Southern Ocean Sunset From Groupama 3 (Photo by Team Groupama)
Though Groupama 3 has paid a heavy price at the entry to the Southern Ocean, she should soon get paid dividends from her investment in the Indian front… The very straight trajectory announced as far as the longitude of Tasmania is particularly favourable, not solely for making up her deficit on the reference time, but above all amassing a fair bit of credit at the beginning of the Pacific.
Just a few weeks from the tax declaration, Franck Cammas and his men have really been hit hard by the wind crisis since passing South Africa! Fortunately the VAT only amounted to 2.5% in the end, which is the percentage of Groupama 3′s deficit in relation to Orange 2′s reference time established in 2005… In total then the current balance stands at around 440 miles in the red on this eighteenth day at sea. This Thursday lunchtime the giant trimaran, positioned to the South of the island of Crozet, had finally tracked down a twenty-five knot NW’ly wind, which she had been after for the past three days. With this new system the average speeds have really been given a boost at nearly thirty knots!
“We’re happy to have finally tracked down the wind we were expecting so it’s pedal to the metal now! We’ve been making an average of thirty knots since this morning, and though conditions aren’t quite stable yet, the speeds are becoming reasonable again… The past few days have been frustrating with this front which could easily have set us free: on three occasions we attempted to traverse it but it didn’t work until the fourth attempt. Finally the front came to a halt but we had to bide our time… Right now it’s not that cold as we’re only at 42° South, though there’s quite a bit of rain beneath the front. It’s a fairly good sign because it’s synonymous with us having escaped this latest obstacle” said Franck Cammas at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris, in the company of French news presenter Patrick Poivre d’Arvor.
A `contrary’ Indian
Despite a rather uncooperative Atlantic, despite a `contrary’ Indian at the start of this crossing, despite a fairly N’ly trajectory which is extending the course in relation to the optimum route (around 55° South, but in the middle of the ice…), Groupama 3 has never racked up as much as a day’s deficit during this third attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy. Furthermore, on starting out on this eighteenth day at sea and hence the second third of this round the world course, Franck Cammas and his nine crew aren’t having to stand again for a second ballot, quite the contrary in fact! Indeed, the next stage of this `contorted’ Indian Ocean promises to be rather clearer: a long straight line towards the tip of Tasmania without many manoeuvres in prospect, save for trimming the sails according to the strength of the NW’ly wind and with a great deal of care at the helm and on the sheets…
“We’re going to remain ahead of the front in around twenty knots of NW’ly wind (with some brief spells of thirty-five knots and over) throughout nearly the entire crossing of the Indian Ocean. We’ll be able to follow what is almost the perfect trajectory with seas which aren’t too hard to negotiate. As such we’ll be making an average speed of over thirty knots!”
Franck Cammas In Cockpit of Groupama 3 (Photo by Team Groupama)
Sylvain Mondon from Météo France explained that Franck Cammas and his men weren’t to put their steed under too much pressure as it would be pointless getting to New Zealand too early: a depression moving across from Australia is currently forming a barrier at the entrance to the Pacific. With less than 16,000 miles to go before reaching Ushant, that is two thirds of the round the world to cover, Groupama 3 still has every chance of making it back in well under fifty days at sea… However, this is also the toughest section for the crew as they will be very exposed to the outside elements aboard their trimaran.
“It’s beginning to get very wet: it’s important to stow your things away securely and adopt a very methodical attitude. There isn’t a great deal of visibility and we can’t see a single bird or marine mammal on the horizon! Each of us has our own sleeping bag, but we share the three bunks up forward according to the watches. It’s not easy to keep your clothes dry as far as Cape Horn…”
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)
WSSRC record for traversing the Indian Ocean (from Cape Agulhas to Southern Tasmania)
- Orange 2 (2005): 9d 11h 04′
Reference time from Cape Agulhas to Cape Leeuwin
-Orange 2 (2005): 7d 05h 35′
Pete Goss and Paul Larsen (Photo by Michael Crawford-Hick)
The entry deadline has now passed for those wishing to compete in the Shetland Round Britain & Ireland 2010. Fifty skippers have signed up for what has become known as one of the toughest maritime races – the largest fleet for many years.
