Franck Cammas heads south in the Route du Rhum - La Banque Postale

[Source: Groupama] Twenty four hours after a spectacular start, Franck Cammas is continuing his course at a hellish pace. Heading southward, the skipper of Groupama has already passed Cape Finisterre and is beginning his descent along the Spanish coast. Accredited with fourth place due to her SE'ly position, in reality Groupama 3's position is doubtless much envied by her rivals.

"We're trying to pick our way along the eastern edge of the zone of high pressure. For this, it was necessary to go fast and drop down the coast at full pelt by keeping the gennaker aloft. The sailing was borderline at times but we came out of it just fine" said Franck during a quick radio link-up with Press HQ for the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale at midday.

An attacker through and through, the skipper of Groupama 3 benefited from a powerful, fast boat to traverse the Bay of Biscay at high speed despite a sizeable swell and a dark night.

Contacted via telephone at 1600 hours, Jean-Luc Nélias, one of Franck Cammas' weather advisors gave his view of the situation: "The tricky section is in Groupama 3's wake now. It was important not to get caught up by the ridge of high pressure. Franck is carrying everything aloft, as he was at the start, namely full mainsail, staysail and gennaker. He's in good shape and managing to sleep in 20 minute chunks".

By sailing at an average of 23 knots, Groupama 3 is making up nearly 7 miles an hour on the leader of the ranking, Thomas Coville. Positioned further North and West, his Sodebo is logically closer to the finish, but has less pace. This trend could continue over the next few hours, that is unless Thomas decides to strike right out to the West.

Even further to the North and further West, Sydney Gavignet has definitively opted for the great circle route. This is synonymous with the shortest route but also the most testing as the bulk of it will be raced in headwinds. Skippering a trimaran which is theoretically a little less speedy than the other favourites, he's trying his luck by typically committing himself to an option.

Astern but practically following the same line as Groupama 3, Francis Joyon and Yann Guichard are also seeking to make headway to the south. In a less well established wind, they're just a few knots off the pace.

So the daggers are drawn then and it's a fairly uniform fleet in terms of performance, despite the disparity of the trimarans. Once again it's the sailors who will make the difference on what is a demanding course, where the weather may well have a few surprises up its sleeve...

Groupama 70: They're off!

[Source: Team Grouama] Scheduled for 1400 hours local time, the start of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race took place bang on target. The English punctuality didn't favour Groupama 70, who were delayed following a collision with another boat whilst still tied to their mooring. Setting off around fifteen minutes late, Franck Cammas and his crew powered away and managed one by one to overtake 25 of their 27 rivals in some rather harsh sailing conditions and a light worthy of Beken of Cowes.

First to cross the start line, ICAP Leopard and Telefonica Azul put on an exceptional display, firing off at 25 knots into the Solent, the sound which separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland. Despite being over 30 foot longer than the VOR 70, ICAP Leopard, with Sam Davies navigating, got irreparably left behind, as did the rest of the fairly assorted fleet.

Telefonica Blue at the start of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race. Isle of Wight, 23 Aufust 2010. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

During this time, the crew of Groupama 70 attempted to quickly hoist their mainsail. Delayed following a failed manoeuvre by a competitor, which damaged the bow of the VOR 70, Franck Cammas could only watch, powerless, as his main rival, Iker Martinez, skipper of Telefonica, took flight. A double Olympic medallist in the Forty Niner, the Spaniard couldn't have wished for a better start.

It remains to be seen now how the skipper of Groupama 70 will react. Prior to the start, the newcomer to the VOR category had this to say: "We're here to drive the men and Groupama 70 into a corner, as well as to see how we measure up against an experienced, high performance crew".

Having racked up a 5-mile deficit from the outset, Cammas had no other choice but to attack. He too tracked making 25 knots of boat speed, creating fabulous plumes of water in his wake, the skipper was clearly ruling Groupama 70 with a rod of iron.

Once across the Solent, the imposed route will call for a series of tack changes under spinnaker. Favouring a more northerly course, Jean-Luc Nélias, Groupama 70's navigator, was the first to put in a gybe. It's a manoeuvre which, in the breeze, requires perfect synchronisation. Unfortunately this element may well have been somewhat lacking aboard Celox 40, which lost her mast.

Groupama 70 at the start of the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race. Isle of Wight, 23 Aufust 2010. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

With the wind set to remain very steady, the competitors will continue to traverse the English Channel at pace, zigzagging between the numerous cargo ships picking their way across it. Suffice to say that in these conditions, any minutes spent sleeping will be both rare and precious if they are to keep performing well...

Crew of Groupama 70
1. Franck Cammas, skipper
2. Jean-Luc Nélias, navigator
3. Laurent Pagès, watch leader
4. Magnus Woxen, watch leader
5. Charles Caudrelier, trimmer
6. Erwan Israël, trimmer, under 30 years of age
7. Martin Strömberg, trimmer and pitman, under 30 years of age
8. Sébastien Marsset, trimmer and pitman, under 30 years of age
9. Mike Pammenter, bowman, under 30 years of age
10. Martin Krite, bowman, under 30 years of age
11. Yann Riou, media crew

Groupama 70 to take part in Sevenstar round Britain and Ireland race

[Source: Team Groupama] Start RYS line in Cowes, 1400 - Monday 23 August 2010

Created in 1976 by the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Round Britain and Ireland has become a classic over the years. Though it was possible, during the first edition, to cover 1,800 miles (3,200 km) in six stages or without stopovers, today's race is run without stopovers, whatever the length of the competing boats, which ranges between 12 and 30 metres.

For the first time since the purchase of Groupama 70, Franck Cammas and his crew will be up against another VOR 70, she too preparing for the next Volvo Ocean Race: Telefonica Blue, skippered by the Spanish sailor Iker Martinez.

As such the race will be a golden opportunity, nearly a year before the start of the round the world race, to see how they measure up against a formidable competitor, which came third in the last Volvo Ocean Race.

Groupama 70 on her way to Cowes. English Channel, 20 August 2010. Photo copyright Yann Riou / Team Groupama

Prior to casting off from Lorient on Thursday, bound for the race start in Cowes on Monday 23rd August, Franck Cammas gave us a bit more insight into their participation:

>> Why are you participating in the Round Britain and Ireland aboard Groupama 70?
"The Sevenstar will be our first race in Volvo mode because, up till now, we've only raced against IMOCAs. This time, we'll really have a chance to see if we've been working well within the Groupama team since the end of last year. This will allow us to gauge where we stand in relation to the crew of Telefonica Blue, who are very familiar with this type of boat, and there won't be many opportunities like these".

