The "4.1", Groupama 4's new mast, landed in Curitiba - 200 kilometres to the North of Itajai - overnight on Wednesday. A direct fifteen-hour flight from Amsterdam and a seven-hour wide load delivery trip along the Brazilian roads were needed by the members of Franck Cammas' shore team, to get the mast to Itajai, where Groupama sailing team's base has been in place for the past ten days.
The precious* mast finally made it to Itajai, the sixth stopover venue in the Volvo Ocean Race, at 1730 hours (Brazil) 2030 hours (UTC) on Thursday 12 April.
Stéphane Guilbaud, team manager for Groupama sailing team, closely monitored the arrival of this element which is essential to the boat's performance. Together with the Logistics Manager, Hervé Le Quilliec, they ensured that the transportation went as smoothly as possible: "The plane's nose was open and the fixed tray conveyor had been set up. The length of our parcel is rather unique and we had to use three trays which were all lowered together as the item was unloaded... which was quite an impressive stage! The parcel isn't heavy (a little over 600kg) but it is long (a little over 30m). Once the parcel had been placed on the ground, four pallet trucks lifted it up simultaneously so as to bring alongside the lorry. The mast was raised, the fixed trays removed and the lorry moved into position. This operation took us two hours and we were able to set off at around 1030 hours this morning (Brazil). Our parcel has also been checked by the Brazilian authorities as the packaging must comply with the country's regulations. The Brazilians were very well organised during the arrival of the plane. The start of the delivery was complicated because the roads were narrow, but we were very well supported by the Brazilian military police. Furthermore, the atmosphere was good humoured throughout."
Mast "4.1" had to make a journey of over 20 hours, but it's not yet ready to be hoisted on Groupama 4. In reality, this `new' mast was the first to have been designed, and as such it is less polished than the broken mast, the "4.2", which was manufactured following research and improvements carried out by the whole team on the "4.1".
Ben Wright: "Some of the guys will have to work through tonight and tomorrow night: there's a long jobs' list to be completed, especially as regards the mast". The aim of the French team is to make all the necessary improvements to the new mast, so that it is as similar as possible to the broken mast.
However, the French team aren't just focusing on this issue alone as Ben Wright, shore team manager, explains: "Several elements were damaged after this very testing leg, especially the transom, which was very badly damaged during the dismasting. Numerous stages will be required to rebuild this section of Groupama 4. We're likely to complete this operation on Saturday. The baking of the cables is scheduled for Sunday evening and the assembly of the mast on Monday".
In addition to this work, the list of missions which will assist performance on Groupama 4 is also very long. Naturally, at Groupama sailing team's Brazilian base, everyone is working flat out towards a common goal: to complete the work on the green and orange Volvo Open 70 within the allotted time and to the best of their abilities. Despite a few extra kilos due to the repairs, Groupama 4 will be match-fit and a lot more high performance than at the very start of the race.
Indeed the overall optimisation work on the Volvo Open 70 appears to satisfy the whole of the shore team, who are giving their all with a view to a scheduled relaunch on Monday or Tuesday next week.
* the rules stipulate that the teams participating in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011/2012 can use a maximum of two masts for the entire race. With the first mast having broken during the last leg, Groupama sailing team only has one mast, so it's essential for the next stage in the competition.
The precious* mast finally made it to Itajai, the sixth stopover venue in the Volvo Ocean Race, at 1730 hours (Brazil) 2030 hours (UTC) on Thursday 12 April.
Stéphane Guilbaud, team manager for Groupama sailing team, closely monitored the arrival of this element which is essential to the boat's performance. Together with the Logistics Manager, Hervé Le Quilliec, they ensured that the transportation went as smoothly as possible: "The plane's nose was open and the fixed tray conveyor had been set up. The length of our parcel is rather unique and we had to use three trays which were all lowered together as the item was unloaded... which was quite an impressive stage! The parcel isn't heavy (a little over 600kg) but it is long (a little over 30m). Once the parcel had been placed on the ground, four pallet trucks lifted it up simultaneously so as to bring alongside the lorry. The mast was raised, the fixed trays removed and the lorry moved into position. This operation took us two hours and we were able to set off at around 1030 hours this morning (Brazil). Our parcel has also been checked by the Brazilian authorities as the packaging must comply with the country's regulations. The Brazilians were very well organised during the arrival of the plane. The start of the delivery was complicated because the roads were narrow, but we were very well supported by the Brazilian military police. Furthermore, the atmosphere was good humoured throughout."
Mast "4.1" had to make a journey of over 20 hours, but it's not yet ready to be hoisted on Groupama 4. In reality, this `new' mast was the first to have been designed, and as such it is less polished than the broken mast, the "4.2", which was manufactured following research and improvements carried out by the whole team on the "4.1".
Ben Wright: "Some of the guys will have to work through tonight and tomorrow night: there's a long jobs' list to be completed, especially as regards the mast". The aim of the French team is to make all the necessary improvements to the new mast, so that it is as similar as possible to the broken mast.
However, the French team aren't just focusing on this issue alone as Ben Wright, shore team manager, explains: "Several elements were damaged after this very testing leg, especially the transom, which was very badly damaged during the dismasting. Numerous stages will be required to rebuild this section of Groupama 4. We're likely to complete this operation on Saturday. The baking of the cables is scheduled for Sunday evening and the assembly of the mast on Monday".
In addition to this work, the list of missions which will assist performance on Groupama 4 is also very long. Naturally, at Groupama sailing team's Brazilian base, everyone is working flat out towards a common goal: to complete the work on the green and orange Volvo Open 70 within the allotted time and to the best of their abilities. Despite a few extra kilos due to the repairs, Groupama 4 will be match-fit and a lot more high performance than at the very start of the race.
Indeed the overall optimisation work on the Volvo Open 70 appears to satisfy the whole of the shore team, who are giving their all with a view to a scheduled relaunch on Monday or Tuesday next week.
* the rules stipulate that the teams participating in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011/2012 can use a maximum of two masts for the entire race. With the first mast having broken during the last leg, Groupama sailing team only has one mast, so it's essential for the next stage in the competition.
From : Groupama
