Ran (Photo by George Bekris)
The 4th RORC Caribbean 600, starts at 1100 on Monday 20th February. There isn’t a single hotel room left near Antigua Yacht Club, as competitors fly in to the magical island of Antigua from all four corners of the world – Falmouth Harbour is filled to the brim with astounding yachts.
Niklas Zennström’s JV72, Rán, and George David’s RP90, Rambler, are the hot favourites for the RORC Caribbean Trophy, but the two highly impressive yachts are almost hidden in Falmouth Harbour. Rán were out practicing today and Navigator Steve Hayles reports that conditions were a bit lighter than usual, but he expects 15-20 knots of trade winds for the race with their weather routing predicting that they could finish the race in 48 hours, may be less.
RORC member, Stan Pearson has lived and sailed the sublime waters around Antigua for over 20 years. He was one of the creators of the RORC Caribbean 600 and will be racing this year on Adela, the 181′ twin masted schooner:
“I can’t remember ever seeing Nelson’s Dockyard and Falmouth Harbour with so many impressive yachts but I know why they are here; there is nowhere in the world quite like Antigua and the ’600 is a real celebration of all that the Caribbean has to offer. The sailing is just fantastic; constant trade winds, warm water and air temperature in the high 20′s provides brilliant sailing, but this is a tough race. The course has a lot of corners and there is a lot of activity for the crews. Looking at the fleet, there are going to be some great duels going on, it is going to be a very competitive race.”
For the first time, a Volvo Open 70 will be competing in the RORC Caribbean 600. Some might suggest that the canting keel carbon fibre flyer could have been designed for this course. Ernesto Cortina’s Gran Jotiti has a highly talented Spanish crew and could well be a contender for line honours and an overall win.
IRC Zero has 16 entries and may well be the class to watch for the overall winner. George David’s Rambler 100 is the trophy holder and George David’s all-star crew will not be giving it up without a fight.
Sojana (Photo courtesy of International Maxi Association)
With a combined water line length that would soar 500ft above the Eiffel Tower, there are some truly amazing yachts in IRC Zero. The 214′ ketch Hetairos is an impressive sight. The crew of 36 have been out practicing all this week and on board there are enough sails to cover a full size football pitch. Sojana is expected to have a Superyacht duel with 124′ Pernini Navi, P2, owned by businessman and philanthropist, Gerhard Andlinger. Sojana was on mark laying duty today. The only laid mark of the course is the North Sails mark, off Barbuda. No doubt the crew, will be using the exercise to practice the first 45 miles of racing.
In the Spirit of Tradition class Adela will line up against Windrose. This will be the first time these magnificent yachts have raced against each other offshore, however Adela did get the better of Windrose in The Superyacht Challenge inshore regatta. A close battle with these two powerful yachts fully off the leash is a mouth-watering prospect. Past RORC Commodore, Andrew McIrvine and a team of 11 RORC members including current Commodore, Mike Greville, have chartered the 145ft Windrose.
The multihull record for the RORC Caribbean 600 has not been beaten since the inaugural race in 2009. The 63′ Trimaran, Paradox, skippered by Olivier Vigoureux says the six crew on board are out to ‘beat the current record’. The American, French and British crew members have raced in the Figaro Race, Transat Jacques Vabres, America’s Cup and Mini Transat.
Anders Nordquist’s Swan 90, Nefertiti, has an international crew including Rolex Middle Sea Race winner, Christian Ripard from Malta. They should have a close battle with Wendy Schmidt’s Swan 80, Selene, and Irish entry, RP78, Whisper.
There are a huge variety of yachts racing in IRC One, including Hound, skippered by Hound from Maine USA. The 60′ classic will be competing in the Caribbean 600 for the first time with a family crew of avid racers. Hound has competed in the last 8 Newport-Bermuda races, winning her class twice.
Ondeck’s 40.7 Spirit of Venus is chartered to the Royal Armoured Corp Offshore Racing Team. The majority of the 11 strong crew are part of the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank Regiment which returned from Afghanistan last spring.
Lt Col Paul Macro RTR: “Soldiers have to work together as a team, under time pressure, when cold, wet and tired, in difficult and even dangerous conditions. The adventurous team spirit required by a successful offshore racing crew is the same as that required by the crew of a tank or any other armoured vehicle.”
