Groupama 3 (Photo by Yan Zedda)
After eight days at sea, Groupama 3 is currently in a transition phase, which is causing her to lose part of her lead over the reference time in the Jules Verne Trophy. However, this passage across a ridge of high pressure is only set to last a little less than 24 hours and Franck Cammas and his crew are still managing an average speed in excess of 23 knots…
Getting around the Saint Helena High is always a key moment during the Jules Verne Trophy as it’s not easy to know, just a matter of hours away, how the gusts of hot Brazilian air will transform into a stormy depression system and head off towards South Africa. This is especially true when you have to set out from Ushant, nearly 5,000 miles away! In fact, the weather window heralding the start of this particular record attempt on 5th November, collectively chosen by the onshore weather router Sylvain Mondon from Météo France, Groupama 3′s navigator Stan Honey and in the final instance by skipper Franck Cammas, forecast a series of disturbances forming off Brazil. However, there is clearly a margin of error in knowing exactly where the point of impact will be. In reality, this margin of error has proved to be fairly slim since the encounter is due to take place from Saturday morning off Rio de Janeiro…
The counterpart to the Azores
However, in meteorological terms, Saint Helena is as renowned in the Southern hemisphere as the Azores is in the North Atlantic! Indeed year round, this austral isle and this northern archipelago are associated with anticyclones, which are relatively stable centres of activity involving high pressure. Situated in the inter-tropical zone, their positions vary relatively little from season to season, but they fluctuate with each day that passes according to the passage of depressions which push them along, compress them, shift them about and occasionally split them in two… However, the Azores High is more `volatile’ than its austral counterpart Saint Helena, which is due to the configuration of the terrestrial landmass which surrounds them, as well as the size of the ice cap covering the North and South poles.
Indeed, the differences in pressure are due to the thermal contrast, which marks the polar cold and the equatorial heat. As the Earth rotates around itself, it drags along its adjacent atmosphere and this movement, under the influence of the Coriolis force (diverting of a mass moving towards the right in the Northern hemisphere, and towards the left in the Southern hemisphere), causes a mixing of the hot and cold air masses. This helps to smooth the global temperature thanks to these thermal exchanges between the depressions and the anticyclones.
In this way, the Saint Helena High generates a tradewind system which rotates anticlockwise from this volcanic island which roughly marks its centre. The S’ly air flow along the coast of Africa (Namibia, Angola) turns towards the SE in the Gulf of Guinea and beneath the Doldrums, before rotating round to the E near Brazil, the NW level with the island of Trinidad and ultimately W in the Roaring Forties! This massive circulation thus forces the sailors coming from Europe bound for the Indies (or setting off around the world), to go right around the Western limit of this zone of high pressure, so as not to get caught up in the calm zones which reign at its centre.
Bruno Jeanjean Announces Equator Crossing ( Photo Courtesy of Team Groupama)
Beneath the Southern Cross
This Friday lunchtime, Lionel Lemonchois indicated at the radio link-up that this short Brazilian detour wasn’t spoiling the atmosphere onboard in the slightest, as it only amounted to a few tens of miles lost, which were going to simply modify the manner in which they sail.
“We have discussions on a daily basis about what’s going to happen over the coming hours: in a nutshell, it’s already been three or four days that we’ve known how the weather conditions in the Southern Atlantic are going to pan out. As such we’re not surprised that we’re losing ground this Friday, even though we’re still sailing well this lunchtime. On a circumnavigation of the globe, you can’t make up ground everyday. There are transition phases like this one today, but the next stage is shaping up to be pretty good… We also have a little room for manoeuvre in relation to Orange 2! However, we’ll soon be getting out our boots and fleeces: we’re losing a little heat every night. At the moment, we’re carrying all the sail aloft with full mainsail, staysail and large gennaker. We’re slipping along nicely with fourteen knots of wind beneath a glorious sun. At night, the canopy of heaven is dotted with stars, while the Southern Cross is getting ever higher in the sky!”