>> So you're going to be battling it out on the water, but what are your aims?
"Our aim is victory. We're going to be pushing both Groupama 70 and her crew, so we can find out what our limits are. It's important to set ourselves a goal and find out what it's like to race whilst under pressure as we've still got a lot to learn. The fact that we're racing against a top quality adversary will enable us to answer certain questions which we wonder about when we're sailing on our own".

>> You'll be racing but in what configuration?
"To prepare for the next Volvo in the best possible conditions, we'll be sailing in a manner which respects the regulations that will be in force, both in terms of the crew composition and the number of sails permitted. We're going to make the most of the opportunity to trial two new sails, as well as some pieces of rigging and deck fittings made by the Groupama Team".

>> To conclude?
"We're really itching to get going. The course is a varied one and the sailing conditions may be difficult. It will also give us a chance to get to know each other better, under true racing conditions".

Crew of Groupama 70
1. Franck Cammas, skipper
2. Jean-Luc Nélias, navigator
3. Laurent Pagès, watch leader
4. Magnus Woxen, watch leader
5. Charles Caudrelier, trimmer
6. Erwan Israël, trimmer, under 30 years of age
7. Martin Strömberg, trimmer and pitman, under 30 years of age
8. Sébastien Marsset, trimmer and pitman, under 30 years of age
9. Mike Pammenter, bowman, under 30 years of age
10. Martin Krite, bowman, under 30 years of age
11. Yann Riou, media crew

Video: Groupama 70 races in Transmanche

Groupama has just published an interesting video, albeit in French, from Transmanche, the maiden race for the French Volvo Ocean Race entry. Created in 1985 by the members of the Yacht Club des Abers, the Transmanche has become a classic over the years. Its 220-mile course is extremely simple, in the form of a return trip between the famous Breton Aber and Plymouth's breakwater in the UK.

It is a race reserved for crews sailing double-handed, but with a special invite given to Groupama 70 and the boat that ranked second in the Vendée Globe, the IMOCA 60 Britair skippered by Armel Le Cléach. A bit over 75 competitors raced in this year's Transmanche. Groupama 70 crossed the finish line on Saturday afternoon, having covered 280 miles in around twenty hours, or what amounts to an average speed of 14 knots. "We constantly had a little more wind than that forecast on the grib files. Those one or two extra knots of breeze have a big influence on the average speed" explained Charles Caudrelier on his arrival in Aber Wrach.

For Cammas this was the first chance to test the sailing and shore crew in view of the team's future races, mainly the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, where they will have the opportunity to race against Telefonica. The race is due to start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line on 23rd August. The approximate race distance around the British Isles is some 1760 miles and the first yachts should cross the finishing line about ten days after the start.

Groupama's VO70 takes her maiden race. Aber Wrac'h, 21 May 2010. Video copyright Groupama

The crew aboard Groupama 70 was the following:
1. Franck Cammas, skipper
2. Damian Foxall, watch leader
3. Jean-Luc Nélias, navigator
4. Charles Caudrelier, piano and trimmer
5. Laurent Pagès, watch leader
6. Sébastien Audigane, helmsman and trimmer
7. Magnus Woxen, helmsman and trimmer
8. Philip Harmer, trimmer
9. Michael Pammenter, number 2
10. Martin Krite, number 1
11. Yann Riou, media man
12. Didier Ravon, guest journalist

While we're at it, here's another nice video of how Ericsson 4 became Groupama 70:

Transforming Ericsson 4 into Groupama 70. Video copyright Groupama

Groupama unveils its strategy for the Volvo Ocean Race

[Source: Groupama] This Thursday in Eric Tabarly's Cité de la Voile and then its base in Lorient, vessel owner Groupama and its team, revealed the reasons behind their commitment to the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, the crewed round the world race with stopovers. It proved to be an excellent opportunity for the European insurance and banking group to display its international ambition and for Franck Cammas and his team to vie with the top Anglo-Saxon crews.

"When we committed ourselves to supporting Franck Cammas back in 1998, he was a young sports entrepreneur, who was just discovering the multihull scene. Twelve years on, he has won virtually all the crewed races and racked up no less than six records, including the legendary Jules Verne Trophy on 20th March 2010. By confirming our commitment to the next two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, namely until 2015, we are supporting the Group's international development, which makes 30% of its turnover overseas and employs over 11,000 employees outside France. Groupama is today identified as the leading vessel owner in French sailing. With the Volvo Ocean Race, this presence will further develop overseas" analyses Frédérique Granado, Groupama's director of external communications.



To achieve this, Groupama can count on the complete involvement of its team led by Franck Cammas. Today this team is made up of 45 people and within the workforce it is fairly commonplace to hear English spoken or perhaps French with a slightly exotic accent: "The challenge we've committed ourselves to is a sizeable one. Since 1993 and Eric Tabarly, not a single French team has participated in the Volvo Ocean Race. Up against the top crews from New Zealand, America, Spain and Ireland, it's going to be an intense battle. We're just rediscovering the monohull and we still have a lot to learn. However, we're going about it with as much enthusiasm, seriousness and humility as possible. Thanks to Groupama's commitment, we were the first to put our team together. Making up my entourage are Volvo specialists like Damian Foxall, Ben Wright, Luc Gellusseau, Hervé Le Quilliec as well as Killian Bush, who are joining together with various long-term stalwarts of the Groupama Team like Stéphane Guilbaud, Pierre Tissier, Loïc Dorez, Yann Riou and Olivier Mainguy" explains Franck Cammas.

With the purchase of Ericsson 4, winner of the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, Groupama Team can boast an excellent platform for training and analysis. Rechristened Groupama 70, the Koujoumdjian design is performing an increasing number of sail trials offshore of Lorient in Brittany, where the Team is based.

When the team aren't out sailing, the various members of the Team are participating in the design of the future boat, it too due to be designed by the Franco-Argentine architect: "Unfortunately we didn't have the time to involve the excellent French architects in the work, as they are also only just discovering the restrictions of the class measurement linked to these 70 foot (21.5 metres long) boats. As such we opted for Juan Koujoumdjian, who is based in Valencia, Spain. However, it's actually in nearby Vannes, at the Multiplast yard, that Groupama 4 will be built. This will represent 40,000 man hours and we know the team well because we built the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 with them" adds Franck.

With work having started in the last few days, the construction will take 10 months till her scheduled launch on 15th March 2011. In the meantime, the Groupama skipper will have also taken part in the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale aboard a Groupama 3 adapted to solo sailing, as well as the Extreme Sailing Series Europe aboard the one design catamaran Groupama 40.