There are four Class40s competing. Close duels are expected right through the fleet, but a hard fought and close encounter is expected in this class. Trade wind sailing provides perfect conditions for Class40s, with long reaches and downwind legs, these pocket rockets are capable of surfing at speeds of up to 25 knots. Class40s from America, Austria, France and Great Britain are taking on the 600 mile Caribbean odyssey; Tim Fetch’s Icarus Racing, Christophe Coatnoan’s Partouche, Andreas Hanakamp’s Vaquita and Peter Harding’s 40 Degrees, co-skippered by Hannah Jenner. The Class40s will be level-racing under their own rules. First to finish will claim the Concise Trophy; a full barrel of English Harbour rum.
IRC Two includes the smallest yacht in the fleet, Bernie Evan-Wong’s Mumm 36, High Tension. Antiguan dentist, Bernie has competed in all four RORC Caribbean 600 races, however last year, High Tension did not finish the race.
“It is definitely a case of unfinished business,” said Bernie. “We have actually used our downfall to modify the rig, so we have made something good out of the incident. Like many Antiguans, I am amazed how this race has developed since 2009, I have been sailing in the Caribbean for over 50 years and what has been really missing is a well-run, exciting offshore race. The RORC Caribbean 600 has provided that and made my dreams come true.”
Icarus Racing (Photo by George Bekris)
The Hydroptère Project Boats (Image courtesy of The Hydroptère Project)
The Hydroptère project is not limited to the performance of the 60-feet trimaran which has beaten two world speed records at an average speed of over 50 knots in 2009 in the Mediterranean. Alain Thébault and his team decided to extend the limits of the project and planned to develop two new boats, with the ultimate objective of sailing around the world in approximately 40 days on l’Hydroptère maxi.
To reach this objective, the team with the help of the ”papés” (retired engineers) and of their scientific adviser, The Swiss Technological Institute in Lausanne, decided to follow the same experimental process as that employed by Alain Thébault in the development of l’Hydroptère and to consider an intermediate step, that being to build on a reduced scale a test model i.e. l’Hydroptère.ch.
At the same time in Lorient, l’Hydroptère is in a shipyard and she should be back in the water in spring.
l’Hydroptère.ch will serve as a lab boat whose main purpose is to test geometries and behaviours in varied real conditions for the development of l’Hydroptère maxi.
As a Swiss-French project l’Hydroptère.ch is being built in two shipyards, one in Brittany and one in Switzerland. She should be launched beginning of summer 2010.
Groupama 3 Crew Off Cape Horn (Photo Courtesy Of Team Groupama)
On rounding Cape Horn at 1830 UTC this Thursday 4th March, Franck Cammas and his men have retained a lead of 175 miles over the reference time, which equates to 8 hours 55 minutes. However, the beginning of this final stage of the round the world will be complicated for the giant trimaran to negotiate, at least for the first few hours of this Atlantic ascent …
The rather peculiar conditions, which have been reigning over the Pacific, have not enabled Groupama 3 to beat the WSSRC record for traversing the largest ocean in the world. For sure there was wind, but too much, to the extent that the crew was forced to make a big detour to the North to avoid the worst of the seas generated by a nasty low. However, it proved necessary for Franck Cammas and his men to negotiate a rather light transition zone prior to approaching the coast of Chile… In the end, the crew devoured nearly 5,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean (Southern Tasmania to Cape Horn) in 8 days 19 hours 07 minutes, which amounts to just 59 additional minutes in relation to the reference time set by Orange 2 in 2005 (8d 18h 08′).
Stan Honey As Team Groupama Rounds Cape Horn (Photo Courtesy of Stan Honey)
However, there is still 7,000 miles to go before they reach the finish line off Ushant: Bruno Peyron and his crew took over eighteen days to climb up the Atlantic. And even though Groupama 3 is still a few miles ahead of the reference time right now, she is set to lose the majority of this advantage over the coming days. The headwinds reigning over the East coast of Patagonia will make a serious dent in the giant trimaran’s capital.