Just minutes later, Groupama 3 was beginning to bend her trajectory southward, and then progressively SE, whilst still maintaining an average speed of over 22 knots. Clearly, in accounting terms, the overall performance figures are less flattering since this course 60° off the direct route since the latitude of Recife, has seen them lose ground: 380 miles VMG over 24 hours along the Jules Verne Trophy course, but still a daily total of 550 miles across the water! In short, the reduction in terms of bankable mileage is going unnoticed on board, it’s only in relation to Bruno Peyron’s course that there is some discrepancy. Indeed, it is worth noting here that Franck Cammas and his nine crew have been on a route which is virtually parallel to that of Orange 2 since crossing the equator; the latter of which was achieved nearly 5° further out to the West. Between now and Saturday lunchtime, the slow haemorrhage (30 mile deficit in 48 hours or a differential of 0.6 knots) will be totally cauterised by the powerful N’ly winds forecast…
Hanging a left…
In fact there has not been a hint of concern in the voices of the crew speaking at the radio link-up since setting out from Ushant: the atmosphere onboard is serene and concentrated, relaxed yet attentive. Groupama 3 hasn’t suffered and the crew have been able to rest in the current mild weather prior to the wintery climes of the Deep South … Indeed with the seas abating, pushed along by a moderate breeze on the beam, Franck Cammas and his men have scheduled in a complete check-up for the rig on Saturday morning, prior to the arrival of the Brazilian low. A torrid, bracing weekend is in store!
“We’re into a good rhythm because Groupama 3 is designed in such a way that we can rest. The days pass by quickly between sleep, a few odd jobs, a few hours at the helm and on watch, and contemplation of the sea. However, we’re not inundated with maintenance work… There’s just one line which is becoming a bit worn on the descent control for one of the foils. We’ve only had nice surprises so far: we’ve even had some real laughs! We’re lucky to be on a very fine boat… with a superb crew where there is mutual trust between us. For the time being, we’ve got some fairly good conditions for slipping along in. The Jules Verne Trophy is a marathon above all else: we’re going to have to keep it going over the long term and from this point of view, Franck (Cammas) has an approach which is very similar to that of Bruno Peyron, which involves a great deal of wisdom” concluded the winner of the Route du Rhum 2006.
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
• Each watch lasts three hours
• 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.
Banque Populaire V On Standby (Photo by BPCE/Benoit Stichelbaut)
Role : Bowman
Other : in charge of security
Role : Bowman
Other : in charge of the hydraulic mechanic and fittings
Role : Helmsman / Trimmer
Other : Vidéo
Role : Watch leader, Helmsman / Trimmer
Other : sails
Role : Watch leader Helmsman / Trimmer
Other : in charge of the video and composite
Role : Watch leader, Helmsman / Trimmer
Other : in charge of the medical
Role : Helmsman / Trimmer
Other : in charge of the electronics
Role : Bowman
Other : in charge of the composite and fitting
Role : Bowman
Other : In charge of the medical and rigging
Role : Helmsman / Trimmer
Other : food on board
Role : Helmsman / Trimmer
Role : Weather Router, Navigator
Groupama 3 Team On Deck Headed South (Photo by Team Groupama)
Off Salvador de Bahia this Friday afternoon, Groupama 3 is continuing her southward descent in search of a stormy depression system forming over Brazil. At an average speed of over twenty-five knots, Franck Cammas and his crew have a 680 mile lead over the reference time.
The videoconference organised at Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris wasn’t able to go ahead for technical reasons related to the faulty Inmarsat transmission, but Franck Cammas was able to participate in the radio session hosted by Stanislas Grenapin in the company of celebrated French weatherman Laurent Cabrol. Anticyclones, Doldrums, tradewinds, depressions… the skipper of Groupama 3 was able to explain the situation through which they have been navigating since crossing the equator in 5 days fifteen hours.
“It’s fine weather with a few cumulus reminiscent of the good conditions, with slightly shifty tradewinds on the beam. We’re having to manoeuvre fairly frequently, switching between the staysail and solent as the wind varies from 14 to 22 knots… We’re being forced to sail right around the outside of the Saint Helena High: we’re going to sail along the Brazilian coast for two days to gain southing in order to hook onto a depression, which is currently forming over the South American continent. This will then quickly push us eastwards… However, it’s important we don’t miss the ride as there aren’t any more after that! The encounter is scheduled for lunchtime on Saturday: after that we’re going to power away… For the time being, the weather sequence is pretty favourable with an anticyclone ahead of us, which the depression will push along. We’re going to have flat seas with downwind conditions! reported the skipper of Groupama 3.
