Trofeo Jules Verne, fronteggiando la burrasca
Groupama 3MultiscafiOceanoTrofeo Jules VerneVela 1 Marzo 2010 Zerogradinord 0
Trofioe Jules Verne – Oceano Pacifico – Groupama 3 è stato costretto ad allontarsi dalla rotta più breve verso Capo Horn per tentare di aggirare una bassa pressione molto marcata, localizzata attorno ai 60° di latitudine sud. Nonostante questa decisione, lo stato del mare sta mettendo Franck Cammas e i suoi uomini in grossa difficoltà.
Sotto due mani di terzaroli e staysail, il maxi trimarano si sta dirigendo verso est-nordest e mantiene la zona di bassa pressione alla propria destra. La situazione meteo è piuttosto ingarbugliata e non prennuncia niente di buono, se è vero che a Capo Horn questa mattina si registravano raffiche di vento superiori agli 80 nodi.
“Stiamo navigando in regime di vento stabile attorno ai 37 nodi e lo stato del mare è davvero impegnativo. In coperta è un contonuo susseguirsi di onde e per il timoniere è difficile proteggersi dietro al parabrezza. Ogni onda che colpisce la barca ci fa rallentare e rende la vita a bordo davveo scomoda. La fatica si è impossessata di noi e le manovre sono davvero molto laboriose.Dobbiamo comunque restare concentrati e prudenti” ha spiegato Jacques Caraes alle 11.30 di oggi nel corso di un collegamento radio.
Spostandosi verso nord, Groupama 3 si sta allontanando dalla pericolosa distesa di iceberg individuata a sudovest di Capo Horn. Ovviamente la rotta attualmente seguita non è la migliore possibile in termini di prestazioni e l’equipaggio di Frack Cammas, facendo prua 25° sopra il punta ideale, sta perdendo miglia su miglia nei confronti del detentore del record, Orange II che, proprio in questo settore del Pacifico, fu davvero velocissimo.
Come risultato di questa nuova situazione, Groupama 3 è atteso a Capo Horn non prima di giovedi a mezzogiorno. La cosa più difficile per il meteorologo Sylvain Mondon e per il navigatotre Stan Honey è capire quale sarà esattamente lo stato del mare e scegliere il momento giusto per puntare dirattamente verso l’Horn.
Groupama 3, terzo tentativo giro del mondo senza scalo
Miglia rimanenti, 8.819 mn
Differenza sul tempo di riferimento, 243 mn di vantaggio
Per seguire Groupama 3 sul traking clicca qui.
JULES VERNE TROPHY, HUNKERING DOWN IN THE STORM
[Groupama 3 Press Release] Groupama 3 has been forced to distance herself from the direct route towards the Horn in order to skirt around a very fast low, which is circulating around sixty degrees or so South. The sea state is making the life of Franck Cammas and his men, tough, tiring and very wet.
Under two reefs in the mainsail and staysail, the giant trimaran is driving hard towards the ENE to avoid the most violent zone in a disturbed system, which is tracking across towards Cape Horn at 45 knots. 80 knot (145 km/hr) winds were blowing around Drake’s Passage this Monday lunchtime!
“We’re sailing in a steady wind of up to 37 knots, and the seas are fairly chaotic and pretty big. It’s not easy to negotiate… It’s very wet on deck and the helmsmen are trying to protect themselves behind the windscreen, which is in a very sad state of repair, held together by lines. There’s a cross swell with a few high waves (2-3 metres) and the boat comes to a standstill in a wave from time to time. We’re being shaken about quite a lot and it’s very uncomfortable. Fatigue has set in and the manoeuvres are a lot more laborious. We’re having to remain prudent” indicated Jacques Caraës at the 11.30 UTC radio-link up with Groupama‘s Race HQ in Paris.
A detour to the North
Beneath squalls but with fairly acceptable visibility, Groupama 3 is also distancing herself from the ice field which has been pinpointed to the SW of Cape Horn. Of course this trajectory isn’t ideal for completing what has been a rather aggressive Pacific and the giant trimaran is losing miles sailing 25° from the shortest route. A little over 250 miles ahead of the reference time this Monday lunchtime, this lead will shrink even further until the point where they put in a gybe. Added to this, Orange 2 was very quick over this section of the round the world with a VMG of thirty knots for three days…
“We’re being forced to cover additional ground by heading up to the ENE and the gybe isn’t scheduled before tomorrow, Tuesday, once the wind has shifted round to the NW. The upshot of this is a big detour to the North, but we have no other choice… We’re not getting helped along on our way to Cape Horn! The low to the South is going faster than us: it will roll over the top of us and after the gybe we’re going to have to be careful as the sea will still be very heavy. This disturbed system will pass into Drake’s Passage, leaving a very messy Pacific in its wake! We’re going to lose ground but we’ve just got to put up with it. We have the whole Atlantic to open up a lead after that. We know that it’s going to be full-on so we’re not going to show off in a situation such as this, which isn’t the easiest of passage.”
A Hard Cape indeed…
As a result, the rounding of Cape Horn is now scheduled between daybreak and midday on Thursday. The difficulty for the onshore weather router Sylvain Mondon, and the onboard navigator Stan Honey, lies in knowing what the sea state will be like and how Groupama 3 will be able to approach this key marker in the Jules Verne Trophy. Accessing it via the North isn’t going to be easy because as the wind shifts round to the NW on Tuesday evening, this will make the favourable approach difficult to achieve as the wind will be right on their stern…
“40 knots of wind remains manageable and we have the possibility of reducing our sail area still further. We could even sail barepoled but I hope it won’t come to that… Inside Groupama 3 things are rather noisy as we go into overdrive and then crash to a halt in the wave ahead. You constantly have to hang on as the accelerations and decelerations are violent. We’re trying to dry out our foulies, but it’s not really working… The atmosphere has changed a bit: you have to make sure you recuperate and priority is given to rest time. We’re not hanging around to chat! Everyone is protecting themselves as best they can…” concludes Jacques.
Groupama 3, third attempt on Jules Verne Trophy
Distance to cover, 8819 mn
Advantage on reference time, 243 mn in front
To follow Groupama 3 on traking click here.
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