Suffice to say that the schedule for the Groupama skipper is a busy one. However, supported by a committed, long-lasting ship owner and an experienced Team, Franck Cammas has what it takes to succeed in his ambitions.

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, talks to Valencia Sailing

There are exactly 18 months left until the start of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante, so it was a good opportunity to have an update from Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race, on the current status of the race. Despite the tough economic climate, there are 7 boats that are either in the race or just about to enter and according to Frostad having ten VOR70's on the starting line in Alicante is tough yet feasible.

Valencia Sailing: Let's start with an update on the current state of affairs of the Volvo Ocean Race, 18 months before its start.
Knut Frostad: As you know, we just have announced the route of the race and this was the big focus for us. Having done that, our main objective right now is to work with the teams. We have been doing that since the beginning of the previous race and we started the process right here in Alicante with a meeting we had with 105 people that weren't part of the 2008-9 VOR. We have been following this group since then and our ambition is to build the biggest sailing event in the world with the all the best sailors in it.

Valencia Sailing: When you say you had 105 people in that meeting do you mean there were 105 potential teams interested in the race?
Knut Frostad: No, it was 105 individuals that corresponded to 30-40 potential teams. Let me give you an example. It is very important for me to bring the French sailing world into the Volvo Ocean Race...

Valencia Sailing: Why?
Knut Frostad: Because we want to be the world's number one offshore sailing event and France is the world's biggest country in offshore sailing, so if they are missing from our event, there is something wrong in my view. You can argue that the French have focused a lot on single-handed sailing, which is a different discipline, but still, France used to be one of the biggest countries in this race. The fact they left was due to a lack of communication and a lack of working together. As a result, in the meeting I mentioned earlier, I had invited Michel Desjoyeaux, Franck Cammas, and a lot of other French sailors.

This process has been going on since then and each time we visited a stopover of this race (the Americas, France, New Zealand, etc) we invited sailors to come and talk to us about what we need to do about the event, in order to make it attractive to them. We talked about reducing costs, helping them with sponsorship, the commercial aspects and so forth.

On the other hand, it's no secret that 2009 has been a very difficult year for the whole world and in some countries, take Spain for example, it's difficult this year as well. So, this is a challenge, but unrelated to the race itself, it's related to the world economy. As a result, anything that is expensive as a professional sport is difficult. This is the general framework. More specifically, we currently have 5 officially entered teams.

Valencia Sailing: How does this compare to the period 18 months prior to the previous edition?
Knut Frostad: Well, I wasn't in this job at that time but all that I can say is that today we know we have 7 boats. We have the 5 boats I mentioned and another 2 that are not in officially yet but that are definitely joining the race. When I came into the race in March 2008 the Spanish teams weren't official, Delta Lloyd didn't exist and Green Dragon didn't have any funding. So, we actually had just 4 boats, one year later than now. In that respect, we are doing much better now.

Valencia Sailing: Will the seven boats be the final number at the starting line?
Knut Frostad: Absolutely not, we are aiming at having 10 boats.


Valencia Sailing: You mentioned the world financial crisis. Do you think that 10 boats is feasible under the current conditions?
Knut Frostad: It is a difficult target but it is feasible. I can guarantee it's not easy. Are we going to be hugely disappointed if at the end we have 8 or 9? I think the fact we have 7 today is fantastic. Don't forget that in the sports of sailing we are the competition that most relies on sponsorship.

In fact, we have much more sponsorship in the Volvo Ocean Race than there is in the America's Cup. Much more!! You can't say that Larry Ellison's money is sponsorship. It's his own private money. At the moment, the Ellisons and Bertarellis of the world are not in the Volvo Ocean Race, although there is speculation about Alinghi entering the race.

Valencia Sailing: Is Alinghi going to enter the Volvo Ocean Race?
Knut Frostad: We'll see but I don't know right now. I know they are looking at it but we don't know yet. In the 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race and in this one, at the moment, we have teams that are 100% funded by commercial sponsorship. That means we have to deliver a return on the sponsor investment but that's also the reason they come to this event and the reason they stay in this event. This is completely different from a lot of other sailing events where there is a big portion of private money. The America's Cup has a lot of private money, the TP52's do as well and the private money takes decisions for other reasons, not necessarily based on return on investment. It can be your personal value, your ego or your personal pleasure. If you have a lot of money you can do that.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm very pleased even if our ambitions have been very high. You have to keep in mind that when the previous edition started in 2008 the financial crisis was just starting. We then had the big crash but it's still very, very hard. Some countries are looking better right now and 2010 could be better than 2009 but in Spain, Portugal or Italy it's still difficult. It's going to take some time for us but that means we have to do a better job, be very good at what we do and also keep focusing on keeping the costs down.

Valencia Sailing: You say that sponsors stay in the event because of the return you deliver on their investment. Why did Ericsson drop out then?
Knut Frostad: You have to ask them, not me. It was an internal decision but I can guarantee you it has nothing to do with us. Every corporation takes its own decisions but we know for fact that it has nothing to with what we did or didn't do.

Valencia Sailing: Since you mentioned the world's rich millionaires why do you think the Volvo Ocean Race doesn't appeal to the Ellisons or Bertarellis of the world? Because they can't sail on the boats?
Knut Frostad: Let me make one thing very clear on that. If Mr Ellison or Mr Bertarelli wanted to race in the Volvo Ocean Race I would obviously welcome them. The point you mention is a very important factor. Our race is very hard and that can be a reason. There is also another reason, we have a very controlled cost regime. In fact, you'll find that in the next race most teams will have quite similar budgets because there isn't so much more you can do. You can't build two boats, you can't build three boats, you can't do any 2-boat testing, you can't build more sails because we control exactly how many sails you build.

As a result, there is no interest in spending 100 million euros. The only thing you can spend money on is pay your sailors an enormous amount of money. Of course, you can do it if you feel like but in the America's Cup you can spend 200 million euros on technology and that's what they do. In the Volvo Ocean Race this will not give you an advantage because you're not allowed to do it. Let me give you an example. For the 2011-12 race you can only build one set of rudders. You can't change your rudders.

Valencia Sailing: But you can also pay Juan Kouyoumdjian many more millions and have him design exclusively for your team.
Knut Frostad: Yes, that's true and you could do that, but Kouyoumdjian will not be able to do any R&D with the boat. You will not be able to do what Ericsson did last time, build one boat, develop it and then design and build a second one. You will not be able to build 10 different rudders and daggerboards or build 5 different masts; you won't be able to do all this any longer.