Groupama 3 Crew (Photo by Yvan Zedda)
Southbound
Whilst Jacques Caraës had a chance to show his fellow crew members where he lived (Aber Wrac’h) as they passed close to shore before setting off from Ushant, it’s now the turn of Ronan Le Goff to pass in front of his Brazilian home in the bay of Bahia… Indeed the giant trimaran is following a course which is parallel to the coast, even putting a little SW’ly into their route in order to drop down to 22° South as quickly as possible. In fact, due to a different weather situation, Groupama 3 is positioned around 200 miles further West than the Jules Verne Trophy holder. This differential is linked to a passage across the equator which was further West (30° W compared with 26° for Orange 2) as well as the fact that the current priority is not to sail as close to the direct course as possible, but rather to position themselves ahead of the cold front originating in Brazil.
In fact the routes of the two multihulls, with four years’ separation, have been fairly similar since the Doldrums. Added to this the speeds are identical, which has served to maintain the stability of Groupama 3′s lead (680 miles) over the past two days. In view of the forecast weather conditions, Franck Cammas and his nine crew will bend their course in towards the Cape of Good Hope at approximately the same latitude as Bruno Peyron in 2005 (22° South). This big curve towards the Indian Ocean will above all determine at what latitude the long surfs around the Antarctic will begin. From that point there are over 9,000 miles to cover in the Roaring Forties!
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
• Each watch lasts three hours
• 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 3 Off Ushant (Photo by Yvan Zedda)
Franck Cammas and his nine crew have crashed headlong into the Doldrums: since 0400 hours UT this Tuesday morning, the tradewinds have given way to stormy squalls. However, the first phase of this passage through the `tunnel’ is going rather well with the crew maintaining the same lead of 660 miles over the reference time and the exit from this zone scheduled for this evening
Already in sight of the Doldrums last night when the skies on the horizon were striped with lightning and the rolls of thunder were audible in the distance, Groupama 3 finally hit the zone around 0400 hours this Tuesday. At the time there was still a little crescent of a moon to light up a seascape in the throes of a major reshuffle: massive cumulonimbus heralding rains and gusts of wind, a short chop coming at them head on reminiscent of the first signs of the SE’ly tradewinds blowing across the equator, flying fish in search of a breath of air before getting caught up in the trimaran’s trampolines, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere coloured by a torrid, wet heat.. one can feel it approaching, one can feel it almost upon you and then already it is snapping you up! The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone is an octopus playing with its prey, trying to ensnare you in its tentacles, alternating between calm spells and flurries of wind, harsh changes in temperature, torrential rain and blazing sunshine…
Bruno Jeanjean and Thomas Coville Enjoying Life Aboard Groupama 3
The way out’s over here…
However, the `dark side’ of the Doldrums has its weaknesses: in order to find the way out into the Southern hemisphere, it is necessary to compromise with the squalls, to momentarily distance oneself from the course, adapt the sail area to the erratic breeze and dodge the shaded zones and the areas without wind. Navigator Stan Honey, finally back to his old self after his migraines, has been racking his brains… in a tunnel along 29° West. Groupama 3′s trajectory has been incredibly pure from Madeira to the narrowest and least active point of entry in this mass of clouds. And so far this Tuesday afternoon, the results are conclusive: though she has indeed slowed, the speed of the giant trimaran has never dipped below fourteen knots!
“Last night there was a lot of lightning in the sky and we saw the cloud masses on the radar. We didn’t suffer from too many gusts in the squalls: instead the wind eased slightly as it shifted round. The manoeuvres are simple, but we’re on the look-out and the stand-by watch is on deck… The weather window is proving to be more favourable than during our first attempt a year and a half ago. We’re set to have another three or four hours at a reduced pace of 15-16 knots, but we have just 3° of latitude (180 miles) to traverse before we hit the SE’ly tradewinds and hence a steadier wind, albeit it in close-hauled configuration… We’re going to exit the zone this evening!” confirmed Franck Cammas at the midday radio session.
Stifling heat
As such the Doldrums is proving highly cooperative and at this rate, the crossing of the equator may well be done and dusted before Wednesday 1550 hours UT, which would mean a switch of hemispheres in under six days… This would amount to at least six hours better than on Groupama 3′s previous attempt in January 2008 (6d 6h 24′), but above all a bonus of more than a day in relation to the reference time set by Bruno Peyron on the Jules Verne Trophy!
