Groupama likely to break Trans-Atlantic record

8:03 AM Sun 2 Aug 2009 GMT

'Groupama closing in on the finish point off the Lizard at 0700 on 02 Aug 2009 UTC.' Click Here to view large photo

Report as of 1855hrs on 01 August 2009, on the current progress they should cross the finish transit around 1430hrs UTC. A second French trimaran, Banque Populaire may be the ultimate record holder, being in approximately the same position from Groupama, but having left New York two and a half hours later.:

With building seas and easing winds, Groupama 3 is beginning her touchdown phase on the approach to the English coast at the end of this record attempt between New York and Lizard Point. The reference time to beat (4d 03h 57' 54') is still in the sights of Franck Cammas and his nine crew as their ETA is Sunday afternoon...

It is becoming increasingly likely that the Transatlantic Record will be beaten hands down by both trimarans, which set off from the Ambrose Light in New York on Wednesday evening. With less than 700 miles to go, Groupama 3 was still making headway at over thirty knots and should maintain an average speed of in excess of 25 knots, even when the wind eases. As such she is set to cross the finish line midway through Sunday afternoon with a lead of at least five hours.

'Since Friday morning, Groupama 3 has been sailing ahead of a disturbed system which formed over Canada and widened as it traversed the Atlantic. The S to SW'ly wind of 25-30 knots which enabled Franck Cammas and his crew to cover an exceptional distance over a 36 hour period, reached its peak on Saturday afternoon with 30-35 knots of breeze, gusting higher. At the same time the seas are building and this development is no longer favourable to very high speeds, but it's only early Saturday evening that the wind will begin to ease as the cold front further out to the West becomes less active. The SW'ly wind will then slowly run out of puff once Groupama 3 is sailing between the Bay of Biscay and the Irish Sea. The seas will remain fairly built-up with a NW'ly swell which will superimpose itself into the waves coming across from the SW as far as the entrance to the English Channel' explained Sylvain Mondon from M?t?o France.

Under four days...
As such the sailing conditions will, somewhat paradoxically, become harder aboard Groupama 3, even though the speeds are already starting to drop off slowly. Indeed the beam seas aren't favourable for attacking, but Groupama 3's position around sixty miles to the South of the direct route, is enabling her some play with her course so she can adapt to the state of the waves. Franck Cammas and his nine crew have already reached some exceptional speeds since they've covered 857.5 miles in 24 hours at the average speed of 35.7 knots! As a result, in the space of three days (this Saturday at 20h12'16' UT), the trimaran will have devoured over 2,100 miles...

As to the duel with Pascal Bid?gorry and his men, it's not over yet: the two boats were approximately the same distance from the goal this Saturday at 1530 hours UT, but Banque Populaire V had a margin of 2hrs35 over Groupama 3 as the former set out from New York later. The end of the course promises to be a little more technical to negotiate with wind shifts and alternating squalls and calm spells, which means there's still room for deficits to be recovered. In any case, it is highly likely that the two trimarans will finish within a few tens of miles of each other, each of them in turn beating the Transatlantic Record at an average of over 31 knots and in under four days!

by Frank Cammas- Groupama and Sail-World

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