Regarding the designers, it's impossible to control them. If we prohibit the designers making exclusive arrangements, which we actually looked at, what we are saying is that we force them to sign with two people. What if the designer doesn't work with those two? It's like forcing you to write articles for Valencia Sailing and another media. We don't have the right to do that because they don't work for us, they work for themselves, let alone the fact we can't really control it. To be honest, there is no need to do such a thing because what we actually see is designers offering to work for more teams.

Valencia Sailing: Doesn't Botín have an exclusive deal with Team New Zealand?
Knut Frostad: Not at all. If you want, you can buy the boat design tomorrow. In fact, his project is to design for two or three teams but at the time it's only Camper / Team New Zealand using his services.

Valencia Sailing: Do you see this Volvo Ocean Race becoming a "Juan K one-design round the world race"?
Knut Frostad: No, as I said you already have Botín and there is at least one new designer coming and probably teams that will use boats from the last race.

Valencia Sailing: Let's now talk about the race itself and the route you have just announced. What were your main criteria for choosing a stopover? Is it a purely financial decision? If City A offers 5 million and City B 6 million then it's City B that wins the bidding?
Knut Frostad: No, it's a much more complicated process. First of all let me state that despite the tough financial situation we have received bids from 80 cities, 34 of which in Europe. The stopover ports have to meet a large number of criteria in order to be accepted, such as the space we need, the technical requirements we need, access to frequencies for TV production, just to name a few. In fact, there is a whole book, called the "Bidding Guide". Then they can also differentiate themselves, obviously, financially, in the way they support the team. There are many ways a port can support the team. They can either pay for it, or provide technical assistance or even help them find sponsors. Two things are important to us. Firstly, to have new teams at the start line and secondly to have really good events. So, is money important? Of course money has an impact but at the end when we have two competing cities we always ask the question which city will bring us the best stopover and the answer is a combination of many things.

In many places we had 2-3 options of really great cities. For example, in South America we had 4 cities that all had very close proposals, with very good ideas on things they wanted to do, what they were going to do in the port to bring people. For us, it's not necessary that it looks like the most expensive thing in the world. It's more about how you get a lot of people to have a good time, bring them at the race and this is what we want sailing to be. A public sport. You don't have to sit on a very expensive sofa to be comfortable and have a good time.


Valencia Sailing: Regarding the race route, why did you scrap the scoring gates this time?
Knut Frostad: First of all, we think they were confusing for the public and from the feedback we received we realized that the only thing that mattered in a leg was the finish line. The non-sailing audience in particular really struggled to understand the concept. The scoring gates would be meaningful only if they created a strategic challenge so that you have to choose between scoring or winning the leg. That happened only once in the previous race, from Cape Town to India. If you went furthest to the east you scored at the gate but maybe it was better to go northeast directly to India. So there was a strategic play in that leg. The remaining 90% of the scoring gates were in places that didn't matter in the finishing order of the fleet. So, why keep them? They only add more points and they are very difficult to explain.

I also talked to the sailors and for them it doesn't really make any difference. In fact, they make the rich richer. In addition, due to the fact they are positioned early in the long legs, you give more points at the beginning, quite the opposite of what we want to achieve. For example, the previous Volvo Ocean Race was decided before Stockholm but it we had taken the scoring gates out it could have been decided in the last leg. So, they didn't serve their purpose.

Valencia Sailing: Another issue regarding the route is that of safety. Abu Dhabi is seriously positioning itself as a major international sports venue but is it suitable for an offshore sailing race? In the Cape Town to Abu Dhabi leg you first have the piracy issues off the eastern African coast and then in the Gulf, especially on the UAE-Iran border, the potential problems with the Iranian navy.
Knut Frostad: You are absolutely right, we do see the risks but don't forget that the whole Volvo Ocean Race is about risk. In the previous race we had piracy issues to deal with on the way to India, then leaving India, then in Sri Lanka, then in Indonesia but when we did the summary of risk at the end of the race it was much more about weather and storms, losing crew members, crashing with fishing boats or other objects. We have a very long list of potential risks and this is just one of them.

Valencia Sailing: Sure but, unless you have magic powers, the weather is something you can't control. On the other hand, it's entirely up to you to go to one place or not to go.
Knut Frostad: That's right but I can also draw a route around the world to limit the risk of weather if I wanted to. I can avoid the southern oceans and I can avoid windy places by going as close to the equator as possible but that would a be a very boring race. The Volvo Ocean Race is the fastest race around the world.

When we decided to have the stopover in Abu Dhabi we did all the due diligence and worked with two big security agencies just like we did in the previous edition. One of them is specialized on security ashore, dealing with issues such as terrorism, safety, thefts or crime while the other one deals with security offshore. We worked with them in the previous race and if you look at the two routes (this time compared to the previous one) there aren't that many differences. The only difference is that from Cape Town you enter the Gulf.

For sure, Iran might be an issue but we will deal with this. How? By limiting the course the boats can sail. There is really no reason why the boats should even be near the Iranian border. We will only reveal those limits when we are very close to the start. In addition, we know that piracy off Africa takes now place further east, so the exclusion zone can be further east. Again, all those decisions are taken after consulting experienced professionals. Let me tell you that in the previous race we had anticipated much more problems than we actually encountered. For example, both ourselves and the sailors feared the Malacca strait would have been very difficult but it turned out to be much easier.

Valencia Sailing: You also make the stopovers shorter in time.
Knut Frostad: Yes, on average the stopovers are shorter in time but since we have moved the inport race to the final weekend the teams have now more time to work on the boats or take time off. In comparison, in the previous race the boats had to be ready after a week and then you had a week between the inport race and the leg start where practically nothing happened. That was very expensive for the teams because the boats had to be ready and the sailors didn't take holidays. This is another cost-efficiency measure.

Valencia Sailing: Now that you mention the costs again, what is the feedback from the active teams so far? You have at least 3 of them actively designing and training. What are they telling you? Have they seen the promised drop in costs?
Knut Frostad: It depends on who you ask but the cost cuts do work. Take for example the budgets last time. The smallest teams had a budget of 7-8 million euros while I can't tell you about the biggest one because I don't know but it was probably 50-70 million. There was a very big variation between the smallest and the biggest team.

If you now ask Delta Lloyd or Green Dragon, they will tell you that they probably don't think this race is now less expensive. But if you take Ericsson or Telefonica, it's not even possible for them to spend the same money. Last time some of the biggest teams built between 70 and 100 sails. Now, you aren't allowed to build more than 15 sails before the race and another 15 during the race. So, you can argue that the biggest teams have seen a reduction of 60-70% just in their sail budget. What the cost-cutting measures have achieved is substantially reduce the cost of winning the race. The smallest teams haven't seen a budget reduction but on the other hand they are now competitive and this is a very important issue.

