It was 20h12'16''UT Wednesday, when the maxi-trimaran Groupama passed the Ambrose Light on her way out of New York harbour. The race against the clock begins with 2,925 miles ahead of the trimaran. The time to beat - 4 days 3 hours 57 minutes 54 seconds - resounds in everyone's minds. To stand a chance of beating her own reference time set on 24th July 2007, Groupama 3 will have to cross the finish line off Lizard Point, the South-West tip of Britain, prior to Monday 3rd August at 00h 09' 10'' UT.After three weeks on standby in Gateway Marina to the south of Brooklyn, Franck Cammas and his men have today snatched what is a great opportunity to attack the North Atlantic record. Sylvain Mondon from Mto France, onshore router has this to say: "A line of stormy squalls from the SW hit New York during the course of the afternoon and produced a considerable wind increase on its way through. This enabled us to take the start a little earlier than we initially planned."
The weather window opening ahead of Groupama 3 is forecast to see some stiff conditions and a steady rhythm, which will certainly appeal to Franck Cammas and his crew!