The most senior competitor is Nico Budel, of the Netherlands. Nico is sailing a brand new forty footer named sec.HAYAI, the very latest in Class 40 technology.
At the other end of the scale, 17 year old Ned Mumford is the youngest competitor to take part. His extensive sailing background has allowed him special entry into the race. Ned is racing with his father, William, who has taken part in the race several times before.
The race has the support of many sailing greats including: Sir Robin Knox-Johnston; Steve Fosset and Pete Goss MBE. It is a truly global event with competitors taking part this year from Great Britain, France, Netherlands, Norway and Belgium.
Race regulars, Jerry Freeman and Mary Falk will be joining forces to sail together in Mary’s sloop Q11 in a bid to raise money for the Institute of Cancer Research. Both Jerry and Mary are no strangers to the Round Britain & Ireland Race having taken part an astounding five times before. Mary, a cancer survivor, has raised £85,000 for the Institute of Cancer Research over the last twenty years.
A number of local sailors are taking part including father and son team David and Sebastian Southwood. David was the race director of OSTAR 2009 and is now looking forward to seeing an oceanic race from a more hands-on basis!
Alex Bennett and Malcolm Dickinson, both from Devon will also be taking part in their boat, Fujifilm, a class forty.
This is the second race to be sponsored by Shetland Islands Council, an ideal sponsor due to its maritime links and history, as well as its 35 marinas. As one of the four compulsory stops, Lerwick will also be providing the sailors with a warm Shetland welcome.
The race will depart from Plymouth on 6th June 2010 and see the competitors sail 2000 nautical miles around the UK coastline. The race has been hosted by the Royal Western Yacht Club every four years since 1966.
Douglas Irvine, business development manager for Shetland Islands Council, commented: “We are thrilled that fifty skippers will be competing in this year’s race. This is the maximum number of boats allowed, demonstrating that this one of the most popular races yet. This is certainly testament to the race itself which has been running for more than 40 years.
“Lerwick is our largest and most popular yachting port, surrounded by shops and restaurants. We will ensure every sailor receives a warm welcome as they berth. It is a tough race and I am sure they will welcome the break as they reach the half way point.”
Peter Taylor, race director of Shetland Round Britain & Ireland 2010, added: “We are delighted to welcome back some well known faces but it is also important to remember what this race is really about – the office workers, farmers, doctors, builders and shopkeepers who, once or twice in a lifetime, throw caution to the wind and compete in this race for the thrill that comes with it. With so many lined up for 2010 it is sure to be a race to remember.”
Groupama 3 Heading For The Indian Ocean (Photo courtesy of Team Groupama)
Having covered nearly 720 miles over the past 24 hours, Groupama 3 is tracing an impressively straight wake at an average speed in excess of 30 knots… This ticking off of the miles bodes well for the crew’s bid to make up part of their deficit on the Jules Verne Trophy reference time as they round the Cape of Good Hope.
Indeed it’s a studious and concentrated atmosphere which marked the start to the weekend to the South of Tristan de Cunha: in a matter of hours the situation has changed radically aboard Groupama 3, since the tricky exit from the Saint Helena High at the end of the week, has now given way to breakneck speeds ahead of a cold front, which is trucking along at 35 knots… The astounding average speeds that Franck Cammas and his nine crew are making are, of course, the result of a stable wind, though the fairly slight, well organised seas are an added bonus. Such conditions are down to the crew remaining ahead of the cold front, which they will have to continue to do for as long as possible, in order to maintain this perfectly straight trajectory and this exceptionally fast tempo…
“Since this morning, we’ve been sailing with two reefs in the mainsail and solent in a NW’ly wind of between 28 and 30 knots, but with very slight seas… Right now we’re clocking up an average speed of 35 knots! The atmosphere has got much damper: it’s grey, it’s wet, but it’s not cold yet” indicated Bruno Jeanjean at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris.
Unfinished business
The longitude of the Cape of Good Hope is around just 800 miles ahead of the giant trimaran now. At this pace, she will have passed the Greenwich meridian between 2100 and 2300 hours UTC this Saturday. Following on from that she may even succeed in crossing the longitude of the first cape of this round the world by sunset on Sunday!
“I don’t take the helm in conditions like the ones we have today. There were times on the descent of the Atlantic where I had the opportunity on flat seas with very nice conditions. The allotted helmsmen are driving her along admirably… I am incredibly happy to be aboard because the shore crew have done a superb job to ensure we were able to set off again. The whole crew has remained particularly motivated and we know we have unfinished business down here now, which we’re keen to resolve!”
By way of comparison with the Jules Verne Trophy reference time, Groupama 3 has had a excellent day with 719 miles on the speedo, while Orange 2, which was in one of her fastest phases of the round the world, `only’ pulled back 680 miles in relation to the optimum course! As such the deficit has dropped by forty miles over the past 24 hours… And despite even more impressive average speeds than those of the Americans and Swiss in Valencia on Friday afternoon, the crew was paying close attention to how the first race of the Cup was panning out.
“For the first match of the America’s Cup yesterday, the organisation onboard didn’t change. However, we did have one ear a little more open to what was going on in the cabin: certain bits of news came in which led us to believe that something was going to happen, but we quickly understood that the result of the match was decided pretty quickly…”
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)
Majan On Her Maiden Voyage (Photo by Mark Lloyd /Lloyd Images / Oman Sail)
|
Oman Sail’s new A100 ‘Majan’ left Muscat (Oman) last Saturday (6.2.10) to begin the journey of tracing out the route of the new Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race course that links together the Middle East, Africa, Australia and Central Asia, ahead of the first official edition planned for Spring 2012. Alongside the 105-ft A100 multihull was Oman Sail’s 75-ft multihull ‘Musandam’ – a boat that has already circumnavigated the globe under the Oman Sail banner. |
|
|
It was a relatively short first leg, only 1400 miles from Oman to the Maldives, but included passing the first of the five great capes – Ras Al Hadd. Literally meaning ‘the cape’ in Arabic, it is the easternmost point of the Arabian Peninsula and Oman is very proud that this is the point where the suns first rays touch land on rising. Just short of 5 days of sailing Majan’s crew, skippered by Paul Standbridge, and Musandam reached the island of Male, capital of the Maldives, on Thursday (10.2.10). The Oman Sail multihulls received a great send off from Muscat and were rewarded on arrival in the Maldives by a small armada of boats flying Omani flags. The first leg of this challenging new course proved to be testing for both crew and boat: “Over the next six hours we sailed under eight different sail combinations to cope with the wind’s fickle mood. We saw as much as 26 knots and as little as zero. Why is it in so many races and crossings the first night at sea, Mother Nature and King Neptune gang up and tries to catch you out?” wrote Mark Covell after the first day at sea. Navigator Thierry Douillard commented: “The weather for this first leg was not really ideal with High Pressure on the direct course, but we managed to cross and for the last two days, we were downwind with full main and gennaker – good fun.”
As the 105-ft multihull sped towards its Leg 1 destination, Mark reported: “Like a fast train on a downhill run, we are coming in with pace! The boat hums and whistles to the key of “C”, it’s like she’s on that train but listening to her own iPod, nodding her head with the beat and smiling from hull to hull.” The brand new A100 trimaran designed by Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret endured a bit of a shakedown in the difficult sea state: “We knew about a small crack in the deck just behind the mast rotate pad eye. There was also a small grub screw to hold it all together that was also dipped in Loctite. It just goes to show that our night of shaking, rocking and rolling took its toll. The shock loads that shudder through the hull and rig are huge. If the outriggers were solid the boat would break up, but like an aircrafts flexible wing, we bend and bow with the moving waves”. The ‘Majan’ crew led by Paul Standbridge includes two Omanis – Mohsin Al Busaidi, who became the first Arab to sail non-stop round the world on ‘Musandam’ and Mohammed Al Ghailani, who as the pseudo-apprentice, continues to impress: “He wears the medal for best-improved crew. He has spent a lot of the time on the helm being coached by Michael Giles. As I type this, he is on the helm pushing consistently good speeds and making the most of the dropping wind pressure.”