Your website covers most of the major classes and you know that there is a general problem in sailing. Whenever someone enters with a lot of money he prevents small teams from coming in and forces small teams already in to leave because they know they will never be able to compete. I'm very convinced that in the Volvo Ocean Race right now that the new teams that come in, even lacking the expertise of Team New Zealand, can be competitive with a modest budget.

Valencia Sailing: What is your definition of modest?
Knut Frostad: I think that if you build a new boat, modest is between 15 and 20 million euros and if you race a boat, actually even the best performing, from last time then it's between 10 and 12 million.

Valencia Sailing: But that's an increase. You just said the smallest teams had budget of around 8 million last time and now they need at least 10.
Knut Frostad: Yes, but Delta Lloyd could never be competitive against Ericsson. It was impossible. The budgets I gave you from last time were the minimums while the ones from this edition are the ones that make you competitive. There is no doubt the cost-cutting measures have an effect.

Photos of Groupama 70 VOR training in Lorient

There is no particular story in this post, just a handful of spectacular pictures from the first test sailing sessions of Groupama 70 VOR off Lorient in early March. With yesterday's official presentation of Camper/Team NZ the lineup for the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race is shaping up in a very interesting way. If we now add Alinghi, tipped by Grant Dalton yesterday to join the race very soon, well, it will sure be spectacular.

Early test sailing sessions of Groupama 70 VOR. Lorient, 4 March 2010. Photo copyright Yvan Zedda / Groupama

Early test sailing sessions of Groupama 70 VOR. Lorient, 4 March 2010. Photo copyright Yvan Zedda / Groupama

Early test sailing sessions of Groupama 70 VOR. Lorient, 4 March 2010. Photo copyright Yvan Zedda / Groupama

Early test sailing sessions of Groupama 70 VOR. Lorient, 4 March 2010. Photo copyright Yvan Zedda / Groupama

Early test sailing sessions of Groupama 70 VOR. Lorient, 4 March 2010. Photo copyright Yvan Zedda / Groupama

Lorient secures two-race deal for Volvo Ocean Race

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] France returns to host the Volvo Ocean Race from Lorient, in Brittany on the northwest coast of France, in the summer of 2012. Lorient will be the penultimate stopover in the race, which starts from Alicante, Spain in the autumn of 2011. Like La Rochelle before it (1997-98 and 2001-02), Lorient will also host a stopover in 2014-15 edition of the race.

The announcement of Lorient follows that of start port Alicante, and Cape Town and Lisbon as host ports. Lisbon in Portugal will play host to the start of the leg to Lorient, which is around 700 nm.

“We are extremely pleased to have a strong French presence in the race,” said Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad. “It has long been our goal to reignite the passion of this classic event among the French people and we are delighted to have reached an agreement with the city of Lorient to host the event for two consecutives races,” he said.

Jean-Noel Thenault, President of Volvo Trucks France, Wim Maes, President of Volvo Cars France, Greg Maill, Commercial Director Volvo Ocean Race, Knut Frostad, Chief Executive Officer Volvo Ocean Race, Norbert Metairie, President de Cap l'Orient agglomeration, Maire de Lorient Sophie Roy, Relations Publiques et Sponsoring Groupama, Herve Cornic, Directeur General des Services pour Cap l'Orient. Lorient, 3 March 2010. Photo copyright Gwenaelle Pichard - Leroyer

France has fielded 21 entries in the race, taking part in every race from 1973-74 up until the sixth race in 1993-94 in which La Poste finished third. L’Esprit d’Equipe, skippered by Lionel Péan, was the overall winner in 1985-86 and 289 French sailors have taken part in the previous 10 races.

“Over the last 10 years, Lorient has transformed its submarine base into European-wide sailing cluster hosting a business centre to yachting activities. It is where the maxi trimarans Banque Populaire V and Groupama 3 were built. It also has an offshore sailing centre of about 50 teams, including France’s most famous skippers,” according to Norbert Métairie, Mayor of Lorient and President of Cap l’Orient Council.

“Today we are overwhelmingly pleased to have demonstrated that Lorient is a perfect site to host international events such as the Volvo Ocean Race, which will undoubtedly yield significant benefits,” he added.

During the stopover in Lorient, the Cité de la Voile Eric Tabarly, a complex dedicated to modern sailing races and bearing the name of the French skipper who sailed in The Whitbread four times (1973-74 Pen Duick VI, 1981-82 Euromarché, 1985-86 Côte d’Or and 1993-94 on La Poste), will be situated right in the centre of the race village.

Groupama, skippered by Franck Cammas, who is currently taking on the Jules Verne Trophy – a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew – has Lorient as its home base and will be France’s entry in the next two races.

The next European port will be announced shortly.

Lorient to be announced as Volvo Ocean Race stopover on Wednesday?

After Cape Town and Lisbon is Lorient, France the next stopover to be announced for the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race? If one is to believe the French press, here and here, it is already a done deal and Norbert Métairie, the city's mayor, together with Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, will make the formal announcement on Wednesday noon, during a presentation to be held in the Auditorium of the Cité de la Voile Eric Tabarly.

Some of the most famous French skippers bring their support to Lorient's bid. Video copyright Région Bretagne

If it is indeed Lorient this wouldn't come as a surprise at all given the presence of one of the world's powerhouses in offshore sailing, Franck Cammas and Groupama. In addition, the French is one of the two teams that have officially entered the competition so far and while Cammas 1,000 miles from Cape Horn onboard Groupama 3, trying to beat the round-the-world record, the shore crew has launched G70, former Ericsson 4. According to our friend in Lorient, Capucine Trochet, G70 was taken for a spin around the channel today, for more than 1 hour, then returned to port before going out again for some real sailing? Anything to do with tomorrow's press conference?

Groupama's G70 taken for a test sail. Lorient, 2 March 2010. Photo copyright Capucine Trochet

Groupama's G70 launched. Lorient, 23 February 2010. Photo copyright Yvan Zedda / Groupama

Video: Groupama 3 hits the starting line for the 3rd round-the-world record attempt

Groupama 3 hits the starting line for the 3rd round-the-world record attempt. Ouessant, 31 January 2010. Video copyright Groupama

Groupama 3 starts new attempt at round-the-world record

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] 13h 55' 53'' UTC: Groupama 3 crossed the start line of the Jules Verne Trophy off the Créac'h lighthouse in Ushant. Franck Cammas and his nine crew set off at over twenty knots in a light N'ly breeze on the back of a mass of rain... This latest record attempt begins with some encouraging, albeit tricky weather conditions.

