Groupama 3 - tacking

Jules Verne Trophy.

Still in the high pressure which is stagnating off Argentina, Groupama 3 is trying to make as much headway as possible to the North. In order to do this, Franck Cammas and his men are having to tack in line with every shift to exploit these transitions: seven tack changes have been made since Sunday afternoon.

Very attentive to the slightest wind shift since this weekend, Franck Cammas and navigator Stan Honey are remaining concentrated to exploit these rotations. Right now it's very much like a virtual race against Orange 2 with five years separation, and the giant trimaran is rather at ease since she has been designed for these light to moderate headwinds. However, the crew of Groupama 3 is having to react very quickly all the same, which isn't always easy at night, beneath an overcast sky and a waning moon. As such they're zigzagging their way northward.

With the central hull just kissing the surface of the water, the helmsmen are taking it in turns to keep the giant trimaran making headway on a single leeward float and at around 0900 UTC, Groupama 3 had put in her final tack change of the day. Indeed the wind had clocked round to the N and was gradually shifting round to the NE early this afternoon: the average speed was increasing to in excess of twenty knots again and the separation between her and Orange 2 was beginning to stabilise at 325 miles...

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This is one of the very few sports whose techniques never quite match the demand... more