Parked in the Indian Ocean

Groupama 3 is in a bizarre situation at 51° South, just a few hundred miles from Cape Leeuwin and unable to free itself from a strong, disruptive front... The N'ly wind has suddenly backed to the West as it eases and their lead over the reference time is melting like an iceberg in a tropical sea!

A chilly atmosphere and a rather morose ambiance with a colourless sky and moonless nights, make this a far from settling experience, as Frédéric Le Peutrec beautifully described during the radio session: "There is good humour aboard even though it's not easy to sail in the South at the moment. You have to know how to be patient and wait and see what the next day brings, hoping for better things to come: we still have a slight lead over Orange II and it's not a matter of life or death... The coming situation is shaping up and it doesn't look like it'll be very easy to negotiate either... In times of difficulty, you have to retain your enthusiasm and don't sink into yourself! We are ready to seize the opportunity which is bound to come along at some time or other." - Full Report

28 and 35 knots of boat speed...

"We had to reposition ourselves slightly a few times towards the South and last night we hit 20-25 knots of wind, which is now enabling us to make between 28 and 35 knots of boat speed. The nocturnal temperatures are a little colder: the boat has been accelerating well since Saturday evening and the seas are building progressively" explained helmsman Sébastien Audigane at today's radio session.

As a result, the sailing conditions are almost ideal this Sunday. For her eleventh day at sea, Groupama 3 still has a lead of over 600 miles on Orange II, a separation which is logically set to increase as they pass the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope. Indeed, this disturbance which is creeping up behind the giant trimaran, will continue its course eastwards very rapidly, generating W'ly winds in excess of 35 knots... "The seas are still manageable as we are at the edge of a zone of high pressure and the wind has been kicking in progressively since yesterday.

It's ideal for going quick! The next two days aren't going to be too bad, even though we may have to reposition ourselves towards the South like yesterday in order to track down the pressure. The situation looks likely to become more complicated shortly after the Cape of Good Hope however. We'll have to wait and see what happens... We're sailing under cloudy skies but there are still patches of blue.

The temperatures are still high during the day but you have to wear a fleece at night. It's still very pleasant, even though we're being shaken about a bit at thirty knots! For the time being, the wind is steady and the boat isn't bumping off the waves" analysed Franck Cammas this lunchtime. -http://www.cammas-groupama.com/

CODE GREEN

With the window having been closely scrutinized over the past few hours here we have the verdict: Groupama 3 is passing to green! The weather is finally providing an opening for Franck Cammas and his men, who will leave their Lorient base at around 1600 GMT this evening to make Ushant, the traditional start zone for the Jules Verne Trophy. According to the latest forecasts, the crew should cross the line tomorrow morning. -http://www.cammas-groupama.com/