Loic Le Mingnon With Cape Horn In The Background (Photo Courtesy of Team Groupama)
Back in 2005 the champion Jules Verne Trophy catamaran had a superb climb to the equator (8d 05h 36′), but she struggled to make Ushant once she got into the northern hemisphere (9d 11h 15′). As such Groupama 3 is still on track to improve on the round the world record: fifty days is still within grasp…
Groupama 3′s time between Tasmania and Cape Horn
8d 19h 7′, or 59′ more than the WSSRC record set by Orange 2 in 2005
Reference time between Ushant and Cape Horn
Groupama 3 (2010): 32d 04h 34′
Lead over Orange 2′s time (32d 13h 29′ in 2005): 8h 55′
Franck Cammas on Groupama 3 (Photo courtesy Team Groupama)
The Nigel Irens Design Majan, Skippered by Paul Stanbridge Under Sail (Photo by)
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Oman Sail’s A100 trimaran ‘Majan’ has reached their second stopover in Cape Town, South Africa, after another epic leg full of drama, myths and one legendary Cape. The Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race is a new race, conceived by OC Events, that links the Middle East, Africa, Australia and Asia, and Majan is tracing out the new course ahead of the first official edition planned for spring 2012. |
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French sailor Sidney Gavignet will be joining Majan’s crew in Cape Town and will sail onboard the new A100 for the final three stages of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race. A very experienced offshore sailor, Sidney has just been announced as the skipper of Majan for the next edition of the solo Route du Rhum, starting from Saint-Malo in France this November.
Paul Standbridge and his five crew on board Majan left the paradise of the Maldives on 16th February for the 4,200m second leg, taking 13 days and 6 hours to reach the longitude of Cape Aguhlas at 16:02:57 GMT on Monday (1.3.10) marking the finish of leg two. The big dive South proved eventful aboard Majan, after thousands of miles at sea, a crossing of the Equator with due respects paid to Neptune, a grinding halt due to the threat of a hurricane, Cape Agulhas in her wake, and up to 50 knots on the final night speeding Majan to the dockside below Table Mountain with her ‘memories tank’ brimming.
A fierce Indian Ocean weather system – Hurricane Gelane, to be precise – played with the sailors’ nerves and forced them to take counter-intuitive measures. Paul Standbridge and his troops had no idea they would be forced to pull the handbrake on hard in order to avoid nature’s wrath on their way South. But their caution paid dividends as they avoided the worst of the hurricane until she was downgraded to a tropical storm. A cry of liberation welcomed the weather report downloaded last Wednesday as the tropical storm was replaced by a perfect breeze under glorious skies. “With 20 knots under our wings, amidst deep blue ocean rollers and a bright sunny sky, we were back on the quest like Knights of the Round Table, going South,” wrote Covell. But Majan was entering a whole new world on this challenging Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race course, getting the first hints of the feared and revered Southern Ocean. As Mohsin described it: “The waves have changed from being those ‘bumps in the road’, to large show-jumps, and now they are looking more like the side of a stable block!” By Monday (1.3.10), the crew were only 150 miles away from Cape Agulhas – the southernmost tip of the African continent (read below), separating the Atlantic and Indian oceans that marked the end of the second leg. This cape is set in a famously treacherous part of the world navigation-wise, and one of the most significant landmarks of the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race.
All weather considerations put aside, arguably the most important aspect of the second leg has been the “transformation”, witnessed by media crew Mark Covell, of Mohsin Al Busaidi whose metamorphosis into a pure offshore racer now seems complete. “I asked him how he was doing,” Mark reported, and Mohsin replied on behalf of the boat rather than himself, “thinking the language of a sailor and dealing in the international currency of boat speed – his conversion is almost complete.” This episode marks a real milestone in the life of the campaign – a year on since Mohsin became the first Arab to circumnavigate the globe non-stop, and earning his way into the great confederacy of wave chasers is a moment to be proud of! The new A100 multihull not only has a great pedigree – designed by Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret, constructed by Boatspeed and assembled in Salalah, Oman, under the expertise of Offshore Challenges’ Neil Graham – she was created for fully crewed inshore and offshore races whilst providing a training platform for up and coming novice sailors, as well as the option to be campaigned single-handed, all within a one-design rule.