Returning to cross the finish line off Ushant before 06h 14' 57'' on 23rd March: such is the objective the ten men aboard the trimaran have set themselves in order to snatch the round the world record, that is within one minute of the reference time... Indeed Groupama 3 must complete the course spanning more than 21,600 miles, in less than 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes; the reference time for the Jules Verne Trophy set by Bruno Peyron and his crew in 2005.

Franck Cammas and his nine crew set off at 13h 55' 53'' (UTC) on their third attempt. It would appear to have less favourable conditions than those on the two previous attempts (January 2008 and November 2009), however the extremely tight timing for hooking onto the next weather system as they pass Cape Finisterre and then the Canaries remains positive nonetheless. Indeed the weather routing gives a rough time of five and a half to six and a half days for reaching the equator! This translates as a very acceptable time for maintaining sufficient room for manoeuvre with a view to Orange 2's trajectory in 2005...

Groupama 3 docks out for a new attempt at round-the-world record. Ouessant, 31 January 2010. Video copyright Groupama

Iberian verdict

The most uncertain phase relates to the passage of Cape Finisterre as the weather window is a very short one, stretching to three hours tops according to the weather models! By setting off early, just after the passage of a fairly inactive cold front with rain, Groupama 3 is increasing her chances of making the Spanish headland on schedule and then skirting closely round it. Such a trajectory is shaping up to be pretty favourable since a low has settled itself in a S'ly position level with the Canaries. As it fills in on site, it should enable the crew to benefit from a steady N'ly breeze, giving way to a system of regular tradewinds.

From Monday morning the crew of Groupama 3 will know whether they've been able to respect the timing, but once the uncertainty is over, the giant trimaran will be able to lengthen her stride... And though the trajectory is very direct and close to the great circle route, enabling big gains in terms of optimising the course time, the price is an increase in the number of manoeuvres to be performed. As such the crew, who packed their bags at noon on Saturday, are likely to be into the thick of the action from the off. Setting out with full mainsail and solent, they'll have to swiftly put in a reef and change down to a smaller headsail as the N'ly breeze picks up in the Bay of Biscay (up to 25-30 knots). After this it's a transition phase off Cape Finisterre which is likely to concern the crew at the end of the night... This will be the first tricky stage, which they cannot afford to miss!

Groupama 3 starts a new attempt at round-the-world record. Ouessant, 31 January 2010. Photo copyright Groupama

Difficult seas for Christmas on Groupama 3

[Source: Groupama] 600 miles to the South of the Azores, Groupama 3 was forced to heave to this morning in order to avoid a residual cross swell. The seas were difficult and it was deemed to be wiser to "wait for the system to roll over the top of us"!

Contacted at midday Fred Le Peutrec described Christmas Eve aboard Groupama 3: "The festivities for us simply involved putting in a series of tacks in difficult seas! The weather conditions and the sea state weren't exactly favourable for celebrating Christmas! Instead we were concentrated on getting Groupama 3 to make headway."

François Salabert explains further: "We weren't keen to get sucked up by the depression so we let it roll over the top of us, otherwise we would have had to have taken needless risks. There were 4 to 5 metre waves and short seas at the start. We were sailing 90 degrees to the course and, even under mainsail alone, we were still racking up a peak speed of between 21/ 23 knots. We were beam onto the waves, which wasn't a very comfortable position for the boat as she was under a lot of stress! We reckoned it was wiser to put in a reef and heave to so we could just hunker down!"

This morning, the trimaran and his crew were making a good cruising speed again, northbound, the aim still being to hook onto the depression kicking in from the West. This same system will push Groupama 3 towards her home port where she is expected to make landfall overnight on Sunday or early Monday.

Express Doldrums for Groupama 3

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] It was Sunday afternoon when Groupama 3 was able to hunt down a NE'ly wind synonymous with her return to the Northern hemisphere. This followed on from the ten men devouring the Doldrums without even noticing they were in it!

François Salabert, in charge of the electric and electronics within the Groupama team and responsible for the navigation on this delivery trip: "Incredible! We clearly saw a big grey cloud from which a few drops of rain fell, but ultimately the Doldrums amounted to a single cloud. Unheard of! Studying the sky and the grib files we spent the whole time making between 6 and 10 knots VMG. We passed beneath a big cloud and almost immediately the wind shifted around to the North-East! Welcome to the Northern hemisphere! We didn't believe it at the start. After that the wind became more stable and we picked up the NE'ly tradewind!"

Tradition wasn't forgotten with a small glass of wine for Neptune and the rest for the crew of Groupama 3. Among them is rookie Clément Surtel, for whom it was the first passage across the equator! "Clément had bought a bottle of wine for the occasion, which gave us all a chance to gather together on deck in an atmosphere reminiscent of Sunday's on the pontoon! It was a nice moment."

Ahead of the bows of the Groupama 3 trimaran there are still a few miles to go before making Brittany: "The next obstacle we'll have to negotiate is a zone of high pressure located around Cape Verde. Once we're past that, we'll study our ETA more closely. We're tempering the forecasts that the routing is producing. The latter is optimum in terms of wind, but doesn't take the sea state into account. For the time being there are two models taking shape: one of them has us arriving in Brest at the front of a depression without too much wind and the other sees us making landfall with a steadier SW'ly breeze! Right now though we're concentrating on negotiating the zone of light wind..."

Aboard Groupama 3, the pace of life is coloured by the watches, which follow on one after the other, interspersed by some rather more classic activities: discussion, washing, showering, emails...: "A comical routine is in place and we're really enjoying the ride!"

Franck Cammas explains in detail the incident

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] Over the past 24 hours, the crew of Groupama 3 has been working together to contain the damage suffered around the beam bulkhead. The maxi trimaran has also had to let the Brazilian low pass over the top of her, which created strong winds last night... Franck Cammas looks back at the past few hours in the middle of the Southern Atlantic.

What is your current situation?
"We're flirting with the centre of a big low, which has pushed us towards the Cape of Good Hope. However, a secondary low has formed over the cold front, with wind which can very quickly increase to 60 knots! As such we've taken refuge not far from the centre of the big low to let all that get past us. This is why we spent the whole night barepoled, heading due South. Since 0200 UTC this morning, we've been able to hoist more sail aloft as conditions have become more manageable. At the end of the afternoon we're set to gybe and make headway eastwards towards Cape Town, by remaining at the rear of the worst of the bad weather. There will continue to be a swell and big seas and there's still some debate as to how to handle the boat so as to prevent her from suffering. We won't be taking any risks, even if we have to stop..."

