Jules Verne Trophy

Feb 2nd 2010
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48days – 7hours – 44 minutes – 52 seconds

Greetings yachties,

Two of the worlds fastest yachts, Groupama3 and Le Maxi Banque Populaire V are preparing to race nonstop around the world through the Southern Ocean and back to Ushant in less than 50 days and a few hours to claim the trophy. Groupama3 has just set off after the record and Banque Populaire are code red. This story takes a look at past winners and will be updated as these 2 multihull giants attempt to race the fictional character Phileas Fogg. First a little bit of history. Enjoy

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Time to beat: 50 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes and 4 seconds

On 20th April 1993 Bruno Peyron headed a team which completed the first legendary round the world in 79 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes and 56 seconds and thus became the first crew to win the `Jules Verne Trophy’.

In seventeen years there have been twenty attempts to beat the record, only six of which have borne fruit: Bruno Peyron in 1993, Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston in 1994, Olivier de Kersauson in 1997, Bruno Peyron in 2002, Olivier de Kersauson in 2004 and Bruno Peyron again in 2005.

In 2005, Bruno Peyron placed the bar very high: 50 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes and 4 seconds… It is the main aim of the year once again and a challenge taken up by Franck and his men.

The Jules Verne Trophy course (21,760 nautical miles)

It begins by crossing the start line defined by an imaginary line linking the Créac’h lighthouse on the island of Ushant and the Lizard Point lighthouse. From there the aim is to circumnavigate the globe by leaving the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn to port, and crossing the finish line, described above, in the opposite direction.

Article from the Encyclopædia Britannica

In 1872 the fictional Phileas Fogg traveled Around the World in Eighty Days by train, boat, and elephant. In 1993, more than a century after French author Jules Verne penned that adventure, French yachtsman Bruno Peyron and his four-man crew challenged Fogg’s seemingly unattainable record on the high seas. Seventy-nine days, 6 hours, and 15 minutes after beginning the race for the newly created Trophée Jules Verne, Peyron’s high-tech, sail-powered, 26-m (86-ft) Commodore Explorer, the world’s largest catamaran, shattered the previous circumnavigation sailing record of 109 days set in 1990.

From January 31 to April 20, Peyron and crew survived turbulent storms, glacial and gale-force winds, 19-m (65-ft) waves, a near capsize, crew members washed overboard, and, on the 70th day, a collision with two sperm whales–the second time a hull on the vessel was damaged. As Commodore sailed, Peyron added more speed records to the history books–nine days to the equator, 23 days to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, 33 days to Australia’s Cape Leeuwin, and 53 days to South America’s Cape Horn–and covered a historic 816 km (507 m) in a 24-hour run to complete the legendary voyage. Without stopping or receiving outside assistance, Peyron journeyed more than 27,000 nautical miles, averaging 21.12 knots/mile.

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Wikipedia Jules Verne Trophy

Holders 6 , Standby 1, Future 1 and Failed attempts 15 here

Le Maxi Banque Populaire

Groupama3

Where is Groupama3 now?

2010 race starts here

Tempo allegro – Day 48

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010
The acceleration is good for this final sprint thanks to a NW’ly wind of around twenty knots and the finish off the Créac’h lighthouse is scheduled during the course of tonight. However Groupama 3 won’t enter the harbour of Brest until after sunrise, at around 0830 hours UTC after a little more than 48 days at sea!

“We may have a little too much sail aloft at the moment with the solent jib and mainsail, but we can’t afford to hang about. There’s a ridge of high pressure coming up behind us and we mustn’t get caught up in the calm conditions… We don’t yet know what time we’re going to cross the finish line and that’s not that important, though it’s always good to be as far ahead of the previous reference time as possible. We’re being a bit shaken about! Our main focus is to arrive in one piece… We’re sticking to the same habits though and we’re maintaining our normal watch rhythm”

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Franck Cammas and his men went straight through the Azores archipelago last night, which involved two gybes to get around the central islands between Terceira and Sao Miguel and tie in with the NW’ly wind shift behind a front. Groupama 3 now has a lead of two and a half days over the reference time and could claw back further hours before Ushant as Orange 2 covered just a little over 250 miles VMG during her 48th day at sea, whilst the giant trimaran is projected to rack up over 650 miles…

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Green light!