As Majan skipper Paul Standbridge commented: “This has also been a good sea trial for Majan. We have just safely completed ten thousand sea miles [Note to Editors: since the launch of Majan last year]. We have had some damage and some wear and tear but nothing we can’t fix on the water. Structurally she is sound, she has been a very good boat and we are very happy with her. I’m very pleased with the two trainees – Mohsin continues to steer the boat well and the most improved is Mohammed. Leg 3 will be a much tougher leg. We are moving into the Southern Ocean with consistently higher winds and consistently bigger waves. We’ll hopefully do more than 600-miles in a day. I’m looking forward to it!” Oman Sail’s Majan will remain in Cape Town until 9th March, then depart on the 4,800-mile Leg 3 for Fremantle, Australia, via Cape Leeuwin. Unfortunately for Oman Sail’s 75-ft trimaran Musandam, a boat that took Oman Sail’s crew non-stop around the world a year ago, was forced to return to Muscat. The intention was for Musandam to complete the entire course but technical problems with the mainsail prompted the decision to return to their Muscat base early to undergo a refit before handing the multihull over to a new owner who will also be competing in the Route du Rhum. Cape Agulhas, between two oceans |
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Lying 90 nautical miles southeast of Cape Town, Cape Aghulas (“Cape of the Needles”) is the official dividing point between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean – whose eastern border is marked by the southern tip of Tasmania. The region is notorious for being extremely dangerous for ships, notably because the Agulhas current (flowing from east to west) opposes the 
Banque Populaire Crew (Photo by B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)
Since mid-November 2009, Pascal Bidegorry and his team have been looking at every weather opportunities to make an attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy. Despite this stand-by period, the Team Banque Populaire has not managed to find the proper conditions has thus decided to reschedule their crewed handed round the world attempt to next fall.
The disappointment is huge. Even though some weather forecasts were seriously considered for a while, some major deterioration of those systems made Pascal Bidegorry and his team forced to wait longer. Ronan Lucas, Team Manager, comes back on the decision of putting an end to the stand-by period: “The disappointment is huge even if we are only postponing it. Until mid-December we were quite demanding, and we were only looking at conditions that could at least bring us at equal time with Orange 2 at the Cape of Good Hope. We had three months ahead of us and it was normal to expect something better and put all the chances on our side to, first complete the round but also to achieve a performance. Then we watched the slightest opportunity, as we wanted to leave, but there were none, except “boat-breaking” ones and no way to leave under those conditions! We did not want to leave either in a spirit of “there we go, we’ll see what happens” neither with “double or quits” conditions.
We are responsible for this project and we do not want to jeopardize it. The shame is that we were sure to get an opportunity to leave even with less favorable conditions, but nothing turned up since December 15th. The boat was launched a year and half ago, the project is still new and we are lucky to have some time ahead and to be chasing records until 2012.”
No regrets regarding weather conditions
Responsibility therefore prevails today, even though the Maxi Banque Populaire V’s crew is disappointed. It is sure that everybody, crew, team and the public, would have liked to see the maxi trimaran chasing the Trophy, however, as Pascal Bidegorry reminds: “our project is still new, and we will chase the Jules Verne trophy this year, the soonest. We have a schedule to follow, and have some public relations campaigns planned in the Mediterranean. We really could not go further in term of deadline. The only regret I have is that we did not get to sail this winter and that was the goal of the whole work provided by the team beforehand. We will carry on the work to prepare at its best our departure in a few months with even more determination.”
An extraordinary winter: weather analysis by Marcel van Triest, navigator of the Maxi Banque Populaire V
“We’ve had an exceptional winter in the Atlantic basin. For January for instance, we have to go back as far as 1985 to find similar conditions and we have to go even further back in time to find similar conditions to the ones encountered in December. This has resulted in very wet and windy conditions in the South of Europe as shown by the bad weather and flooding in places such as: Canary Islands, Madeira and Spain. Cold and snowy conditions in places likes England and the Southern United States are further examples of this type of winter.
One of the symptoms of this 2009 winter was the very southerly path of low pressure systems normally expected around the British Isles. This winter they rather came via the Azores and Madeira to continue their journey in the Mediterranean Therefore, the famous Azores high pressure area could never take hold and the tradewinds that depend on this have been weak and irregular. This situation has persisted throughout the winter. These tradewinds were not only weak and very far south; they were also difficult to reach. Most of the “mouse hole” situations we have looked at were forcing us to sail around low pressure systems off Portugal or the Canary Islands. The subsequent transition from these low pressure systems to the tradewinds was difficult at best.