First images from Groupama 3 after the incident. South Atlantic, 16 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

How is life on board being organised?
"Everyone is busy with their own tasks: the lamination specialists (Lionel Lemonchois assisted by Thomas Coville) have been working throughout the night. We're all disappointed but we're already casting our minds to the future. We're going to try to get Groupama 3 back to Brittany as fast as possible. When we decided to abandon the record attempt it came as a harsh blow: we went from a performance configuration to a simple delivery. It's not the same life aboard, the atmosphere isn't the same and the time seems to go by a lot slower. Fortunately we've got some books on board to be able to escape a little when we're not helming..."

Do you have an explanation for this damage?
"We think that the stresses and motion of the float are the cause of it. There are always some interference effects which are difficult to model on a computer though. The waves never strike the boat in the same way and the platform is subject to some disorganised behaviour: there are some extremely violent vibrations in a chaotic sea. We think that the float has been able to ripple longitudinally with a series of waves on the stern, whilst the support level with the beam is very rigid. At that stage, the bulkhead cracking was the pivotal point in this scenario..."

What is the extent of the damage?
"The breakage isn't spectacular, but we know things could deteriorate very quickly and impact on the structural integrity of Groupama 3. It's worrying and will force us to make a technical pitstop, but it's a lot less serious than the last time... The bulkhead which extends along the beam by entering the float has split open: We've had to install two braces to maintain the separation between two sections of the bulkhead, and then insert some foam before sticking it back together. Right now the bulkhead has been stiffened. However, we still have a problem with it as the bulkhead has caused the skin inside the float to become detached across an area of around 400 mm. For the time being we haven't succeeded in sticking the float to the bulkhead so it's moving with every wave. We have to hope that the UDs (unidirectional materials) which stiffen the base of the float don't break, because that section is the float's backbone! As such we're going to have to find a way of joining the whole periphery of the bulkhead to the float."

What are your objectives now?
"We're going to have to reinforce the four beam attachments but first of all we're going to have to carry out a thorough analysis with the engineers and architects. We certainly won't be able to set off on a round the world without trusting in the repair and without knowing the reasons for this damage. It's not 100% certain we'll be able to set off again at the end of January. However, given that we left Ushant very early on, there is still a chance we can set off again before the season draws to a close. It's feasible! We're going to have to be happy with Groupama 3's capacity to sail around the world though..."

What are the options over the coming days?
"We'll get to Cape Town by 22nd November at best, or by 24th November at the latest. There is also a third option, which is to make straight for Lorient if the repairs we make at sea are satisfactory. This would save us a lot of time in our bid to get going on another attempt at the record. Currently there is no danger of the mast falling as it's fixed onto another bulkhead and we've even been able to hoist the sail again, making 17 knots with the right angles to the wind and the seas..."

Video: Latest images from Groupama 3 before the incident

Latest images from Groupama 3 before the incident. South Atlantic, 16 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

Groupama 3 suffers damage, abandons record attempt

It's an irony that yesterday the team posted a video where Thomas Coville was taking advantage of the extremely light winds and calm seas to check the floats of the Groupama 3 trimaran. The conclusion of the tests was that their 105-foot yacht was in "perfect state"

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] It was at 1216 UT on Monday 16th November, that the skipper of Groupama 3, Franck Cammas, called the Jules Verne Trophy team to inform them that an aft beam bulkhead had broken, leading to serious damage to the float. Despite the storm, Groupama 3 is slowly making headway towards Cape Town some 1,700 miles away (3,000 km) and is therefore abandoning this particular Jules Verne Trophy...

At around 1200 UT this Monday, a big cracking sound dashed the hopes of Franck Cammas and his nine crew in their bid to break Orange 2's round the world record from back in 2005 (50 d 16h 20'). A bulkhead attached to the aft beam simply gave up the ghost in the harsh conditions as the giant trimaran was sailing with her sails angled at 90° to the true wind in a powerful NNE'ly air flow and rough seas. The crew knew they had to go fast to stay in the right sector of the warm front, hot on their heels, in order to drop down towards the Cape of Good Hope with the Brazilian low. The resulting weakness then caused the windward float to fissure and, in light of the sizeable damage, the crew immediately stopped the boat and concluded that it would be necessary to abandon this round the world attempt.

Closeup of the area that has been damaged. Photo copyright Groupama

First signs of the Doldrums for Groupama 3

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] This Tuesday morning at around 0500 UT, Groupama 3 came face to face with the Doldrums. However, for the prelude to this series of squalls and storms, her speed was still constant at over 25 knots. The barrier of cloud is set to slow the giant trimaran's progress over the coming hours though..

It remains to be seen how this crossing of the `ocean desert' will go... The Doldrums is a difficult zone to define as the local phenomena are not visible on the satellite images: observing the density of the cloud mass is now possible with technological tooling (infrared, Doppler effect...), but it is impossible to know if the cumulonimbus on the horizon, will move or remain static, whether it will grow or become deflated, generate gusts or bring about calm conditions. As such the sailors will have to zigzag between the clouds to avoid the squalls and jump from light breeze to flurries of wind...

Groupama 3 blasting along during the 3rd day of their record attempt. Off the Canary Islands, 8 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

The climatic wall

Before sunrise this Tuesday morning, Groupama 3 entered into the `zone of turbulence: the first squalls, thunder and lightning, rain and variable wind. At 7°30 North, the setting was taking on a whole new dimension, however Franck Cammas and his crew finally ended up with the advantage of penetrating this "world of darkness' in the early hours. The minute the sun rises, at around 0800 UT, navigator Stan Honey will be able to understand the seascape more clearly as the storm activity is often less intense in the daytime. With nearly 300 miles to cover before converging with the SE'ly tradewinds at around 3° North, and hence a steady breeze and clear skies, the crew will have to be on their guard with their hands to the sheets... Reef taking, changes of headsail and modifications to the trajectory are on today's schedule, which is likely to be highly charged in every sense!

The fifth day at sea is essential in confirming Groupama 3's lead over the reference time: 665 miles... The passage time to the equator will depend on a swift exit from this zone and if Franck Cammas and his men are able to combine quick responses and an element of luck, they may well have clocked up a two day lead as they switch hemispheres. If this is the case they will establish a new reference time over this stretch of the course and less than six days to get to the equator is now a distinct possibility! Over the past few hours the crew has been able to recuperate in preparation for spending the day on deck manoeuvring and trimming the sails... and even taking a cold shower!