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010
Offshore of Cape Verde, Groupama 3 is powering back into contention in relation to her virtual rival. Indeed she has made up nearly 200 miles in the past 24 hours and her deficit is set to diminish still further over the coming hours! On her 43rd day at sea, Orange 2 was the slowest she’d been along the entire course of the round the world…

Hope coloured proceedings today and Frédéric Le Peutrec’s voice spoke volumes during the 1130 UTC radio session with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris. The Doldrums was virtually non-existent last night, though Franck Cammas had been rather wary of approaching the zone at dusk. Ultimately, not only was there little to worry about, but added to that the tradewinds are well established in the NE and the fifteen knots or so of breeze is enabling the giant trimaran to make an average speed close to, and even at times greater than thirty knots! At around this same time five years ago, Bruno Peyron and his crew were so tangled up in a ridge of high pressure that they only covered 180 miles on the 43rd day…

End of the week?
“We’re going to bring rain, with the sky full of contrasts… and we’re envisaging an arrival this coming weekend. We set out from Brest (also during a weekend) with a narrow weather window and it was at the back of our minds that it was possible the attempt would come to nothing at Cape Finisterre. As such we’re very happy to have got this far, still within the timing and still full of hope! We’ve managed to remain concentrated on our pace, on preserving the boat and with a pretty decent course in relation to the weather conditions we’ve experienced. The results are positive, even though it’s not over yet. Groupama 3 is a boat which really goes well in the light airs and into the wind, which is something we’ve really been able to make use of, as much in the descent and the ascent of the South Atlantic… We really believe we can do it! We’re eager to see you again.”

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“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 1130 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.”

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Le Maxi Banque Populaire V reporte sa tentative de Trophée Jules Verne à l’automne 2010

lundi 01 mars 2010 – 14h45

“The Maxi Banque Populaire V postpone his attempt to Jules Verne Trophy in the fall of 2010″

Malgré une période d’attente et d’étude des opportunités de départ entamée dès la mi-novembre 2009, Pascal Bidégorry et ses hommes n’ont pu trouver le créneau nécessaire à leur tentative de record dans le Trophée Jules Verne. Dans ces circonstances, le Team Banque Populaire décide aujourd’hui de remettre à l’automne prochain son rendez-vous avec le tour du monde en équipage.

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Virtual crossover

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010
With Groupama 3 approaching the South of New Zealand, Franck Cammas and his men have crossed back over the virtual trajectory of Bruno Peyron and his crew with five years separation. And on the same track, the giant trimaran had a 235 mile lead over the reference time set by the maxi-catamaran in 2005…

Franck Cammas at the helm of Groupama 3 – © Team Groupama

The opening stage of the Pacific is going rather well: at 1800 UTC last night, Groupama 3 crossed the wake that Orange 2 carved out five years earlier and this Thursday at 0500 UTC, they’d added a further 90 miles to their lead! At that point Franck Cammas and his nine crew were within sight of Auckland Island, which they ended up skirting to the South of, still making an average speed of between 28 and 30 knots… It’s an island Marc Guillemot is familiar with since he moored there during the last Vendée Globe to repair his mainsail track which had pulled itself off the mast. The island is just a small, remote piece of rock at 51° South, which solely accommodates elephant seals and from time to time scientific missions. However, it is a place synonymous with civilisation since the crew haven’t seen land since setting out from Ushant on 31st January!

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South-Easterly inflexion …

Since altering course on Monday evening, Groupama 3 has finally been able to distance herself from the Brazilian coast and switch onto a more productive course towards the SE. Even though the giant trimaran cannot yet thread her way directly towards the Cape of Good Hope, the haemorrhage of miles lost in relation to the reference time has been stemmed…

The sailing conditions are still very pleasant for Franck Cammas and his nine crew and since Groupama 3 turned at around 1500 hours UTC, the weather situation has become favourable again despite a few fleeting drops in pace. Indeed at sunrise the speed had fallen to around ten knots… However, the N’ly tradewinds have gradually picked up again this Tuesday morning and the crew are once again racking up average speeds of over twenty-five knots, which is enabling them to put a stop to the reduction in their lead over Orange 2.

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Upwind delights

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010
After crossing the equator at 0902 hours UTC this Saturday morning after 5 days and 19 hours at sea and with a lead of over a day in relation to Orange, the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 has begun her descent of the Southern hemisphere. Faced with SE’ly tradewinds and in a still, fairly calm sea, Franck Cammas and his nine crew are making for the Brazilian coast at an average of twenty knots.

