In search of the lost wind on Groupama 3

Groupama 3 is in a bizarre situation at 51° South, just a few hundred miles from Cape Leeuwin and unable to free itself from a strong, disruptive front... The N'ly wind has suddenly backed to the West as it eases and their lead over the reference time is melting like an iceberg in a tropical sea!

A chilly atmosphere and a rather morose ambiance with a colourless sky and moonless nights, make this a far from settling experience, as Frédéric Le Peutrec beautifully described during the radio session: "There is good humour aboard even though it's not easy to sail in the South at the moment. You have to know how to be patient and wait and see what the next day brings, hoping for better things to come: we still have a slight lead over Orange II and it's not a matter of life or death... The coming situation is shaping up and it doesn't look like it'll be very easy to negotiate either... In times of difficulty, you have to retain your enthusiasm and don't sink into yourself! We are ready to seize the opportunity which is bound to come along at some time or other."

Evanescent breeze and asthmatic puffs of air

Who would have thought the Indian Ocean, which spans 73,426,000 km² and harbours the amazing moon fish in its waters, would suffer from such a `feeling of exhaustion'! Indeed, it has slowed Groupama 3 to less than twenty knots and has distilled her lead over Orange II to less than 400 miles! Pushed by a breathless wind, the giant trimaran is having to make a course 90° from the direct route at times in order to extract herself from this airless trap. Not surprisingly, Franck Cammas and his nine crew are impatient to begin barrelling along once more...

"We're approaching Australia and there is some high pressure under the continent, which is forcing us into a fairly S'ly position to pass below it. For several days, we have been running along behind a front, which could have enabled us to get into a N'ly wind and catch up with a high pressure airflow. Unfortunately the front is moving a little bit quicker than us! This lunch time, we have little air and big but manageable seas, which are enabling us to slip along gently: the boat goes fast in these conditions, which is one of its great qualities... We've just gybed to make ground towards the SE. We're hunting for a way through under fairly clear skies, with some pretty cold temperatures and the water at 6°C, but it's not at all wet on deck! One dry day under full mainsail, gennaker and staysail... It's a bit frustrating and we are impatient to find a constant wind: we're managing a few bursts of speed but it's difficult linking these moves together. You can feel that Groupama 3 has the power under her bonnet and that she has the potential to outdistance Orange II without any problem!" enthused Fred Le Peutrec in conclusion.

Cape Leeuwin won't be a very positive passage point for Groupama 3 then, which has conceded a considerable amount of ground in relation to the reference time. However, the giant trimaran is still likely to improve on the record established by Orange II in 2005 by crossing the Indian Ocean (Cape Agulhas - Southern Tasmania) in less than 9 days 11 hours 4 minutes.

Interview with Frédéric Le Peutrec, second helmsman

"Each of us has sufficient experience on the water to understand what's happening, that the systems are not homogenous. It's no secret: to helm well you have to know where you're going! The information usually circulates to the rhythm of the digital files..."

"It's nightfall for us: we're getting to the other end of the globe so our rhythms are the diametric opposite of yours! We've switched over onto Australian time: shifting three hours in three hours. The aim is to remain in phase with the local time so as we can have our breakfast in the morning and not in the middle of the night... We're sleeping well at the moment because we're not being shaken about too much and sleep is better at night. We don't always sleep during our look out watch, which enables us to do odd jobs, prepare the meals, clean the bilges, dry clothes...

The more time goes on, the more our little community distances itself from the outside world on land... but thanks to emails, we can regularly make exchanges in writing. We get our mail everyday! Sometimes there's a queue in front of the computer... We can have news of everything that is happening on land and we discuss all the various subjects quite a lot, from politics, to love, to sport, to families... and sometimes, there are some great moments of silence! It's not a boat of quiet people... but there aren't any slanging matches either!"

Live tracking of Groupama 3 is available here.