Video: Groupama 3 starts round-the-world record attempt

Groupama 3 starts round-the-world record attempt. Shuanta, 5 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

Cammas and Groupama to set off at 5pm for their round-the-world record attempt

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] The crew of Groupama 3 has been in position in Brest since Wednesday evening in view of a new Jules Verne Trophy record attempt. Today Franck Cammas and his nine crew will leave the pontoon of the port of Le Château at 1300 hours to make for the start line off the Créac'h lighthouse...

On stand-by since 1st November, Groupama 3 has ended up benefiting from a favourable weather window very early on in order to head off around the world. Objective: to do better than Bruno Peyron and his men in 2005, that is a time of less than 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes, in the knowledge that a record is validated by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC) if the time is at least a minute less than the reference time. As such the giant trimaran is setting off early in the season, which is beneficial for several reasons: first of all the days are longer in the boreal autumn, and the nights are shorter in the austral spring. Furthermore, the Antarctic ice field hasn't yet begun to break up, which slightly reduces the risk of a whole mass of icebergs and drifting ice being present, especially in the vicinity of Kerguelen and Cape Horn. Finally, during the climb up the Atlantic in December, the weather situations are generally more stable than during the low seasons, such as at the end of winter or the start of spring...

A powerful introduction
In fact, it's at the start that the weather conditions will be the harshest, until the point where the crew reach the Roaring Forties in the Southern Atlantic! Indeed, Groupama 3 will head off in a powerful NW'ly air flow off Ushant, a system linked to a disturbance which passed over Brittany on Wednesday and has generated big seas at the entrance to the English Channel. In addition, the full moon of a couple of days ago implies big springs and hence strong currents around the islands off the NW France. By setting out at around 1700 hours this Thursday 5th November, there should be less of a swell (tide turning) but it's probably under two or three reefs in the mainsail and staysail that the ten men will set sail in over 25 knots of breeze. They'll have around a dozen difficult hours ahead to escape the Bay of Biscay, before they hook onto the tradewinds already blowing along the coast of Spain and Portugal.

The sequence of systems as far as the equator is favourable with a steady NE'ly air flow as far as Cape Verde, which will enable Groupama 3 to enter into the Southern hemisphere midway through next week. Following on from that, there's a possibility of being hit by a Brazilian low which will push the giant trimaran as far as South Africa... By heading off at 1700 hours today, the crew will have to be back in the waters off Ushant before 26th December at around 0900 hours...

Groupama goes to code green, ready for round-the-world record

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] Less than a day since Groupama's announcement that it is renewing its partnership with the French sailor Franck Cammas until 2015, the skipper is announcing the switch to code green. This colour means that Groupama 3, on stand-by in Brest since 1st November, will set off on Thursday 5th November on her bid to conquer the Jules Verne Trophy, a round the world record attempt under sail.

50 days and 16 hours: this is the time to beat in order to snatch the record for the fastest yacht to circumnavigate the globe. Since 2005 the record has been in the hands of Bruno Peyron aboard the maxi catamaran Orange 2.

For his second attempt at the record, Franck Cammas has put together the perfect team to steer Groupama 3 through what is a hostile yet fascinating universe: "The time to beat is very quick. In order to succeed, besides an excellent boat, you need a crew which blends experience, performance and solidarity. As such a loyal and ambitious partner is required, which has been the case with Groupama for over twelve years. The renewal of our partnership until 2015 is an additional source of motivation in paying Groupama back for the trust they've shown in me", says the French skipper.

Accompanying him in this round the world adventure via the three capes are the loyal members of the Groupama team: Swiss sailor Stève Ravussin with whom Franck has already won two Transat Jacques Vabres, Fred Le Peutrec, Loïc Le Mignon, Ronan Le Goff as well as Jacques Caraës. Alongside them are some newcomers to the team in the form of Lionel Lemonchois, reigning champion of the Route du Rhum, Thomas Coville, solo Transatlantic recordman, Stan Honey, winning American navigator from the Volvo Ocean Race as well as Bruno Jeanjean, World Champion Match Racer.

Groupama 3 breaks the trans Mediterranean record. 15 May 2009. Photo copyright Guilain GRENIER / Sea & Co

This dream team has been preparing for the attempt in earnest since the start of the year, covering 15,000 miles or two thirds of a circumnavigation of the globe since that time: "We know each other well, we get on well and we're eager to go, even though we know it will be difficult. Circumnavigating the globe under sail as fast as we can isn't something you do everyday. We'll have to be quick without causing Groupama 3 to suffer and by manoeuvring her well. Added to that we'll have to choose the best course" adds the skipper.

Watching the weather for the past week, Franck Cammas, Stan Honey and Sylvain Mondon from Météo France appreciate the quality of the window opening up on Thursday: "There's going to be strong winds and big seas off Brest with 30 knots of breeze and five metre waves. We're going to be shaken about at the start but, from Cape Finisterre, the wind will become more favourable. We should then be able to smoothly hook onto the trade winds" wrote the skipper of skipper of Groupama 3 in an email to his nine crew yesterday.

This analysis is confirmed by Sylvain Mondon who will be accompanying Groupama 3 throughout his attempt from his office at Météo France in Toulouse: "The weather window expected for Groupama 3's Jules Verne Trophy attempt isn't exactly classic for this type of attempt. Indeed, by choosing to set off on Thursday 5th November, just after the passage of an active zone with numerous squalls and strong gusts in what are still big seas, Franck Cammas and his men haven't taken the easy option. This is evident in the strong NW'lies which are set to blow across the Bay of Biscay until Thursday morning, picking up big seas (waves in excess of 6m), calling for the crew to be prudent.
Though Groupama 3 is setting off in such conditions for the first 24 hours at sea, things are likely to be much more favourable for the next stage in the proceedings. The NE'ly tradewinds will notably be established and steady as far as the Cape Verde archipelago. This tradewind configuration is very different from the conditions Groupama 3 experienced in 2007 during the previous attempt with numerous remnants from recent storms originating from a low between the Canaries and the Azores.

As far as the Southern Atlantic is concerned, it is still too early to have an accurate idea of what awaits Franck Cammas and his crew. Nevertheless, the overall conditions can be described as favourable with established SE'ly tradewinds to the South of the equator and the Saint Helena High is expected to be a little closer to Africa rather than South America".

In Brest this evening for a final crew supper, the ten men on Groupama 3 intend to leave the quayside at the port of Le Château on Thursday at 1100 hours, in order to present themselves on the start line for the Jules Verne Trophy between 1600 and 1700 hours local time, in front of the Créac'h lighthouse on the island of Ushant.