The Oman Sail crews will look forward to some rest as the shore team get to work to ensure the A100 is ready to depart for the 4,200-mile second leg from the Maldives to Cape Town, starting on the 16th February – the next chapter in the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race and the infamous Cape Agulhas. ABOUT THE MALDIVES The Maldives or Maldive Islands is an island country in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of 26 atolls stretching in a north-south direction off India’s Lakshadweep islands. Winner of the ‘Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination’ at the World Travel Awards 2008. The atolls of the Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometres. It is also the smallest Asian country in both population and area and the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in). Majan’s media crew, Mark Covell who stands at 2m tall, expects to be see most of the 1,190 coral Islands from standing on the deck of Majan! |
|
US challenger Oracle giant trimaran (R) and Swiss defender Alinghi huge catamaran (L) sail at the start of the opening race of the 33rd America's Cup off Valencia (Photo by Jose Jordan/AFP Photo)
American challenger BMW Oracle Racing recovered from a mistake in the dramatic first few minutes and literally flew to a lead of 3 minutes, 21 seconds over defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland after the first leg of Race 1 of the America’s Cup.
The 90-foot boats, the trimaran USA with its radical wing sail and the catamaran Alinghi 5, provided a thrilling start Friday to a regatta that had been stalled by a bitter, 2 1/2-year court fight between two of the world’s richest men.
A USA BMW Oracle Fan (Photo by Eduardo Ripoll/33rd America's Cup)
After Race 1 was delayed on Monday and Wednesday, USA and Alinghi sped south across the Mediterranean Sea on a course paralleling the Spanish coast on a clear, cold day. The fastest, most technologically advanced boats in the 159-year history of the America’s Cup, they hit approximately 22 knots in just 6 or 7 knots of wind.
When skipper Jimmy Spithill of Australia got the triple-hulled monster USA cranked up, the windward hull flew some 20 feet out of the water.
BMW Oracle Takes Off (Photo by Jose Jordán/AFP/33rd America's Cup)
Owned by Silicon Valley maverick Larry Ellison, USA rebounded from a deficit of 660 meters at the start and overhauled the Swiss sailing upwind, building a lead of about 1,200 meters approaching the end of the 20-mile first leg.
There was a light swell, with waves of about half a metre that rolled upwind which sailing experts said would be easier on both boats on the upwind leg.
The two boats — the biggest and fastest entries in the 159-year history of the Cup, sailing’s most prestigious trophy — are capable of sailing at three times the speed of the wind, meaning the race could last between two and four hours.
Wind speeds can be dramatically different at the top of the gaint boats from that at sea level.
Stronger winds higher up would give Oracle, which is three storeys higher than Alinghi, an edge.
The US side has an innovative solid vertical wingspan of 68 metres is more than twice the length of the wing of a Boeing 747.
The race starting signal had originally been set for 10 am but organisers delayed it in the hope that weather conditions for the race would improve.
Alinghi's President Swiss Ernesto Bertarelli waits for the start of the opening race of the 33rd America's Cup (Photo by Jamie Reina/ AFP Photo/America's Cup)
The 33rd America’s Cup opener was originally set for Monday but was called off due to weak winds which frequently shifted direction.
The America’s Cup has traditionally been run in monohulls but this year for the first time both sides will sail multihulls in a rare head-to-head duel after the two sides failed to agree on the rules for a conventional regatta involving several teams.
It is also the first time that the competition is being held in a Northern Hemisphere winter, another one of the outcomes of the convoluted legal battle between Oracle and Alinghi.
Alinghi became the first European winner of the America’s Cup in 2003 in what was its first attempt and then succeeded in defending it in Valencia in July 2007, when summertime breezes are stronger and more consistent.
