Slight repositioning of Groupama 3

03 February 2008

Slight repositioning of Groupama 3

After a sequence of six gybes on Saturday, Groupama 3 hooked her trajectory once again this Sunday morning to catch onto a front, the prelude to an initial austral low, which should push the giant trimaran at least as far as the Crozet islands...

Whilst it is still very mild aboard Groupama 3, already positioned at 35° South, a small series of manoeuvres has enabled the crew to stretch their muscles. Indeed, the three man watch helped by the three men on stand-by and the off-watch navigator, had to link together six gybes in half a day on Saturday. This was performed so as not to bury into the high pressure associated with the Saint Helena High, whilst remaining on its southern edge to keep hold of the pressure. This pressure has begun to fill in and, after repositioning themselves again early this Sunday morning, Franck Cammas and his nine crew are now on a direct course towards the tip of South Africa at an average of nearly thirty knots in a 25 knot N to NW'ly breeze!

"We had to reposition ourselves slightly a few times towards the South and last night we hit 20-25 knots of wind, which is now enabling us to make between 28 and 35 knots of boat speed. The nocturnal temperatures are a little colder: the boat has been accelerating well since Saturday evening and the seas are building progressively" explained helmsman Sébastien Audigane at today's radio session.

As a result, the sailing conditions are almost ideal this Sunday. For her eleventh day at sea, Groupama 3 still has a lead of over 600 miles on Orange II, a separation which is logically set to increase as they pass the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope. Indeed, this disturbance which is creeping up behind the giant trimaran, will continue its course eastwards very rapidly, generating W'ly winds in excess of 35 knots...

"The seas are still manageable as we are at the edge of a zone of high pressure and the wind has been kicking in progressively since yesterday. It's ideal for going quick! The next two days aren't going to be too bad, even though we may have to reposition ourselves towards the South like yesterday in order to track down the pressure. The situation looks likely to become more complicated shortly after the Cape of Good Hope however. We'll have to wait and see what happens... We're sailing under cloudy skies but there are still patches of blue. The temperatures are still high during the day but you have to wear a fleece at night. It's still very pleasant, even though we're being shaken about a bit at thirty knots! For the time being, the wind is steady and the boat isn't bumping off the waves," analysed Franck Cammas this lunchtime.

We can expect three good days then at over 650 miles a day, which would carry Groupama 3 to the South of Cape Town from Wednesday.

Today's interview
Sébastien Audigane, second helmsman:"Four years ago on Orange II, we were able to cut a shorter course through the Doldrums, further to the East, and we were following roughly the same route as that of Groupama 3 today! The trimaran with its foils is very light at about half the weight of the maxi catamaran: we can easily make top speeds of 30-35 knots and it is very easy to go into overdrive. I don't know if we'll be able to go as fast in the Deep South, but we are sailing at practically 100% of the potential. It has to be said that we make manoeuvres more rapidly and that we shift ballast more often. The seas of the Indian Ocean are sometimes short and messy, which would force us to ease off the pace more than on Orange II.

For now, we're in pretty good shape and not too tired. There is less comfort on Groupama 3 since there is only one habitable hull. However, we have a nice sleeping area forward of the galley. The aft bunks are intolerable because of the proximity of the rudder so they serve as a food store. There is always some noise in the boat, especially at high speed, but you get used to it and you can even tell what speed you're making when you're down below...

We're keeping an eye on our personal hygiene and we've just have a saltwater shower rinsed off with a litre of freshwater: it's feels good as it won't be possible soon due to it being too cold in the South Seas...! The boat is clean: yesterday, we cleaned the bilges and the day before that the deck. To fill any spare time I have available I've brought along a book called "Gulf Stream" by Erik Orsenna and I think everyone will read it in turn: a little history, a little geography, it's very interesting..."

See also the Cammas-Groupama website.

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