Our philosophy for the stand-by was: get out of the gulf of Biscay in manageable conditions, reach the Canary Islands in quick conditions and then make a not too painful transition to the tradewinds. We can – at most – have a fairly good idea on the weather for the first eight to ten days. Having full uncertainty for the remaining 80% of the course, our philosophy was to arrive in Cape Town with an advantage over Orange 2. Unfortunately we did not find the right conditions for that. Furthermore with the known presence of ice quite far North this year, we could not afford to arrive in the Southern Ocean without the necessary “cushion” to sail a longer distance to avoid these dangers. Orange 2 did not have that same constraint at the time and she could sail a shorter route.
As for now, leaving for example on March 15-th, means that we would pass (if all goes well) Cape Horn in late April. To give an equivalent in terms of latitude, this would correspond, in our hemisphere, to sail in Scotland late October. You can be lucky if summer drags on a bit, but it could also be very challenging. Late in the season like this everything becomes more severe in the South and at Cape Horn there is no option to take another route. Somewhere, we need to know where to set the limits and not risk getting into a potentially dangerous situation.”
One certain thing is that, next fall, it is with a desire and an increased motivation that Pascal Bidégorry and his crew will return on an attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy. In the meantime, they will continue their training, as it must be said, this adventure’s departure is only postponed…
Groupama 3 Passing Auckland Island (Photo by Team Groupama)
The sailing conditions have become tougher over the past few hours as a low catches up with Groupama 3. Indeed the current aim for the giant trimaran is to try to stay at the front of this system until it rounds Cape Horn… To pull this off she will have to maintain a high speed to benefit from what is expected to be a NW’ly breeze as far as the Falkland Islands.
Still faster than Orange 2, the giant trimaran is having to cover more ground to reach Cape Horn and hence her lead continues to yo-yo today… When Groupama 3 switches onto a NE’ly course, she distances herself from the direct route, and when she gybes, as she did on Sunday evening, she makes gains. The upshot of this is that her lead over the reference time changes according to the manoeuvres, with dramatic fluctuations from one hour to the next. Ultimately though, Franck Cammas and his men still have a lead of nearly a day over Bruno Peyron and his crew…
“Right now we’re pretty much on a SE’ly course, but we’re going to gybe again at lunchtime tomorrow, and then again to get onto a direct course towards the Horn… We’ve had some choppy seas over the past few hours, but they’re gradually becoming more regular now” explained Loïc Le Mignon at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris.
On the look-out for ice
The crew aboard Groupama 3 have been eating a lot more over the past few days due to the persistent cold reigning over the Pacific Ocean. The consumption of calories is considerably larger the longer you’re at sea (one month on the water already) and the more the temperatures drop to close to zero degrees Celsius.
“As a member of both the technical crew and the sailing team, I consider that the trajectory is being well managed: we can make very fast headway without having big seas. We’re not cutting the corner but it’s still very agreeable. Right now it’s rather cold: the gloves are out and we’re keen to round Cape Horn to dry things out… We’re eating a lot more and we aren’t lacking in food as we have been during other attempts. We’ve run out of our special Lannilis bread already though…”
There is still some ice to watch out for too as the water temperature has dipped below 6°C. The ice isn’t far off, but the satellite images confirm that the actual icebergs are further South… The crew is nevertheless remaining very attentive both on the radar and on watch on deck. Not surprisingly fatigue is beginning to set in onboard.
Taking a low punch
A `nasty’ low is tailing Groupama 3, which must maintain a high pace to stay ahead of the system and benefit from the resulting downwind breeze. As such Franck Cammas and his men are going to be plagued by this depression until they make good their escape from the Southern Ocean.
“This pattern is rather reminiscent of when we rounded Cape Leeuwin: we have to stay ahead of a depression until the Horn, or beyond! However, this disturbed system is faster than us… We’re reckoning on three days to reach the cape! We’re into a good rhythm onboard as we’ve known each other a long time, though there is the usual friction too. Everyone’s taking care of each other. It’s a very good crew which is competent, competitive and kind. We really want this third attempt to be successful!”
