"Groupam3" yesterday at the start in front of Brest
Yesterday afternoon everything suddenly happened very quickly: After Franck Cammas and crew had not seen a single weather window for a start off Brest for weeks, the French skipper decided to go for a "lightning start", so to speak. At 3:53 p.m. the green tri crossed the starting line.
Shortly before the start on Sunday, Cammas said they would gamble: "The weather window is only open for two or three hours, we have to have the Biskay behind us on Monday morning." If the crew succeeds in this jump, they still have to connect to a strong low over Madeirschaffen when the wind subsides, then the start would have been successful. The reaction of the competing team from "Banque Populaire V" shows how narrow the weather window has to be. Pascal Bidégorry's team, who have also been waiting for a good weather window to start in Brest since November, did not even feel compelled to even consider the start. The duel hoped for by many fans of the two currently fastest offshore boats in the world, in which both start at the same time, did not materialize. So far, the willingness to take risks seems to be rewarded by Cammas ’team, this morning at seven they had already passed the Biskay and were still traveling at 20 knots in the weakening wind. But only tomorrow morning will it be seen whether a promising start can be assumed
It is the third attempt by Franck Cammas and team to create the fastest circumnavigation of the world, for which they have to break the 50 days and 16 hours mark of their compatriot Bruno Peyron. Peyron set the record in 2005 with his "Orange II" maxi-cat. On two previous calls by Cammas, "Groupam3" had to break off due to technical problems, the first time even a complete hull burst and the ship capsized. In November, the team broke the structure on the aft port beam on the way to the Southern Ocean. After repairs in Cape Town and the return to the starting line off Brest, "Groupam3" had been back on standby for the record since the beginning of the year.
