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.