Groupama 3′s log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55′ 53” UTC)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 672 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21th February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
Day 24 (24th February 1400 UTC): 638 miles (lead = 208 miles)
Day 25 (25th February 1400 UTC): 712 miles (lead = 371 miles)
Day 26 (26th February 1400 UTC): 687 miles (lead = 430 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 797 miles (lead = 560 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 517 miles)
WSSRC record for the Pacific Ocean crossing (from the South of Tasmania to Cape Horn)
Orange 2 (2005): 8d 18h 08′
The crew and organisation aboard Groupama 3
Watch No.1: Franck Cammas / Loïc Le Mignon / Jacques Caraës
Watch No.2: Stève Ravussin / Thomas Coville / Bruno Jeanjean
Watch No.3: Fred Le Peutrec / Lionel Lemonchois / Ronan Le Goff
Off watch navigator: Stan Honey goes up on deck for manoeuvres
One watch system on deck, one watch on stand-by ready to help manoeuvre, one watch totally resting
The record to beat
Currently held by Bruno Peyron on Orange 2 since 2005 with a time of 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes at an average of 17.89 knots. Lionel Lemonchois, Ronan Le Goff and Jacques Caraës were aboard at the time.
Groupama In Southern Ocean (Photo by Team Groupama)
Still maintaining the high speeds that have coloured the past five days, Franck Cammas and his nine crew should make their entry into the Pacific Ocean tonight. In so doing Groupama 3 is set to pocket the record for the passage from Cape Agulhas to Tasmania in a time of under nine days. Furthermore, with the favourable weather conditions set to last, the coming days are likely to be just as fast.
Groupama 3 is on the point of collecting her first trophy of this Jules Verne! Indeed this round the world sprint has also provided the crew with the opportunity to beat three other records recognised by the WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Record Council), the official body in charge of validating the best times under sail. It is also hoped that the prize haul will include the record passage across the Indian Ocean (Orange 2: 9d 11h 04′), that of the passage across the Pacific Ocean (Orange 2: 8d 18h 08′) and that from the equator back to the equator (Orange 2: 33d 16h 06′).
“We’re monitoring our progress in relation to Orange 2 and even though she’s not a direct opponent, we’re looking at her virtual wake. We knew that under Australia we were going to make up our deficit as Bruno Peyron and his crew had to put in several gybes with some slower phases. However, they traversed the Pacific very quickly… It will be difficult to maintain the same average speed as far as Cape Horn. If we have a bit of a lead at that stage that wouldn’t be bad: theoretically the climb up the Atlantic should enable us to claw back the time!” said Fred Le Peutrec at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris.
At the end of 23 days at sea then, Groupama 3 has been tracking ahead of the reference time for some ten days and lamenting a deficit for thirteen days… Right now Franck Cammas’ aim is to commit to the Pacific with a lead of several hours over the record pace.
Shift and gybe
With the NW’ly breeze accompanying them for the past five days, the sea state remains sufficiently well organised to enable the crew of Groupama 3 to make good speed effortlessly and free from stress. The situation is set to change a little after Tasmania once the breeze backs round to the W or WSW on Wednesday. The giant trimaran will then have to gybe to avoid New Zealand. However, as far as the average speed is concerned, there shouldn’t be any signs of a drop in pace yet…
“Happiness is a funny thing! Not only are we getting used to these average speeds in excess of thirty knots, our enthusiasm is waning… We’ve noticed on board that when you’re sailing at 28 knots, it feels like you’ve come to a standstill! At times you have to get it into your head that you’re sailing at 33-35 knots, or even forty… We’ve got our bearings now since we’ve been sailing on the same tack for the past five days: we’re organising ourselves to eat, sleep and keep up the maintenance on the boat. We’re going to have one manoeuvre to perform during the course of tomorrow, Wednesday. A gybe will be required to reposition ourselves given that the low off New Zealand has filled in. At that point we’ll hook onto a fluctuating W’ly breeze.”
