Crossroads in the Indian Ocean for Groupama 3

Whilst the situation is improving along 48° South, Groupama 3 is likely to cut across the virtual course of Orange II late this Tuesday afternoon, providing a precise indication of the giant trimaran’s lead over the reference time. Indeed, in real terms this day’s separation remains stable despite the rather unfavourable weather conditions…

All routes lead to the Horn, but some are easier than others! And no matter what the trajectory, the essential ingredient on the menu is speed! Indeed, Groupama 3 is wondering just what this Deep South is all about as conditions have not been very favourable and after three days of swell on the beam, a day of transition and a good 24 hours of slipping along nicely, here the giant trimaran has found itself under a front, which it is unable to overtake… Of course, the speeds are surprising in these breezes, which don’t exceed twenty-five knots. Franck Cammas and his men are making headway all the same, but without being able to express the boat's true potential… As they pass the longitude of Cape Leeuwin tomorrow, Wednesday, they can but hope that the situation improves!

“We’re not managing to catch up with the front, which is just 160 miles ahead of us and, between it and the breezes behind, there is a zone of relatively light winds. We’ll have to get ahead of it to get going but, unfortunately, we can't get past it straightaway… As a result we’re being forced to zigzag.”

Still inside the time

Whilst the time difference is beginning to make its presence felt between Race HQ in Paris and the trimaran, which “enters into the cover of darkness’ at around 1400 UT and bathes in the full austral summer with just six hours of nightfall, the sailing conditions remain quite bearable for the crew, who have yet to experience the icy winds of the Antarctic! Nevertheless, Groupama 3 is currently positioned at 48° South, around 800 miles to the E of the Kerguelen Islands and over 1,200 miles to the SW of Cape Leeuwin. A manageable sea but a shifty wind, mean that a steady speed isn’t feasible, though in relation to Orange II, their lead remains stable…

“We have one reef in the mainsail and staysail in 25 knots of W to SW’ly winds on starboard tack. The aim is to position ourselves in readiness for the next stage of the course, but we know we won't save many miles on this course. We have a problem with a low, which is being created to our North, which will generate some very strong winds: we’ll have to avoid this zone and in order to do this, it’s best to let it get ahead of us. We’re trying to weave our way through, but it's not evident. On a positive note, the seas remain manageable.”

Now making a 'cruising' speed of over 22 knots, Franck Cammas and his nine crew have been able to recuperate after the difficult days they’ve had to endure since the Cape of Good Hope. The impact due to the beam swell has eased and the minimum of comfort for sleeping has been regained… The giant trimaran is still at 100% of its potential as the bulkhead on the beam has been repaired. The ten men are rested and have been toughened up by nearly three weeks at sea! Of course, they will still be champing at the bit prior to slipping along on the big S'ly swell, but within the next couple of days, Groupama 3’s lead should extend by hundreds of miles at a time! The latter part of the Indian is shaping up to be a cowboy ride… the horse power letting itself loose.

Interview from Franck Cammas

“We’ve made a lot of use of the information from the sailors who have preceded us in the Deep South this winter. We know we won't have any icebergs at the moment, but we'll have to climb level with New Zealand in the Pacific. Right now, we’re keeping a radar and visual watch, but the aim above all is to avoid this zone of ice. At the moment, it’s rather wet aboard: nothing dries! We’ll have to wait till three days after Cape Horn before we can have dry clothes... The nights last around six hours but they are moonless: there is one watch, which sails totally in the dark! All in all, it’s rather cloudy just now and there isn’t a lot of activity in this neck of the woods… No mammals and fewer birds: we are really a long way from any land! When you look on a map, you can see that we’re very isolated but the waves remain the same: we're really getting a sense of the particular atmosphere of this spatial separation …”

Live tracking of Groupama 3 is available here.