Valencia Sailing sails on Groupama 3

It's not often that one gets the chance to sail together with one of the world's best and most famous multihull sailors, so when Franck Cammas and Groupama came to Valencia there was no way we could miss such an opportunity. So, Friday was media day for Groupama and a group of 10 journalists went for a ride on Groupama 3. In fact, the giant trimaran is currently touring the Mediterranean, stopping in each country the French insurance group has a presence. The yacht arrived in Valencia from Tunisia and will then continue to Lisbon for another week of marketing and corporate hospitality.

Cammas and his crew hoisted the sails just after leaving the canal and then sailed on a simple straight line for approximately three quarters of an hour, giving the journalists onboard the opportunity to helm the giant multihull and feel what it's like to steer such a yacht. After approxiametly 10 miles we turned around and then headed back to our starting point in order to disembark on the tender and let the second group of guests come aboard.

Franck Cammas and Groupama 3 take journalists for a ride. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

It goes without saying that the actual 33rd America's Cup will be completely different and the crews will not consist of absolute beginners that go for a ride during a nice and sunny day in Valencia. Still, even that approximation gave us the opportunity to sense what the Cup match would look like. During the 2-hour sail the breeze was light, starting from 6 knots at 11am and reaching 8.5 knots at 1pm, with some peaks of 9 knots in between. Still, despite the relaxed atmosphere aboard, boat speed never got below 12.5 knots and managed to stay over 15 knots most of the time. The peak was 16.2 knots when Cammas took over at some point.

Our fear is that when BMW Oracle's USA and Alinghi's Suisse hit the water, wherever this might be, even in similarly light conditions, we might witness that most spectator-unfriendly race. According to Cammas and his crew, BOR 90 would have been much faster than Groupama 3 this morning and, obviously, the Alinghi boat must be at least equal in performance. What will we get? Two giant yachts that are indeed impressive at the beginning of the race but then disappear into the horizon.

Franck Cammas and Groupama 3 take journalists for a ride. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Even if we only sailed 10 miles (half the 20 miles of each leg in a Dee-of-Gift race) it was impossible to even vaguely distinguish Valencia's tallest skyscrapers. Not only that, we were lucky to have flat seas that looked more like the Geneva lake than the Mediterranean. Imagine a race with 12 knots of wind and choppy seas. The wine-drinking and tapas-eating VIP's will have a hard time following the two yachts.

That doesn't mean we wouldn't like to see the 33rd America's Cup match take place here in Valencia, right on the contrary. We only hope it's over as soon as possible and that none of the two parties takes any additional legal measures that will prevail a conventional Cup from happening in the near future.

Groupama 3 docked in front of the BMW Oracle base. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Groupama 3 docked in front of the BMW Oracle base. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The small rib under Groupama 3. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Going for a ride on Groupama 3. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Franck Cammas and his crew grind while guests helm. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Going for a ride on Groupama 3. Valencia, 12 June 2009. Video copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing