Stève Ravussin at the helm of Groupama 3. Image copyright Team Groupama.
by Vincent Borde and Caroline Muller
The sailing conditions will become harder this Saturday evening with the arrival of a cold front via the West, which is set to catch up with Groupama 3 whilst causing the wind to shift round to the same sector. As a result the giant trimaran is being forced to climb upwards and is likely to gybe at least a couple of times to line herself up with the third cap...
Cape Horn - its very utterance conjures up images of the wind you expect to find there. Hoorn, the town which gave its name to this promontory, this peak, this black, dismal, grim, steep isle, surmounted by an improbable lighthouse which the majority of Cape Horners haven't had the chance to see. Indeed it seems that the winds and seas, the squalls and fog want to hide what is often referred to as the "Hard Cape"... Another four days then to get the hoped for glimpse of this symbolic milestone, which marks the end of the Southern Ocean...
"Under full mainsail and gennaker, we're slipping along at between thirty and thirty-five knots: it's going well! There's no violence in the conditions, other than the fact that it's cold... That comes as quite a change since we plunged to the SE after Tasmania. It's wet and things are steaming up a bit inside the boat. We're really beginning to get accustomed to these average speeds now. Cape Horn is our next course mark, at which point we hope to have a slight lead over the reference time before we begin our ascent of the Atlantic. If everything goes to plan, we have every chance of extending our lead a little... if the sea state doesn't deteriorate too much" explained Fred Le Peutrec at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama's Race HQ in Paris.
Moonlit accompaniment!
A lead of almost a day on this 27th day at sea: 570 miles ahead of Orange 2's virtual wake. Furthermore Groupama 3 is continuing to streak ahead at a rate of 130 miles a day! Indeed even though Bruno Peyron and his crew were able to lengthen their stride in the Pacific Ocean, Franck Cammas and his men certainly aren't being outdone with thirty knots still visible on their speedo.
"There will be a full moon tomorrow, Sunday: it's very pleasant and the extra light is enabling us to helm more accurately so we can catch onto the waves. The nights only last around six hours with a long twilight and a big dawn. We're at the most isolated point from civilisation, but we're closing on land quickly! We'll make Cape Horn fairly soon, however we're going to have a little more breeze than forecast. As such we'll have to fully bear away, close to the following wind, which will enable us to withstand some fairly strong winds. The sea is set to run in line with this stiff breeze, which shouldn't stop us from sailing fast."
The all-pervading cold
Groupama 3 leaves Auckland Island behind her. Image copyright Team Groupama.
This is the most complicated section of a round the world. Indeed making landfall at Cape Horn is the most S'ly point of this Jules Verne Trophy at 55° 58' S and 67° 38' W. Logically, the Chilean islands will be within their sights from Wednesday evening (UTC), but the men on Groupama 3 will have to remain vigilant over the next few days as icebergs have been pinpointed in the area close to the Amundsen Sea. The biting cold of Antarctic is finally making its presence felt ...
"We hoped to be making fast headway along some straight trajectories without putting pressure on the boat and that's exactly what's happening. During The Race in 2001, I recall a more intense cold. Since the start of our entry into the Deep South, things have been going really well. Naturally conversation has touched on our capsize off New Zealand but today the most tangible dangers are the icebergs! The sea temperature is cold and we should pass by the icebergs without seeing them, though we do have a radar. We know they're there... Great lumps of ice without the cartography aren't a virtual danger. We're remaining lax but concentrated."
Groupama 3's log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55' 53'' UTC)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 672 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21th February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
Day 24 (24th February 1400 UTC): 638 miles (lead = 208 miles)
Day 25 (25th February 1400 UTC): 712 miles (lead = 371 miles)
Day 26 (26th February 1400 UTC): 687 miles (lead = 430 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 797 miles (lead = 560 miles)
WSSRC record for the Pacific Ocean crossing (from the South of Tasmania to Cape Horn)
Orange 2 (2005): 8d 18h 08'
Cammas - Groupama
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