BMW/Oracle Trimaran

French crew helpout with initial launching and first test sails

Based in Anacortes on the west coast of the United States since 21st August 2008, the skipper of the Groupama Trimarans and his team are full of praise aboard the 90 foot trimaran BMW Oracle designed by the French architects VPLP. After the initial sail trials, Franck Cammas gives us his take on events.

'This trimaran is the only one of its kind. She is fairly extreme and has enormous potential. We're gradually taming her'. Designated as helmsman by Russell Coutts, the triple winner of the America's Cup, during these initial outings, the skipper of Groupama has been collaborating with the American Team as a coach and consultant for over a year.

On the water, the power emitted by this trimaran which is over one and a half times the size of Groupama 2 is impressive. As wide as it is long at 27.5 metres, equipped with a mast which culminates at 50 metres high, a 500 m2 mainsail and a 700 m2 gennaker, she is designed to sail close to the shore in mild conditions.
On deck, the twenty or so crew are kitted out with helmets. At the helm, Franck Cammas is discovering 'a very pleasant boat which slips along nicely. During our first beat the crew were very tense'.
As the hours went by though, in a very light breeze, the cosmopolitan crew familarised themselves with the monster: 'There are three French sailors aboard including Bruno Laurent who, as is the case aboard Groupama 2, is the boat captain, and also Thierry Fouchier, the headsail trimmer, who has been sailing in our team since 1998'.

'Though some of the crew are only just discovering multihull sailing during these initial trials, it's a bit different for us. My discovery is centred more on being a team and learning another way of working. It's a very enriching experience' adds the skipper of the Groupama trimarans, who continues: 'This experience is very beneficial for our team as we're going to be able to transpose part of this knowledge onto Groupama 3, which is in the process of being reconstructed at the Multiplast yard in Vannes'.

Another member of the Groupama team present in the United States for the past two months, Jean-Marc Normant has been following the end of the construction of the BMW Oracle trimaran: 'It has been manufactured to a remarkably high standard. There has been great attention to detail despite the very tight timing; the work taking just nine months.' The project is something that the head of Groupama's design office, Loïc Dorez, has had a great deal of involvement in, particularly during the design phase; thus enabling the BMW Oracle Team to save precious time.

It now remains for the discovery to continue: 'We're going about it very progressively. Everyone is highly concentrated and rigorous as they're aware of the risks linked to the power of the boat and the sail surface.'

With a surface area equivalent to that of two basketball courts, the black and white trimaran is continuing to fill the crew with wonder. All they have to do now is to get the very best out of their steed in view of the duels which may take place if the New York Court of Appeal decides the trimaran event will go ahead in 2009.

...one more flying photo

Cammas comments on sailing Oracle tri

Franck Cammas commenting on the BMW ORACLE Racing 90-foot trimaran, "It is the first ever boat of this size designed and built for in-port racing and match racing only. She is very impressive, and the size of the mast is just amazing. We haven't gone full on yet. We need to build up our confidence and then we will be able to sail more aggressively. The boat is designed for light winds. She reaches the (103-foot) Groupama's top speeds easily, however much quicker than G3.

Now it would be different with 25 knots of wind, and Groupama 3 would be quicker. But this boat is exceptional under 15 kts. We are still very careful. It's extreme, we must not take risks. There is a lot of pressure when bearing away, we could feel the pressure amongst the crewmembers when we did it for the first time." -- Full comments:
http://tinyurl.com/SButt0914e

Cammas has been working with the American team as a consultant. While competing for the Jules Verne Trophy to set a new non-stop around the world record, Cammas and his crew were rescued February 17, 2008 off New Zealand when Groupama 3 capsized following the breakage of her port float.
http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en/index.jsp

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=21098
Another 'Round-the-World' Record Attempt, Groupama

There is definitely a 'wow' factor to the giant trimaran BMW Oracle, which began sailing off San Diego this past week in anticipation of a possible court-ordered one-on-one America's Cup match with Alinghi.

In fact, after viewing the boat and talking to helmsman James Spithill, it would be sad if the trimaran – which is 90 feet on the waterline with a 90-foot beam – never saw action in a race.

'While it is our desire to go back to a conventional America's Cup, it would be a huge shame to not see this boat in some type of competition,' said Spithill on Saturday afternoon after returning from the boat's fourth – and most challenging – sail out of its temporary San Diego Harbor base.

With seas running almost 10 feet with an opposing wind chop, the BMW Oracle crew got the conditions they had hoped for when they decided to come to San Diego.

Only, it was sooner than expected.

'The perfect scenario would have been to go from one-meter to two-meter to three-meter seas,' Spithill said. 'We skipped one and two and went straight to three.

'We anticipated the sea conditions. What surprised us today was the wind (14-15 knots top). We got more wind than expected. The loads on the boat shot up a lot. We tried all the systems under dynamic loading.


BOR90 sailing off San Diego - BMW Oracle Racing © Photo Gilles Martin-Raget Click Here to view large photo


'This was the first time the boat has really been tested. Even so, we were very cautious. The boat is designed to twist a lot. The loads on the boat are incredible.'

So are the sounds.

The slapping of an outrigger across a wave resonates through the carbon-fiber hull like a small explosion.

'There are a lot of loud noises on any carbon-fiber racing boat,' Spithill said. 'Because of the size, everything is magnified.'

Ah, the size.

The overall length of the boat is more than 100 feet, with the waterline length being 90 feet.

The raked mast thrusts 158 feet into the sky – it can easily be seen above the Convention Center from its berth adjacent to Joe's Crab Shack on South Embarcadero Park – with the mainsail being twice the size of an International America's Cup Class monohull.

...courtesy SailWorld

And here is a YouTube video of CBS coverage of project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-ITwzCb_6E