Groupama 3 salvage operation - Report and Video
by TVNZ - One News on 20 Feb 2008
Groupama 3 is now the subject of an intense salvage operation SW
Television New Zealand updates on the Groupama 3 recovery operation:
A big salvage operation is underway off the North Otago coast, as the rescued French sailors try and recover their capsized racing yacht.
They reached the wreckage on Wednesday morning in conditions described as ideal for the difficult job.
The sailors tried battling their upturned trimaran right before nightfall and luckily for them everything went well but very slowly.
'The weather is very fine and we are very lucky because there is no wind, it's sunny, and there is only very long swell,' said Yves Parlier, the Groupama 3 navigator.
The wreckage from the yacht is drifting steadily north and its now about 150km off the Oamaru coast.
It's also spreading apart, with a piece of the hull floating 500 metres away.
A kilometre further out to sea the salvage ship Clan MacLeod was retrieving part of the giant mast with a big section successfully on deck.
The Clan MacLeod set out from Dunedin on Wednesday night and among the many salvage items abroad, there were some very heavy weights.
Divers had to try and suspend them from the wreckage, then use the ship's 1000 horsepower towing strength to flip them over.
To view a video of the salvage operation http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/1592259!click_here
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