Wreckage on Banks Peninsula

[Island Time 1,230]

I got this from the regional Harbormaster, Canterbury;

 

We have had the attached photos and description below sent to the my office. The item looks like the bow section of a multihull to me, but I thought the mighty knowledge of Crew.org members may be able to add some more specifics. Is there any chance you could post for forum members to pass their comments.

 

 

To me it looks like the remains of Groupama 3. see http://www.sail-world.com/Images-of-Groupama-3--Return-to-Dunedin/42074

 

Comments anyone?

[PaulR 3]

Sorry can't help but the Harbourmaster or should that be "Harbour-mistresses"

are getting so much younger these days     

[Mothership 6]

It's Groupama III I'd say. Colours are right, as is the size. 

 

Edit: should read the writing under the images, as well - you'd already figured that one out.

[Fish 0]

Is it not the bow section of the amma that came off Groupama 2 attempting the Jules Verne, that blew apart off of Dunedin the other year?

Colours are the same, looks to be mildly sexy carbon construction, and the shape and profile also seem to match.

 

Do I win a bottle of rum?

 

Edit - doh - didn't see the link under the photos - photos are too big to see anything on IE.

[grantmc 59]

It's Groupama III I'd say. Colours are right, as is the size. 

 

Could be either 2 or 3. Pics might help.

[erice 732]

 

[Hurts 6]

Pretty interesting that it ended up there and after all this time. It should be kept as a piece of maritime history "The wreck that made trimarans in NZ extremely difficult (and expensive) to insure forever more".

[erice 732]

if the below link works

 

you'll see the north inshore? 160km? current seems to run up the coast  

 

(which is why surfing in dunedin is so cold)

 

before the offshore current of the anticlockwise south pacific gyre? which meanders south

 

http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/primary/waves/overlay=significant_wave_height/orthographic=-186.01,-46.61,3000

 

to get the current display instead of the wind display

 

click the "earth" button bottom left

 

and change the "mode" from "air" to "ocean" 

 

 

Sailing off New Zealand, Groupama 3 capsized following the breakage of her port float.

 

The ten men were very quickly airlifted via helicopter by the New Zealand rescue services and taken to Dunedin (South Island). 

 

They will do everything they can to salvage the trimaran once the conditions on zone have improved.

 

At 2343 UT on Sunday night, the giant trimaran turned over 80 miles to the East of the New Zealand town of Dunedin (South Island), the crew having gybed two hours earlier in a thirty knot SW'ly breeze on big seas. Groupama 3 had around a day's lead over the round the world reference time set by Orange II and had begun its entry into the Pacific Ocean over the weekend...

 

The crew was unable to do anything to prevent their capsize and was very rapidly picked up by the New Zealand rescue services, which rushed three helicopters onto the zone. Franck Cammas looks back at how the accident occurred.

"This Monday morning (late Sunday night UT), we gybed very close to the New Zealand coast by adopting a tack, which was designed to distance us from the worst of the low that was ahead of us. We set off on starboard tack, due East with 25-30 knots of wind: we were making good speed at over thirty knots on seas, which had calmed down. At the helm Franck Proffit was on watch with Fred Le Peutrec and Jan Dekker. The leeward float broke just aft of the forward beam. There was a very quick chain reaction and within ten seconds the float had taken the beam with it and that too broke.