“There’s not too much cloud in the sky: we weren’t able to take a shower, but the crew is on deck in boxers! There’s an intense tropical heat here… We’ve changed season. This lunchtime we’re sailing under full mainsail and solent. Stan is looking at his charts and his satellite images in a bid to escape the Doldrums as quickly as possible: the forecasts over the medium term for negotiating the Saint Helena High have been fluctuating quite a lot over the past few hours. If we manage to maintain our lead over Orange 2, who had an exceptional run between the equator and the Cape of Good Hope, that would be superb in itself!” concluded skipper Franck Cammas.
Groupama 3 Crew After Arrival At Lizard Point (Photo by Benoit Stichelbaut / Sea & Co.)
Past the Cape Verde archipelago with a considerable lead over the reference time, Groupama 3 is now preparing to negotiate the Doldrums, a very cloudy, turbulent zone which announces the entrance to the Southern hemisphere. Navigator Stan Honey is fighting fit again and is working relentlessly to find a favourable `tunnel’ through…
Groupama 3 is ahead of schedule! The weekend proved to be a positive one with nearly 1,200 miles covered in 44 hours… As such, this average speed of 27 knots has reversed the trend: 115 miles behind at Cape Finisterre in relation to Bruno Peyron’s record, the separation has switched to nearly 450 miles this Monday afternoon, in favour of Franck Cammas and his men. A lead of over a day! Added to that, the next stage of the course also promises to be positive since the Doldrums is already practically within sight. Indeed it seems to be positioned at 8° North without being overly active, with the exception of some big clouds spanning less than a hundred miles. Furthermore the E’ly wind of around a dozen knots isn’t likely to drop off dramatically, other than for brief periods beneath the clouds.
Groupama 3 Heading Toward The Doldrums (Photo by Yvan Zedda)
Running smoothly
The harsh, headwinds from the first day at sea are already a distant memory: tropical heat, downwind conditions and smoother seas on which to slip along nicely, have this Monday enabled the crew a short spell of recuperation after the weekend’s supersonic speeds and prior to attacking the Doldrums. However, they are going to have to remain on their guard against variations in the wind and squalls…
“This lunchtime, we’re just a stone’s throw away from a squall which is about to hit… We’re sailing under large gennaker, staysail and full mainsail. We’ve performed a fair number of manoeuvres since gybing off Madeira. We’re staying on the same heading but constantly adjusting the sail area. Six or seven of us at a time are carrying out all the manoeuvres according to which sails need changing ; that way the resting watch can conserve their energy. The preparation we’ve been doing since the spring is bearing fruit: the manoeuvres are smooth and quick. Things are going really well amidst an atmosphere of total mutual trust. The only relative difficulty is getting to sleep in the intense heat” indicated Frédéric Le Peutrec at the midday radio session.
Flying fish
Since passing offshore of the Cape Verde archipelago, the NE’ly wind has eased slightly (around 16-20 knots), but Groupama 3′s average speed remains locked above 25 knots. This is set to continue as far as 8° North, which translates as the end of the night on the water, as the tradewinds back (become more E’ly than NE’ly). The upshot of this will be a beam wind enabling the giant trimaran to maintain her current speed before tackling the tradewinds of the Southern hemisphere which will shift round to the SE.
“Our navigator is a lot better this morning and has a lot on his plate monitoring developments in the weather: it’s reassuring to see that he’s better as he really wasn’t very well at all for the first few hours. We thought it was due to the violent introduction, but it was something else: after suffering with migraines and a fever, he’s fighting fit now… The point of impact with the Doldrums is something he’s been working on for what has already been two days, with Sylvain Mondon, our onshore router, but we’re having to adapt to the direction and strength of the wind. We hope it’ll be virtually inexistent!” added Groupama 3′s watch leader. In the meantime, a `plague’ of flying fish have been landing on the multihull’s trampolines: “However, they’re too small to even consider preparing them with lemon juice and a dribble of olive oil” concluded Fred.
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
• Each watch lasts three hours
• One watch system on deck, one watch on stand-by ready to help manoeuvre, one watch totally resting
Groupama 3 Crew For Jules Verne Trophy Attempt 2009 (Photo by Yvan Zedda)
At 15h 50′ 22” Groupama 3 set off from off the Créac’h lighthouse (Ushant Finistère) in a good NW’ly breeze and big seas. Franck Cammas and his nine crew will have to be back from their circumnavigation of the globe spanning over 24,000 miles, prior to the morning of 26th December…
A granulated sky, gusts, intermittent showers, setting sun, big Atlantic swell, squalls, breaking waves: here we have the setting for this latest departure to gain a new reference time in the Jules Verne Trophy, the round the world record held by Bruno Peyron and his crew since 2005 (50d 16h 20m). Groupama 3 left the pontoon of the port of Le Château in Brest, NW France this Thursday 5th November at 1300 hours before a warm crowd of locals and the crew’s families, which came out as far as the Petit Minou lighthouse to bid them farewell. Under two-reefed mainsail and a small jib, Groupama 3 then released her tow at 1400 hours and headed out to sea in a building swell… As such the giant trimaran had to put in a few tacks to get to the North of Ushant before setting the clock running at 15h 50′ 22” UT.
