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2010/02/06-11h42
5 days 19 hours 07 minutes!
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| Jules Verne Trophy 2009 - 2010 |
| Groupama 3 crossed the equator this Saturday morning at 09h 02' 40'' UTC), recording the second best time in the history of
the Jules Verne Trophy and a round the world under sail... Franck Cammas and his nine crew are now making headway in the SE'ly
tradewinds of the Southern hemisphere.
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 One day seven hours forty-nine minutes better than the reference time set in the circumnavigation of the globe in 2005 by
Bruno Peyron and his crew: As such Groupama 3 is well inside the timing for the Jules Verne Trophy and the negotiation of
the tricky meteorological phases since Ushant has gone remarkably smoothly thanks to the quick reactions of Franck Cammas'
crew and the onshore router, Sylvain Mondon from Météo France. Indeed they've certainly had their fair share of hazards along
the way! The latest of these was the unplanned change in sailing conditions after traversing the Doldrums at around 2000 hours
UTC on Friday at 4° North...
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Double troubleThe SE'ly tradewinds were already shuddering into life at around twenty knots when another mass of storms formed ahead of
the bows of the giant trimaran, at around 2° North... She didn't come to a complete standstill, but there was a significant
reduction in pace since the average speed dropped from 25 knots to a lowly fifteen! Once again there was more than sixty miles
of zigzagging between the cumulonimbus in store to avoid the calms and benefit from the puffs of air rippling across what
wasn't a totally smooth racing zone. However, this slight hitch only delayed the remarkable passage time by a few hours! Indeed,
in 5 days 19 hours 7 minutes, Groupama 3 has covered over 3,000 miles in relation to the direct route, that is an average
speed since leaving Ushant (Sunday 31st January at 13h 53' 55' UTC) of 22 knots! However, most significant of all is their
lead of 1 day 7 hours 49 minutes over the reference time.
This Saturday morning, the giant trimaran is sailing close-hauled
in around twenty knot SE'ly tradewinds and will have to extend her tack along the Brazilian coast for several days, as she
waits for the wind to progressively shift round to the North in her bid to round the Saint Helena High. The aim now is to
hook onto a low forming over South America in order to hit the downwind conditions which will propel Groupama 3 towards the
Roaring Forties and the next `course mark': the Cape of Good Hope!
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Jules Verne Trophy reference time between Ushant and the equator
2005: Orange 2 (7d 02h 56')
Groupama 3's
time on the section between Ushant - equator
6th February 2010: 5d 19h 07'
Jules Verne Trophy reference
time between Ushant and the Cape of Good Hope
2005: Orange 2 (14d 08h 19')
Best time on the section between
Ushant - Cape of Good Hope
2008: Groupama 3 (13d 08h 47')
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