Groupama Team Set to Go on Every Front

Groupama 3 off Marseille. Image copyright Claude Almodovar.

by Vincent Borde and Caroline Muller

As he'll be taking the helm of the Groupama 3 trimaran on Friday in an attempt to beat the Mediterranean crossing record between Marseilles and Carthage, Franck Cammas has called upon Gildas Philippe to replace him at the helm of the Groupama 40 catamaran in Venice, where the first event in the iShares Cup circuit is being held.

In Brief:
- Code green for Groupama 3 and Franck Cammas' crew - departure from Marseilles scheduled tomorrow morning, in a bid to break the Mediterranean record.
- Gildas Philippe takes the helm of Groupama 40 in the first round of the iShares Cup season in Venice.

Groupama 3 in the starting-blocks:
On weather watch for the past week, Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama 3, and Sylvain Mondon from Météo France, have just confirmed the presence of a favourable weather window to tackle the Mediterranean crossing record held by Bruno Peyron for the past five years, with a time of 17 hours and 56 minutes on Orange II. Moored in the port of Estaque in Marseilles, Groupama 3 is all set to go and the seven crew are converging on the city to depart for Carthage, some 458 nautical miles away, on Friday morning.

A fast boat and some favourable weather conditions:
"To stand a chance of making the crossing in as fast a time as Bruno Peyron and his crew (an average of 25.53 knots), the weather conditions must be favourable throughout the course, which seems to be the case even though we'll have to make a series of tacks under gennaker and hence sail further. We've optimised Groupama 3 by getting rid of any surplus gear and by sailing with seven crew as opposed to the usual ten. Indeed the duration of the record (17hrs56) enables us to complete the journey in one go, without the need to sleep. Our crew is excellent with, in particular, the arrival of Lionel Lemonchois and Thomas Coville" says Franck Cammas.

Sylvain Mondon explains the weather scenario: "Of particular note on Friday is a change in air flow as the tramontana becomes established. Right from the outset Groupama 3 will head off with the NW'ly breeze in order to benefit from downwind conditions and what will still be calm seas. This air flow must last all the way to Tunisia. It's a very tight gap but it is enough. The wind angle isn't optimal, which means there will be a lot of manoeuvres. Groupama 3 will have to put in a series of tacks. However the wind strength should be sufficient to beat the record. The current routing gives a time of around 16 hrs."

Groupama 3 crew
1) Franck Cammas
2) Frédéric Le Peutrec
3) Stève Ravussin
4) Loïc Le Mignon
5) Ronan Le Goff
6) Lionel Lemonchois
7) Thomas Coville (The skipper of Sodeb'O is currently on stand-by for the Discovery Route record. However, no window is presenting itself so Thomas will be aboard Groupama 3)
On shore: Sylvain Mondon (weather adviser)

The course time, from Marseilles to Carthage: 458 miles
The start line lies abeam of the Pomegues lighthouse located at the exit from the harbour of Marseilles, on the islands of Frioul. The logical route takes you towards the Golfe de Tunis, leaving Corsica and Sardinia to port.
The finish line is positioned abeam of the Ras Quartajamah lighthouse, on Cap Carthage, near Sidi Bou Saïd.

Memo:
• The trimaran Groupama 3 on stand-by from 6th May to 2nd June 2009 in Marseilles, in the port of Estaque
• The time to beat: 17 hours 56 minutes 33 seconds
• The current record holder: Bruno Peyron aboard the catamaran Orange II on 25th September 2004 (average speed: 25.53 knots)
• The number of nautical miles to cover: 458 miles

During the record
Once the start line is crossed, a detailed cartography will be updated every ten minutes. As such Groupama's 3's position, speed and heading will be accessible on the website www.cammas-groupama.com

Groupama 40 in Venice for the first round of the iShares Cup 2009 circuit:
With Franck Cammas' service being called upon aboard Groupama 3 for the record attempt, it's Gildas Philippe who'll take the helm of Groupama 40. This sailor from Douarnenez in NW France holds a score of world titles in dinghy sailing and ranked 5th in the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 in the 470, added to which he has already held a position aboard Groupama 2 which dates back to 2005. The possibility of being a replacement arose a considerable while back and as such Gildas and the Groupama 40 team trained together last April in Valencia. In terms of crew cohesion, the guys know each other well and are hence well run in.

Gildas Philippe: "This replacement hasn't been done at a moment's notice. I agreed to replace Franck last winter and I've organised myself so as I could be present if I were needed. As regards the team, we all know each other and have already sailed together a fair amount. As far as the Extreme 40 Groupama is concerned, it's a sports boat that I'm just discovering. Nevertheless, I've sailed quite a lot on a Tornado, which is fairly similar, as well as a 60 foot multihull. As such things should go alright!"

Tanguy Cariou, a fellow crew from Douarnenez, knows Gildas well through having sailed with him on the 470 and having won several prestigious titles with him: "We've chosen Gildas for his unquestionable talent and also because our whole team know and appreciate him. Our aim with him or with Franck at the helm of Groupama 40 is the same: to rank as highly as possible!"

Awaiting the crew of Groupama 40 over the next three days are eight races per day across small scale courses, and an exceptional race zone situated just off Saint Mark's Square. Hostilities begin tomorrow afternoon, Friday.

Groupama 40 crew:
1) Gildas Philippe (Helm)
2) Tanguy Cariou (Tactician and Mainsail Traveller)
3) Thierry Fouchier (Genoa and Mainsail Trimming)
4) Bruno Jeanjean (No.1)

Cammas - Groupama
iShares Cup