Jules
Verne Trophy has been put back a year, but we're going to tackle other records like that of the Mediterranean, or even attempt
to improve on our own record for the Atlantic crossing in 2009" concludes Frédérique Granado.
Franck Cammas
furthers this to say: "With Groupama 3, we have already broken four records. The Jules Verne Trophy is still on our
wish list and we're not giving up. Thanks to Groupama, we're not only going to repair the trimaran but also improve on it.
The whole team is working on her and she really deserves it as she's a fabulous boat. And we're already really looking forward
to the winter of 2009-2010" adds the skipper, who is currently training aboard Groupama 2 to contest the SNSM Trophy
(French lifeboat association) for which the start will be given in St Nazaire, France on 22nd June 2008.
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