First words of the sailors in Lorient.
Franck Cammas :
It’s a very good feeling for us and the crew. It was very hard, it was a short leg but a hard leg last night was complicated for everybody for us as well, we take a lot of risk, but finally it worked out very well.
It’s very good feeling for sure, it’s a dream we had 10 months ago and we realized this dream now. It’s not finished, we still have one leg to do and it is important to do this leg very well. We have to have good celebration tonight.
The key was to concentrate on the trim of the boat, never sleep and be confident as well in our performance and our boat, I think Groupama 4 is very good in the conditions we had in this leg.
I am waiting to have two hands on the trophy, for now it’s far away.
Groupama bowman Brad Marsh
We were expecting a big welcome and we’ve got it. The French boys are very proud and as a French team it’s a very special moment.
We’ve been pushing pretty hard after the gybe in big seas and big wind we just kept pushing as hard as we could. We heard Telefónica dropped back with the emergency steering but we kept pushing and kept going because the French really wanted to win here. We had the boat to the limit and each other to the limit.
We had the fractional up overnight and the staysail. Obviously e had the mainsail lock issues and we couldn’t get full hoists on the main so we were trying to make up for it and do everything we could.
It’s a long way up that’s for sure, it’s hard to do anything while you’re up there. We managed to recover and get a solution and keep going, but we couldn’t have full hoists with the main but we could get a reef. It was obviously a suitable solution to get the result we wanted.
I’m not going to say anything just yet, but the dreams staring to head towards a reality just now, it’s starting to get closer and closer. Let’s hope we can keep the momentum going right now and get to Galway with the trophy in our hand.
CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson
We were back a bit during this leg and we knew it would be tough to get out to the Azores with the job reaching, but then we knew there would be some chances in the low pressure. When you find yourself in 45-50 knots you’re just trying to make it through in one piece – forget about the results, you just want to make it through the night, and we did with good speed.
Everyone’s saying they have never been this knocked around. Last night wehad a few moments where we were going at 38 knots down waves in the dark – that’s not right.
Look down below on the boat and it’s like the day it was built. You just hope they’re built well because we sure don’t treat them well.
You have to think Groupama are in with a pretty good shot now. They have got an impressive programme, great speed and nice tactics. I like it when they hang it out there.
PUMA skipper Ken Read
It’s bitter sweet. We didn’t sail our best leg to be honest, and it’s at the wrong time. We made some mistakes. We kept it close like we always do, and usually when we keep it close we thrive in that situation. Slipping up on CAMPER at the end was disappointing, but I give them credit for taking advantage of the one little slip up we made. It was hard. Everybody talks about these easy five day legs, but I think they’re harder because you can’t get into a rhythm. I hope I’m wrong but I have a feeling we’ve seen the opportunity to win this race slipping away. That’s a big 10 points that they just amassed over us. Good for them, they keep sailing fast and smart, that’s a deadly combination. Being on the podium is always a good result, I don’t mean to sound like I’m whinging, but at the same time maybe we just saw the Volvo Ocean Race go away, so that’s kind of a bummer.
Everybody dug it in very hard. We pushed the boat as hard as it could be pushed even in 50 knots. It’s hard as skipper sailing into a low pressure system that you know is going to be brutal from a safety standpoint. We’ve just heard Telefónica had some pretty major problems, those are always major fears in the back of your mind and that’s no fun. But at the same time you have push through all that stuff and just carry on. So the guys just hit their stride. Trust me there’s never a dull moment. I think it was the anticipation of that storm that wears me out, once you’re in it you can deal with it, but it’s that anticipation that’s not much fun.
I don’t want to say it’s a race for second place yet, but I have to give them credit. They’ve continued to get better and that’s what this race demands. They struggled in the beginning. But they keep getting better. Good for them, bad for us.
From : VOR
Credit : E.Allaire
Franck Cammas :
It’s a very good feeling for us and the crew. It was very hard, it was a short leg but a hard leg last night was complicated for everybody for us as well, we take a lot of risk, but finally it worked out very well.
It’s very good feeling for sure, it’s a dream we had 10 months ago and we realized this dream now. It’s not finished, we still have one leg to do and it is important to do this leg very well. We have to have good celebration tonight.
The key was to concentrate on the trim of the boat, never sleep and be confident as well in our performance and our boat, I think Groupama 4 is very good in the conditions we had in this leg.
I am waiting to have two hands on the trophy, for now it’s far away.
Groupama bowman Brad Marsh
We were expecting a big welcome and we’ve got it. The French boys are very proud and as a French team it’s a very special moment.
We’ve been pushing pretty hard after the gybe in big seas and big wind we just kept pushing as hard as we could. We heard Telefónica dropped back with the emergency steering but we kept pushing and kept going because the French really wanted to win here. We had the boat to the limit and each other to the limit.
We had the fractional up overnight and the staysail. Obviously e had the mainsail lock issues and we couldn’t get full hoists on the main so we were trying to make up for it and do everything we could.
It’s a long way up that’s for sure, it’s hard to do anything while you’re up there. We managed to recover and get a solution and keep going, but we couldn’t have full hoists with the main but we could get a reef. It was obviously a suitable solution to get the result we wanted.
I’m not going to say anything just yet, but the dreams staring to head towards a reality just now, it’s starting to get closer and closer. Let’s hope we can keep the momentum going right now and get to Galway with the trophy in our hand.
CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson
We were back a bit during this leg and we knew it would be tough to get out to the Azores with the job reaching, but then we knew there would be some chances in the low pressure. When you find yourself in 45-50 knots you’re just trying to make it through in one piece – forget about the results, you just want to make it through the night, and we did with good speed.
Everyone’s saying they have never been this knocked around. Last night wehad a few moments where we were going at 38 knots down waves in the dark – that’s not right.
Look down below on the boat and it’s like the day it was built. You just hope they’re built well because we sure don’t treat them well.
You have to think Groupama are in with a pretty good shot now. They have got an impressive programme, great speed and nice tactics. I like it when they hang it out there.
PUMA skipper Ken Read
It’s bitter sweet. We didn’t sail our best leg to be honest, and it’s at the wrong time. We made some mistakes. We kept it close like we always do, and usually when we keep it close we thrive in that situation. Slipping up on CAMPER at the end was disappointing, but I give them credit for taking advantage of the one little slip up we made. It was hard. Everybody talks about these easy five day legs, but I think they’re harder because you can’t get into a rhythm. I hope I’m wrong but I have a feeling we’ve seen the opportunity to win this race slipping away. That’s a big 10 points that they just amassed over us. Good for them, they keep sailing fast and smart, that’s a deadly combination. Being on the podium is always a good result, I don’t mean to sound like I’m whinging, but at the same time maybe we just saw the Volvo Ocean Race go away, so that’s kind of a bummer.
Everybody dug it in very hard. We pushed the boat as hard as it could be pushed even in 50 knots. It’s hard as skipper sailing into a low pressure system that you know is going to be brutal from a safety standpoint. We’ve just heard Telefónica had some pretty major problems, those are always major fears in the back of your mind and that’s no fun. But at the same time you have push through all that stuff and just carry on. So the guys just hit their stride. Trust me there’s never a dull moment. I think it was the anticipation of that storm that wears me out, once you’re in it you can deal with it, but it’s that anticipation that’s not much fun.
I don’t want to say it’s a race for second place yet, but I have to give them credit. They’ve continued to get better and that’s what this race demands. They struggled in the beginning. But they keep getting better. Good for them, bad for us.
From : VOR
