Jules Verne

February 05, 2010 -

+250 miles for Groupama 3

Jules Verne Trophy - Groupama 3 is ahead of the reference time.

The sailing conditions were ideal this Thursday afternoon as Groupama 3 began to drop down the western side of the Cape Verde archipelago. With a 250 mile lead over the reference time, Franck Cammas and his men are now casting their minds to the best strategy to adopt once they cross the equator, which should take place on Saturday after six days at sea...

After the giant slalom along the Portuguese coast, followed by a passage offshore of Madeira and the Canaries, Groupama 3 is now concentrating on her big descent towards the equator. It will be another good day and a half before they reach the Southern hemisphere, at which point they will be able to put in a long tack along the Brazilian coast, still on port tack, until they hang a left and set a course for the Cape of Good Hope. There will be at least five days on the same tack in prospect then, even though the crew will have to frequently manoeuvre as the wind gradually switches from the NE (Northern hemisphere) to the SE (Southern hemisphere)