However, for the next 24 hours, the wind will oscillate between the W and NW whilst remaining fairly strong: 28 to 32 knots, gusting to 35-38 knots. The waves are also building, but for now they’re still on the aft quarter so they’ll be driving Groupama 3 forward over these last few miles across the Indian Ocean and the first few miles across the Pacific.
“It’s still very grey… as has been the case for the past five days! It feels like we’ve been under the same cloud. It’s still wet with little visibility, but the temperatures are continuing to be mild. It’s rather different to when I did The Race in 2001: it was very cold then, but we were treated to a fantastic aurora australis.”
Avoiding the ice
The entry into the Pacific Ocean with the passage of Tasmania is expected to take place late this evening (UTC/ early hours of the morning in Tasmania). As such Groupama 3 should complete her journey across the Indian Ocean in under nine days and hence claim the WSSRC record between Cape Agulhas (South Africa) and the southern tip of Tasmania. Right now it is likely she will reduce the previous record held by Bruno Peyron and his crew since 2005 (9d 11h 04′) by a dozen hours.
“With the final known zone of icebergs having been left a few tens of miles to starboard, Groupama 3 has been able to bear away a little this Tuesday and make full benefit of the fairly strong NW’ly wind to put a little big of southing into her course. Indeed, with the latitude at which Franck Cammas and his crew have been sailing, Groupama 3 was still relatively close to Australia: this trajectory has been guided by both the wind from the previous days and by the presence of a large quantity of icebergs to the South of 47 degrees. This southward shift is necessary since you have to follow a course of at least 47°30 S to avoid New Zealand! Therefore we can expect to see Groupama 3 making a very high VMG (velocity made good) bordering on 28/30 knots and with that their lead should continue to increase between Tuesday and Wednesday” explains Sylvain Mondon from Météo France.
Groupama 3′s log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55′ 53” UTC)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 672 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21th February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
WSSRC record for traversing the Indian Ocean (from Cape Agulhas to Southern Tasmania)
- Orange 2 (2005): 9d 11h 04′
The crew and organisation aboard Groupama 3
Watch No.1: Franck Cammas / Loïc Le Mignon / Jacques Caraës
Watch No.2: Stève Ravussin / Thomas Coville / Bruno Jeanjean
Watch No.3: Fred Le Peutrec / Lionel Lemonchois / Ronan Le Goff
Off watch navigator: Stan Honey goes up on deck for manoeuvres
One watch system on deck, one watch on stand-by ready to help manoeuvre, one watch totally resting
Majan and Musandam in The Maldives Skippers Paul Standbridge and Loik Gallon (Photo courtesy of Lloyd Images/Oman Sail)
One of the best things about the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race route is that each individual leg provides its own unique challenges whether it be extreme temperatures, strong currents or gale force winds.
Either way you can guarantee that Musandam and the crew on board are going to tackle these challenges head on and with a bit of old fashioned grit and determination and come out the other side as better people and sailors for it. The first leg from Muscat to the Maldives certainly did this. With an unpleasant first night at sea to the unpredictable high pressure dominating the northern stretches of the Indian Ocean we certainly had our fair share of varying challenges. “The first challenge for me was allowing my mind and body to adapt the routine at sea”, Haitham tells me, “Once I had got used to the three hours sleeping followed by three hours on deck it became a lot smoother for me”.
Hooch, Nawaf, Haythem and Nobi In The Maldives (Photo courtesy of Oman Sail)
For Haitham and Nawaf this is all new to them. Six months ago they both knew very little about the sailing world and as their team mate I can vouch for the excellent way they are improving and learning new things about maintaining and sailing of these powerful trimarans. Upon arrival to the Maldives, Musandam was met by an armada of support boats waving and shouting their support as the crossed the finish line off the island of Male. “Seeing all the boats welcome us here all waving the Omani flag was overwhelming and it struck home how significant our role is”. It is clear chatting with Haitham and Nawaf that the tone in their voice is one of excitement and its evident that they are thriving in the ambassadorial role that they are playing.
Since arriving in the Maldives the past few days have been spent preparing and restocking Musandam whilst also allowing some time for some rest before the next leg. Although we would all love to stay in this beautiful place, we are all itching to get back out on the water and take on the challenges that they next leg will throw at us. Next stop….Cape Town!
Blog entry by Nick Houchin aboard Musandam
