Video: First two days of Groupama 3's round-the-world record attempt

[Source: Cammas-Groupama] In a N-NE'ly breeze of around twenty knots, Groupama 3 is able to hurtle along with all her sail aloft at an average speed of nearly thirty knots. With the wind set to continue to shift round this Saturday evening, Franck Cammas and his nine crew will gybe onto a tack taking them due South towards the equator.

A good night for rest and a fine day for this start to the weekend: Groupama 3 is maintaining average speeds of around 28 knots and at noon this Saturday she was sailing about a hundred miles to the NW of Madeira. Since Friday evening, the deficit in relation to 2005's reference time has stabilised at about thirty miles or so. However, as Franck Cammas and his crew have curved a course out to the West with the NE'ly wind rotation, they're set to lose a little more ground until the point where they gybe.

First 2 days of sailing for Groupama 3. Off the Canary Islands, 7 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

In view of Bruno Peyron's trajectories in 2005 and that of Groupama 3's at the moment, there is a big discrepancy due to the different weather conditions. Orange 2 opted for a route taking them closer to the direct course through the Canaries, while Franck Cammas and his men are slipping along to the West to get free of the effects of the volcanic land masses. The catamaran didn't have a very good third day at sea as a result of the islands, which entailed a large number of manoeuvres, whilst the giant trimaran will have just a single gybe to perform this weekend. With the wind gradually shifting round to the NE, Groupama 3's wake will take the form of a gull's wing outline with a very pure course taking them straight down towards the equator. The change of hemispheres is scheduled for the sixth day...