A muscly introduction
The NW’ly wind associated with the low, which passed over Brittany on Wednesday, was still very active: the stormy sky with its cumulonimbus was generating a twenty to twenty-five knot breeze, gusting to over thirty-five knots… Above all though, the seas were hard at the exit from the English Channel with waves of nearly seven metres offshore! As such conditions weren’t ideal for the start, but the next stage in the programme is highly favourable, once the crew reaches the Portuguese coast. As a result, for half a day, Franck Cammas and his nine crew are likely to be tackling beam winds and may even have to sail close-hauled for a few hours…
“We’re going to set off under reduced sail to get free of the continental shelf. After that this NW’ly wind will shift round to the West for three hours at which point we’ll have to sail close-hauled. It’s not the ideal scenario for starting out, however the weather window is pretty favourable after that. In fact, from tomorrow lunchtime, Friday, Groupama 3 should already be sailing along the coast of Portugal. At that stage we’ll hit some N’ly and then NE’ly winds, which are set to accompany us to the archipelago of Cape Verde” indicated Franck Cammas a few minutes after leaving the pontoon.
The crew didn’t appear to be concerned about this choppy introduction to proceedings: being in a position to head out early in the season, not to have to hang around waiting for a favourable “firing window”, just after a preparation session in the mountains at the end of October, and knowing that the aim of the record is for the crew to be back before Christmas, all makes for a serene departure.”We’re going to be shaken about at the exit from the English Channel because the seas are big, but that makes for a good introduction before we slip southwards. It’ll be hot from this weekend, we’ll be at the equator in the middle of next week and the Southern Atlantic appears to be willing to enable us a swift passage”> explained Lionel Lemonchois.
As such Groupama 3 must cross the finish line off Ushant before 26th December at 08h 09′ 26” (UT)…
A tour of the weather
“Groupama 3 is setting off as the NW’ly wind is easing slightly to 25 knots with gusts at 35 knots and a reduction in the number of squalls: the storms have dissipated. Nevertheless, it is important to remain prudent as the big seas are set to last for a few more hours yet, due largely to a big NW’ly swell. The crew will have to deal with these tricky conditions right the way across the Bay of Biscay, because although the wind will continue to ease and it will be less gusty, there will still be big seas until Friday morning. As such the exit from the Bay of Biscay will be all the trickier as a result of a cold front moving in from the West, which will come face to face with Franck Cammas and his crew in the second part of the night. The approach of this front will cause the wind to shift round to the West as it becomes less steady, before clocking back round to the NW again on Friday morning. The main reason that Franck Cammas and his crew have opted to tackle such conditions is in order to be in a position to exploit some much more favourable conditions further along the track, in particular those level with the NE’ly tradewinds off Portugal and further to the South”. Sylvain Mondon from Météo France
Groupama 3 Crew Preparing For Jules Verne (Photo by Eric Loizeau)
Less than a day since Groupama’s announcement that it is renewing its partnership with the French sailor Franck Cammas until 2015, the skipper is announcing the switch to code green. This colour means that Groupama 3, on stand-by in Brest since 1st November, will set off on Thursday 5th November on her bid to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy, a round the world record attempt under sail.
50 days and 16 hours: this is the time to beat in order to snatch the record for the fastest yacht to circumnavigate the globe. Since 2005 the record has been in the hands of Bruno Peyron aboard the maxi catamaran Orange 2.
For his second attempt at the record, Franck Cammas has put together the perfect team to steer Groupama 3 through what is a hostile yet fascinating universe: “The time to beat is very quick. In order to succeed, besides an excellent boat, you need a crew which blends experience, performance and solidarity. As such a loyal and ambitious partner is required, which has been the case with Groupama for over twelve years. The renewal of our partnership until 2015 is an additional source of motivation in paying Groupama back for the trust they’ve shown in me” says the French skipper.
Accompanying him in this round the world adventure via the three capes are the loyal members of the Groupama team: Swiss sailor Stève Ravussin with whom Franck has already won two Transat Jacques Vabres, Fred Le Peutrec, Loïc Le Mignon, Ronan Le Goff as well as Jacques Caraës. Alongside them are some newcomers to the team in the form of Lionel Lemonchois, reigning champion of the Route du Rhum, Thomas Coville, solo Transatlantic recordman, Stan Honey, winning American navigator from the Volvo Ocean Race as well as Bruno Jeanjean, World Champion Match Racer.
This dream team has been preparing for the attempt in earnest since the start of the year, covering 15,000 miles or two thirds of a circumnavigation of the globe since that time: “We know each other well, we get on well and we’re eager to go, even though we know it will be difficult. Circumnavigating the globe under sail as fast as we can isn’t something you do everyday. We’ll have to be quick without causing Groupama 3 to suffer and by manoeuvring her well. Added to that we’ll have to choose the best course” adds the skipper.
Watching the weather for the past week, Franck Cammas, Stan Honey and Sylvain Mondon from Météo France appreciate the quality of the window opening up on Thursday: “There’s going to be strong winds and big seas off Brest with 30 knots of breeze and five metre waves. We’re going to be shaken about at the start but, from Cape Finisterre, the wind will become more favourable. We should then be able to smoothly hook onto the trade winds” wrote the skipper of skipper of Groupama 3 in an email to his nine crew yesterday.
This analysis is confirmed by Sylvain Mondon who will be accompanying Groupama 3 throughout his attempt from his office at Météo France in Toulouse: “The weather window expected for Groupama 3′s Jules Verne Trophy attempt isn’t exactly classic for this type of attempt. Indeed, by choosing to set off on Thursday 5th November, just after the passage of an active zone with numerous squalls and strong gusts in what are still big seas, Franck Cammas and his men haven’t taken the easy option. This is evident in the strong NW’lies which are set to blow across the Bay of Biscay until Thursday morning, picking up big seas (waves in excess of 6m), calling for the crew to be prudent.
Though Groupama 3 is setting off in such conditions for the first 24 hours at sea, things are likely to be much more favourable for the next stage in the proceedings. The NE’ly tradewinds will notably be established and steady as far as the Cape Verde archipelago. This tradewind configuration is very different from the conditions Groupama 3 experienced in 2007 during the previous attempt with numerous remnants from recent storms originating from a low between the Canaries and the Azores.
As far as the Southern Atlantic is concerned, it is still too early to have an accurate idea of what awaits Franck Cammas and his crew. Nevertheless, the overall conditions can be described as favourable with established SE’ly tradewinds to the South of the equator and the Saint Helena High is expected to be a little closer to Africa rather than South America”.
In Brest this evening for a final crew supper, the ten men on Groupama 3 intend to leave the quayside at the port of Le Château on Thursday at 1100 hours, in order to present themselves on the start line for the Jules Verne Trophy between 1600 and 1700 hours local time, in front of the Créac’h lighthouse on the island of Ushant.
The Crew of Groupama 3
Three watches of three people:
• Franck Cammas, Loïc Le Mignon, Jacques Caraës
• Stève Ravussin, Thomas Coville, Bruno Jeanjean
• Fred Le Peutrec, Lionel Lemonchois, Ronan Le Goff
• Stan Honey, navigator, off watch
Challenge and Adventure wishes Franck Cammas and Crew Good Luck and a safe journey.
Groupama 3 (Photo by George Bekris)
Today, at the Race HQ for the Jules Verne Trophy in Paris, Frédérique Granado, Director of external communications at Groupama and Franck Cammas, skipper of the maxi trimaran, presented the crew who will be setting off on their latest adventure from 1st November onwards. Their mission is to break the round the world record under sail, held since 2005 by Bruno Peyron on Orange 2 with a time of 50 days and 16 hours…
Tanned, cheerful and smiling broadly, the crew aboard Groupama 3 are keen to get going and rediscover the three oceans for which they have been actively preparing for several years. Back from a 7-day preparation session in the Mont Blanc massif under Eric Loizeau, Franck Cammas’ crew made a stopover at the Groupama Press HQ, 21 Bld Malesherbes in Paris’ 8th district, in order to present their challenge to the press.
