Groupama 3 takes Atlantic Record by 4hrs 26min

by Sail-World and Franck Cammas on 24 Jul 2007
Franck Cammas and his nine team-members beat the record of the crossing of the Atlantic in 4 days 03 hours 57 minutes 54 seconds, with the average of 28.65 kts for the 2,925 miles of the course.

Groupama 3 passed the finishing line in front of the course Lizard this Tuesday to 00 hour 00 minute 49 seconds (French hour), beating the time of Bruno Peyron (4j 08h 23 ' 54' ') by 4 hours 26 minutes.

The giant trimaran however did not have ideal conditions for this historical record, established officially the first time on June 11, 1905 by the legendary Charlie Barr. For 102 years, this record time has been beaten nine times by multihulls but the progression speeds has almost multiplied by three!

Groupama 3 held an average speed of more than 28,6 kts for more than four days.

The giant trimaran left New York on a last attempt since the program of the maximum length multihull required her to return to Europe before July 25 after a stand-by as of June 11. The weather situation at the beginning Thursday July 19 with 20h 02m 55s in front of the headlight of Ambrose Light (New York) proposed only one very narrow window to hope to be in times and especially implied that the evolution on the Atlantic was not completely clarified: a depression to leave, an anticyclone to be skirted on its Northern edge which obliged to be diverted direct road, a disturbance to be followed with a flow of dubious North as for its force to finish the course.

The translation of the crew log reads:

Day 1: 794 miles of 24 hours! Friday July 20 with 20h 06m 00s (French hour) Position: 45° 08,28 North - 57° 05,12 West Outdistances remainder to be traversed: 2 079 miles Distance covered in 24h: 784,4 miles Mean velocity on 24h: 32,7 nodes Variation compared to the time of reference: advance of 54,8 miles This first day of sea is excellent since Groupama 3 explodes the record of distance of 24 hours held previously per Orange II: 794 miles which are right unfortunately of the foil port side, obliging the crew to raise a little the foot to preserve the giant trimaran in a sea which is formed and a breeze which rocks gently with the Western sector. Day 2: To manage the empannage...

Saturday July 21 with 20h 02m 00s (French hour) Position: 45° 29,76 North - 41° 08,4 West Outdistances remainder to be traversed: 1 460 miles Distance covered in 24h: 672 miles Mean velocity on 24h: 28,0 nodes Variation compared to the time of reference: delay of 54,6 miles While slipping along the septentrional edge of the anticyclone of the Azores, Groupama 3 must curve its road towards South-east, which lengthens its trajectory appreciably. The moment of the empannage is capital to hang the rocker of Western Northern sector but the acquired advance the day before melts like snows with the sun so much so that Franck Cammas and its crew lost more than one hundred miles...

Day 3: To maintain the rate/rhythm Sunday July 22 with 20h 04m 00s (French hour) Position: 49° 05,56 North - 24° 25,36 West Outdistances remainder to be traversed: 748 miles Distance covered in 24h: 707,1 miles Mean velocity on 24h: 29,5 nodes Variation compared to the time of reference: delay of 49,4 miles the wind passed to the Western Northern sector and Groupama 3 can find its rate/rhythm of 'cruising' with nearly thirty nodes of average... The living conditions on board are always also hard so much so that the baskets do not resist the vibrations of the boat in the sea. The variation compared to the time of reference is maintained, which lets forecast of an improvement of the record because Bruno Peyron had known some difficulties in 2006, to finish the course.

Day 4: Favour service Monday July 21 with 20h 04m 00s (French hour) Position: 49° 51,28 North - 8° 05,44 West Outdistances remainder to be traversed: 112 miles Distance covered in 24h: 637,1 miles Mean velocity on 24h: 26,5 nodes Variation compared to the time of reference: advance of 21,7 miles the men of Groupama 3 do not release anything and continue to carry out the trimaran to its maximum in spite of a sea which becomes very hard and very chaotic. In a wind which turns to North to more than 25 kts, the trimaran fills its delay and finds even its advance which enables him to plan to beat the record. But the objective of the crew is above all to preserve the material which suffers hard with more than twenty-five nodes of average.

Arrival: Less than one hundred hours! Monday July 22 with 00h 00m 54s Position: 49° 54,8 North - 5° 11 West Outdistances to traverse: 0 thousand Variation compared to the time of reference: advance of 70,1 miles the end of course remains favorable with finally a sea which is calmed and the possibility of finding 'normal' speeds of Groupama 3: nearly thirty kts to swallow this entry in Handle!

The previous record (Bruno Peyron aboard the Orange maximum-catamaran 2): 4 days 8 hours 23 minutes and 54 seconds, at the mean velocity of 28 kts.