Groupama 3 – © Team Groupama
The big glides under gennaker are over. So too are the storm squalls of the Doldrums. The archives for this first intermediary time between Ushant and the equator have been written now, with the 2010 version of Groupama 3 recording the second fastest time in maritime history. Her deficit amounted to just 3 hours 44 minutes behind the best ever time, which was set back in November 2009 by… Groupama 3: “We’re certainly very happy with this time as it really wasn’t a simple task in prospect on leaving the Breton coast last Sunday. It’s better than we could have anticipated at the start,” said Franck Cammas during the radio link-up with the Paris HQ for the Jules Verne Trophy.

He continues: “Nevertheless, we were caught out by the Doldrums, which suddenly reawakened on us and proved complicated to negotiate with violent squalls, storms and lightning. For seven hours the wind was constantly turning and even dropped away completely at one stage. In the middle of the night it wasn’t easy to zigzag between the squalls”.

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Around the Doldrums

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010
Franck Cammas and his nine crew have had an excellent day prior to a weekend where a rather quick passage across the Doldrums is forecast, with a switch of hemisphere as early as Saturday morning! With an average of more than 22 knots along the direct course since leaving Ushant, Groupama 3 already has more than a day’s lead over the reference time…

There is a certain sense of serenity aboard the giant trimaran: with each radio session hosted by one of the ten men on Groupama 3, it’s another point of view which testifies to the excellent atmosphere that reigns over this third attempt… This time, it’s Jacques Caraës, bowman and cameraman, who shares his delight at being at sea, flying along at an average of nearly thirty knots in the tradewinds, to the South of the Cape Verde archipelago.

“We still have good pressure and the breeze has veered round to the East a little: this Friday lunchtime we’re under full mainsail and solent jib, but we’re still making very good headway at an average of thirty knots. We’re now picking our way due South and things are calmer with the genoa: we’re just using the pilot to helm but the trimmers are on the sheets as there’s a big gust from time to time. The seas are very ordered and the skies are a little overcast…” indicated Jacques Caraës at the lunchtime radio session with Groupama’s Race HQ in Paris.

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Triple gybe

Groupama 3 got through the ridge of high pressure overnight, but she did have to put in three gybes to finally hit the Cape Verdean tradewinds and switch onto a direct course towards the equator. With a lead of 140 miles over the reference time, Franck Cammas and his men will be able to drop down towards Brazil on a single tack.

After having traversed the low off the Canaries on Wednesday evening, the giant trimaran had another tricky section to negotiate in the form of a transition zone prior to the tradewinds: indeed the NW’ly breeze clocked round to the N before progressively veering round to the NE as it eased. The crew put in an initial gybe as night fell (1700 hours UTC), but it wasn’t sufficiently conclusive as the breeze dropped to around a dozen knots. A further manoeuvre was necessary at 1900 UTC to hunt down 25° W and at midnight the tradewind system suddenly kicked in and began pumping out around fifteen knots of breeze: Groupama 3 was finally able to pick her way southwards, whilst gaining sufficient ground to the West so as not to have to get too close to the Cape Verde archipelago.

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Tradewind transition

Franck Cammas and his men have managed to smoothly skirt around the low over Madeira and have only been gently slowed off the Canaries. With a lead of nearly 150 miles over the reference time this Wednesday morning, the routing has been confirmed as favourable as far as the equator.

Groupama 3 – © Team Groupama

It has been fast work reversing the trend! After two and a half days at sea, Groupama 3 has now racked up a big lead over Orange 2 and the separation is set to increase still further this Wednesday, as the weather situation is proving to be more favourable than forecast. Traversing the low pressure off Madeira went according to the initial scenario with a N’ly wind of up to thirty knots on relatively manageable seas. This enabled Franck Cammas and his nine crew to maintain an average speed of nearly thirty knots for almost the whole night…

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Up and running!

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.

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In phase

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010
After four hours of sailing across the Bay of Biscay, Groupama 3 is very much on track for rounding Cape Finisterre prior to daybreak on Monday morning. This would enable the crew to escape the calm conditions which are set to invade the Spanish headland. As such this unexpected departure, due to a favourable evolution in the weather situation, bodes well for a swift sprint as far as the Canaries.

Nothing has been decided yet though as this initial night at sea is essential for the next stage in this Jules Verne Trophy attempt! After setting off from Ushant at 13h 55′ 53” (UTC) this Sunday 31st January on the back of a rain front generating a N’ly wind of around ten knots in the big springs (111), Franck Cammas and his nine crew have quickly joined up with a wind becoming increasingly steady the further offshore they get. The solent jib has been replaced by a gennaker in the brisker conditions on fairly manageable seas, the maxi trimaran making an average of thirty knots at sunset!

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