This challenge crowns a twelve year partnership with Groupama since it was back in 1997 that the first sailing contract with Franck Cammas was signed:
“We have assessed the benefits of sailing sponsorship for the Group. Today, the French brand Groupama is one of the most ingrained on people’s minds within the sailing universe and its image has made huge steps in terms of daring, opening and modernity. The human adventure and forward thinking of this project has also increased the cohesion of our 38,500 employees and our 70,000 representatives” explains Frédérique Granado. “Competitive sailing is the perfect illustration of the tenacity, the taste for action, controlled risk and the sense of innovation that form part of Groupama’s identity. Now, sailing plays an important role in the influence of the brand in France as well as overseas, as we were able to witness during this year’s Route of the Subsidiaries”.
A familiar face in its Paris premises, the skipper of Groupama 3 presented his crew one by one. Among its ranks are a whole score of champions of international renown, such as Stan Honey, Stève Ravussin, Lionel Lemonchois as well as Thomas Coville: “I put my crew together by naturally favouring competence, as well as performance and motivation. These three qualities are dependent upon the ability to live together for around fifty days in a small space and in a fairly hostile universe. Initially this is what the success of our attempt revolves around” analyses Franck Cammas.
“In relation to our previous attempts, four new crew members have joined us. Stan Honey is replacing Yves Parlier in the navigation, Bruno Jeanjean is replacing Yann Dekker who’s aboard Alinghi, as is the case for Franck Proffit who’s replaced by Lionel Lemonchois and Sébastien Audigane by Thomas Coville. On paper and above all onboard during training, it’s the dream team. The remaining six crew, which might be described as the elders, have been aboard Groupama 3 since her launch in 2006: Stève Ravussin, Fred Le Peutrec, Loïc Le Mignon, Ronan Le Goff and Jacques Caraës”.
With an average of two victorious circumnavigations of the globe per crewman, with the exception of Cammas, Ravussin and Jeanjean, Groupama 3′s crew may be described as experienced. If we add to the mix the fact that three of them are already Jules Verne Trophy holders, that three of them have also won the Route du Rhum, one the Volvo Ocean Race and that together they broke the Trans-Mediterranean record this year, it can safely be said that performance goes hand in hand with their experience and competence.
There are now just two elements remaining to be victorious in their quest for the Holy Grail: to benefit from favourable weather conditions before setting off from Ushant and rounding the three capes, as well as to conserve Groupama 3 to ensure she makes it to the finish after sailing over 40,000 kilometres at high speed in what are often difficult seas, at times bordering on zones of ice, far away from any inhabited land: “In relation to our first round the world attempt, we’ve made a great deal of progress. This has been achieved by significantly reinforcing Groupama 3′s floats as well as covering a vast number of miles with two aims: to test the structure so as to gain confidence and get to know the boat better so as to go faster” continues Franck Cammas.
With ten days until the start of the stand-by period set for 1st November, the skipper of Groupama 3 can count on Sylvain Mondon, an expert router at Météo France, to analyse the forecasts on a daily basis and detect a good window sufficiently early to enable the crew to get to the boat: “To set off in good conditions, we’ll need 20 to 25 knots of NE’ly breeze, which will enable us to reach the equator in five to six days. Unfortunately we cannot anticipate how things are going to pan out after that, particularly as regards the position of the Saint Helena High. However, it’s the same scenario for all the challengers”.
Thanks to the colour code system put in place (red, orange, yellow and green), the crew don’t have to wait in Lorient or Brest for the fateful hour. Based in the United States, Brazil, Switzerland and France, the crew are given at least 72 hours’ warning before a probable departure. They have to be onboard 24 hours before the boat leaves the quayside on her way to the start line off Ushant.
Such organisation plays on Franck Cammas’ mind: “Experience has taught me that stand-by periods are tricky to handle as you can’t make any plans or organise anything for longer than three days. Analysing the weather forecasts is a good thing, but we prefer action. As such, if a good window presents itself early on, all ten of us will be very happy to set off on this extraordinary adventure that is a circumnavigation of the globe under sail. We have an exceptional boat in Groupama 3. It’s up to us to get the best out of her to beat the record set by Orange 2 and Bruno Peyron four years ago”.
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
• Each watch lasts three hours
• One watch on deck, one watch on stand-by ready to perform manoeuvres, one watch totally resting
The record to beat has been held since 2005 by Bruno Peyron on Orange 2 in 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes at an average speed of 17.89 knots. Lionel Lemonchois, Ronan Le Goff and Jacques Caraës were aboard.
