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A decisive victory

The In-Port race off Sanya cools the French enthusiasm somewhat as Groupama 4 finishes second to last whilst the Spanish hammer home another race win ! As such the team has to motivate themselves into action again for a leg, which promises to be extremely tough, in a region that is very unfamiliar to the Volvo Ocean Race competitors. In fact, straightaway the organisers delay the start by 24 hours due to a violent easterly gale. As a result, the opening miles are lively for the beat up to the North-East and the Luzon Strait and to the South of Taiwan, Camper and Groupama 4 make a break for it in a breeze which isn’t able to build. Indeed the north-easterly tradewinds take three days to settle into position, which gives the Americans time to take a detour up to Japan to hook onto a depression : Franck Cammas and his men spot the danger and climb northwards to cover them. And the drop down to the equator is fabulous as the French boat gets round the Solomon Islands with the Americans and the Emiratis, whilst the Iberians and the Kiwis slip through the archipelago. Groupama 4 manages to keep ahead, despite the pitfalls at New Caledonia and the lively landfall in New Zealand. Even after hitting a floating object, which causes a major leak in the bow ! This first leg victory propels the French team into second place in the overall standing. A few days later, Groupama 4 finishes on the podium in the In-Port race : the Spanish leaders are now within reach…

Franck Cammas : “To finish in front in Auckland is extraordinary and a lot better than anywhere else ! It’s our first Volvo Ocean Race victory too so naturally it really hits home. It’s been a difficult leg with lots of different conditions. We were regularly where we needed to be, pulling off the right moves : it feels special to know we sailed well.”

The top three in Auckland 1-Telefonica (Iker Martinez) : 1+30+6+29+2+27+6+20+1 = 122 points 2-Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas) : 2+20+2+18+5+24+2+30+4 = 107 points 3-Camper (Chris Nicholson) : 4+25+5+24+4+18+3+15+6 = 104 points

Bumps and mishaps

This is ‘the’ leg, the one which enthrals every sailor in the world, the seminal leg between Auckland and Brazil via Cape Horn ! The course kicks off violently with a tropical storm to the North of New Zealand : over thirty-five knots on the nose on raging seas, before they can slip down towards the Furious 50s… And for safety reasons, the organisation Organisation #organisation has defined an ice gate limit to avoid the icebergs. However, on arriving at the edge of this ice limit, the south-westerly breeze really packs a punch : Sanya loses a rudder, whilst Camper explodes her forward bulkheads ! Franck Cammas and his men take control, followed by the Americans, and together they head around a very feisty depression which is virtually at a standstill. There are over eight-metre waves and fresh damage for Telefonica and Abu Dhabi. On rounding Cape Horn, Groupama 4 holds onto a fifteen-mile lead over Puma and during the climb along the Argentinean coast, the two leaders are bitterly duelling. That is, until the mast on the French boat collapses for some unknown reason. They head for Uruguay under power to install a jury rig and finish the leg in third place. Another spar comes to their rescue from Europe and, in its misfortune, the French team still manages to salvage something in the overall standing.

Franck Cammas : "To finish third in Itajai isn’t too bad, even though we had slightly higher, more fulfilling ambitions a week ago than to finish the leg under jury rig ! It remains a big disappointment, but part of that sentiment has been erased by the work the shore team and the sailing team did in Punta del Este. We can be proud of what we’ve achieved and I think we’ve come out all the stronger from this.”

The top three in Itajai 1-Telefonica (Iker Martinez) : 1+30+6+29+2+27+6+20+1+25 = 147 points 2-Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas) : 2+20+2+18+5+24+2+30+4+20 = 127 points 3-Camper (Chris Nicholson) : 4+25+5+24+4+18+3+15+6+15 = 119 points

And the races too !

As a result, the Brazilian stopover is pretty short for Groupama 4’s shore team, who have to adapt the spare mast in a matter of just days. And during the In-Port race, the Spanish make for the wrong mark and let victory slip into the hands of Franck Cammas and his men ! The crew of Telefonica is doubting itself, whilst the French are getting back their colour… Unfortunately, the leg to Miami kicks off badly : Groupama 4 is trapped offshore and the wind favours the American leaders. They go from having a few miles’ deficit to being a hundred miles down offshore of Recife ! However, the French sailors don’t give up and gradually pick off the others, getting past Abu Dhabi offshore of French Guiana, then, on opting to traverse the Bahamas, they outmanoeuvre the Spanish. As such, the final outcome isn’t catastrophic, though the pressure from the Americans, who take a win on home waters, and second placed Camper, are becoming stronger. The light airs of the In-Port will finally be favourable for Groupama 4, who leads the way, but a spectator boat hampers their progress, leaving an opening for Abu Dhabi. Second in Miami, Franck Cammas and his men are just seven points shy of the Spanish leaders…

Franck Cammas : “We’re obviously frustrated because we weren’t able to battle it out for the top spot for three weeks, which was hard to bear. The overall standing has bunched together as four boats are still in with a chance of outright victory in Galway : everything is still open and the battle will continue !”

The top three in Miami 1-Telefonica (Iker Martinez) : 1+30+6+29+2+27+6+20+1+25+2+15+1 = 165 points 2-Groupama 4 (Franck Cammas) : 2+20+2+18+5+24+2+30+4+20+6+20+5 = 158 points 3-Camper (Chris Nicholson) : 4+25+5+24+4+18+3+15+6+15+5+25+3 = 152 points

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