Heading into the Indian Ocean, maxi-tri Groupama 3 is a little more than 200 miles behind the pace required to break the Jules Verne Round-the-World record. Despite heavy weather, however, skipper Franck Cammas and his crew are making good speed.
From Sail-World.com:
‘We’re going to be beam on in this harsh wind and we’ve prepared the heavy airs jib and intend to put in reefs. This gale will last for around twenty hours. It’s not going to be very pleasant, but we’re lucky that we’ll be sailing in following seas. It’s set to be a bit different than it was two years ago! We’ve performed a general check-up and all’s well. We’ll be ready to tackle these conditions before nightfall… We’re trying to sail without putting too much strain on the foils, especially the starboard one, which has been working hard since the start. As such we’re rarely exceeding 37 knots, but we do at times make 42 knots as we did yesterday.’
