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Sail-World.com : Jules Verne Trophy - Goal: Ushant

Jules Verne Trophy - Goal: Ushant

Jules Verne Trophy.

Groupama 3's trajectory seems more rectilinear than recent days and, if all goes to plan, Franck Cammas and his men shouldn't have to put in any more gybes. However, they will have to constantly adapt the sail area as the N'ly wind is forecast to be very unstable.

It's the final home straight (or nearly) for the giant trimaran as this morning the wind shifted round from the SW to the N and then the NW as it eased. Indeed, by approaching the centre of the low, which is shifting across towards Europe, the wind temporarily dropped to around ten knots, but this reduction in pace proved to be fleeting. Nevertheless, it will take another good day at sea before Groupama 3 makes Ushant.

'The N'ly wind is rather weak at the moment, but we're ahead of a front which is bringing us more breeze. We will certainly be on the direct course, but the sheets will be just slightly eased for the vast majority of the remaining distance to the finish. We're hoping that it will be more of a beam wind than close-hauled sailing as we'll be faster! We'd be able to make thirty knots rather than fifteen to seventeen knots... We're continuing to make headway in a SW'ly swell and it's the sea state above all that will dictate our speed, especially if we are close-hauled. The low is going faster than us so it will provide us with a N'ly wind as far as the finish, since it is shifting across towards Brittany, even though it is likely to deteriorate with a fair number of squalls' indicated Franck Cammas during the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama's Race HQ in Brest.

As such the speeds on the water are fairly variable which makes it hard to predict at what point the giant trimaran will complete this circumnavigation, though it is likely to take less than 49 days. It is inevitable that the last few miles are always a testing time for a crew, who have amassed a month and a half on the water, which makes the motto associated with the island that guards the NW tip of Brittany particular poignant today: 'Whoever sees Ushant sees their goal...'

Groupama 3's log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55' 53' UTC)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 672 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21th February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
Day 24 (24th February 1400 UTC): 638 miles (lead = 208 miles)
Day 25 (25th February 1400 UTC): 712 miles (lead = 371 miles)
Day 26 (26th February 1400 UTC): 687 miles (lead = 430 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 797 miles (lead = 560 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 517 miles)
Day 29 (1st March 1400 UTC): 434 miles (lead = 268 miles)
Day 30 (2nd March 1400 UTC): 575 miles (lead = 184 miles)
Day 31 (3rd March 1400 UTC): 617 miles (lead = 291 miles)
Day 32 (4th March 1400 UTC): 492 miles (lead = 248 miles)
Day 33 (5th March 1400 UTC): 445 miles (lead = 150 miles)
Day 34 (6th March 1400 UTC): 461 miles (lead = 58 miles)
Day 35 (7th March 1400 UTC): 382 miles (deficit = 100 miles)
Day 36 (8th March 1400 UTC): 317 miles (deficit = 326 miles)
Day 37 (9th March 1400 UTC): 506 miles (deficit = 331 miles)
Day 38 (10th March 1400 UTC): 321 miles (deficit = 384 miles)
Day 39 (11th March 1400 UTC): 255 miles (deficit = 309 miles)
Day 40 (12th March 1400 UTC): 288 miles (deficit = 473 miles)
Day 41 (13th March 1400 UTC): 503 miles (deficit = 483 miles)
Day 42 (14th March 1400 UTC): 445 miles (deficit = 403 miles)
Day 43 (15th March 1400 UTC): 482 miles (deficit = 216 miles)
Day 44 (16th March 1400 UTC): 401 miles (lead = 72 miles)
Day 45 (17th March 1400 UTC): 441 miles (lead = 412 miles)
Day 46 (18th March 1400 UTC): 579 miles (lead = 828 miles)
Day 47 (19th March 1400 UTC): 552 miles (lead = 1 167 miles)

www.cammas-groupama.com

by Groupama-Cammas

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10:52 PM Fri 19 Mar 2010 GMT

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