Not even a week on from their victorious arrival in Auckland, Groupama 4 has returned to the liquid element. Franck and his crew didn't take long to rediscover their reflex actions during the past two days of practice races. On Saturday morning, the In-Port race will get underway in front of the local marina, with an intense hour of racing on the cards...
The crew hasn't had the time to make the most of this Antipodean stopover, a land where sailing reigns supreme and the supporters' enthusiasm is truly unique. The shore crew took just three days to resolve the issue with Groupama 4's bow and perform a thorough check-up of the boat, the rigging, the deck hardware and so on. A fine performance prior to the longest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, which is bound for Brazil, via Cape Horn! However Franck Cammas and his men cannot disguise a certain amount of fatigue, due to the intensity of the previous leg and the few days of rest and recuperation. However, this has in no way affected their motivation to be in the thick of the action from Saturday onwards...
"The shore crew has had very little time to repair Groupama 4, which was badly damaged, with a leak at the bow following impact with a floating object. For three days, the shore crew worked day and night to get the boat back out on the water on Wednesday: we were even one of the first to go sailing. Congratulations to them! We feel confident prior to Saturday's In-Port race and above all leg 5 to Brazil."
A fine breeze
Around fifteen knots is expected at 0100 UTC on Saturday, when the start of the In-Port race is due to kick-off at 1400 hours local time off Auckland. Such conditions may mean that the Race Committee is able to set the six VO-70s off in the harbour channel as the sea state should remain flat. However, if the weather conditions are more boisterous, the race will take place in the Hauraki Gulf, which is where the America's Cup was played out.
"Saturday's In-Port race should take place offshore of Auckland's harbour and hence in a narrow channel with some fairly strong current: it's quite a unique playing field! This is largely due to the effects of land and the strong spectator fleet on the water: it should make for some fine racing as there's wind forecast..."
Franck Cammas' crew is ready for this latest challenge, even though the short format hasn't been one of the French boat's strong points as yet. However, it is hoped that the crew's taste for victory, developed during the fourth leg between China and New Zealand, will provide Groupama 4 with an opportunity to move up into a podium position in this race. Such a result would enable the crew to drive the point home and secure even more precious points to boost its position in relation to its two most dangerous rivals in the overall standing: the Spanish leaders Telefonica are 18 points ahead, whilst the New Zealanders on Camper, who will be competing on home waters, are just 5 points shy of them... Also of note during the Auckland stopover was the prize-giving, which was an opportunity to reward the crew of Groupama 4 for all their efforts: Media Crew Member Yann Riou, who created a superb account of the damage to the bow and the leak during their descent of the Kiwi coast, was awarded the Media Crew Member prize, whilst the crew secured themselves the Seamanship award for their handling of this incident.
From : Groupama
Credit : Y.Zedda
The crew hasn't had the time to make the most of this Antipodean stopover, a land where sailing reigns supreme and the supporters' enthusiasm is truly unique. The shore crew took just three days to resolve the issue with Groupama 4's bow and perform a thorough check-up of the boat, the rigging, the deck hardware and so on. A fine performance prior to the longest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, which is bound for Brazil, via Cape Horn! However Franck Cammas and his men cannot disguise a certain amount of fatigue, due to the intensity of the previous leg and the few days of rest and recuperation. However, this has in no way affected their motivation to be in the thick of the action from Saturday onwards...
"The shore crew has had very little time to repair Groupama 4, which was badly damaged, with a leak at the bow following impact with a floating object. For three days, the shore crew worked day and night to get the boat back out on the water on Wednesday: we were even one of the first to go sailing. Congratulations to them! We feel confident prior to Saturday's In-Port race and above all leg 5 to Brazil."
A fine breeze
Around fifteen knots is expected at 0100 UTC on Saturday, when the start of the In-Port race is due to kick-off at 1400 hours local time off Auckland. Such conditions may mean that the Race Committee is able to set the six VO-70s off in the harbour channel as the sea state should remain flat. However, if the weather conditions are more boisterous, the race will take place in the Hauraki Gulf, which is where the America's Cup was played out.
"Saturday's In-Port race should take place offshore of Auckland's harbour and hence in a narrow channel with some fairly strong current: it's quite a unique playing field! This is largely due to the effects of land and the strong spectator fleet on the water: it should make for some fine racing as there's wind forecast..."
Franck Cammas' crew is ready for this latest challenge, even though the short format hasn't been one of the French boat's strong points as yet. However, it is hoped that the crew's taste for victory, developed during the fourth leg between China and New Zealand, will provide Groupama 4 with an opportunity to move up into a podium position in this race. Such a result would enable the crew to drive the point home and secure even more precious points to boost its position in relation to its two most dangerous rivals in the overall standing: the Spanish leaders Telefonica are 18 points ahead, whilst the New Zealanders on Camper, who will be competing on home waters, are just 5 points shy of them... Also of note during the Auckland stopover was the prize-giving, which was an opportunity to reward the crew of Groupama 4 for all their efforts: Media Crew Member Yann Riou, who created a superb account of the damage to the bow and the leak during their descent of the Kiwi coast, was awarded the Media Crew Member prize, whilst the crew secured themselves the Seamanship award for their handling of this incident.
From : Groupama
