Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010

Franck Cammas and his men on Groupama 3 drew alongside under blue skies in the Port du Château this Sunday morning to the applause of an enthusiast local crowd. After having beaten the Jules Verne round the world record in a time of 48d 07h 44′ 52", the crew prepared themselves for the barrage of questions in front of the public, the media and their families... Extracts from an emotional and memorable day, coloured by good humour, a true sense of team spirit and mutual respect.

Read the rest of the article at;-
www.cammas-groupama.com

Future Fibres offers its congratulations to Franck Cammas and his team aboard Groupama III, the 105-foot trimaran which has just smashed the Route of Discovery record from Cadiz to San Salvador.

Using a complete set of composite rigging supplied by Future Fibres, the maxi-trimaran covered the 3,901 nautical mile course across the Atlantic in just 7 days 10 hours 58 minutes and 53 seconds of sea (subject to ratification by the WSSRC). The new time takes 2 days 2 hours minutes and 25 seconds off the previous record set by Steve Fossett's PlayStation in February 2003.

Groupama III crossed the Atlantic at an average speed of 21.79 knots, compared with PlayStation's average of 16.92 knots, a measure of just how far technology has progressed in the past four years.

Miles Amin, who handles technical sales for Valencia-based composite rigging specialist Future Fibres, praised Cammas and the crew. "This is the first record Groupama III has attempted and the result demonstrates the determination and attention to detail of this very professional team.

"Alongside our French agent, Vincent Le Roux and his company Blew Stoub, we have worked with Franck and his team on the two ORMA 60 trimarans Groupama I & II, and in everything they do they strive for the very best. The requirements for the rigging were very specific: the need for optimising power to weight ratio and a supplier willing to provide the highest level of service. Future Fibres' worked with the Groupama design team on a series of cable load testing, lash testing, fitting optimisation, custom mast interfacing, cover abrasion testing and product development."

Groupama III is a boat that dwarfs almost anything else in both scale and ambition, so it was back to the drawing board for Future Fibres when it came to specifying the rigging. Amin says this project has tested the very limits of customisation. "This trimaran is extreme; it sails so fast and the loads are huge. The cable on the Solent stay, for example, has a breakload in excess of 77 tonnes, and the furling cable on the Maxi Gennaker is over 41 metres long.

"Obviously, this is a very weight-conscious project so we have worked hard to supply cables at minimum weight and windage. It has been a very exciting project, and I'm sure this Route of Discovery record is just the first of many that Groupama III will conquer in the coming months and years."

Franck Cammas' Maxi trimaran Groupama III was launched in June 2006 with a full set of Future Fibres composite rigging. The trimaran has been designed specifically for around the world racing and record attempts. It is the largest Maxi trimaran built to date, lighter and more powerful than its predecessors.

DOUBLE TURNOVER, BIGGER AND SMALLER BOATS, FASTER PACE, MORE PEOPLE, NEW PRODUCTION LINE, RECORDS BROKEN, CLASSIFICATION APPROVAL… WORTHY OF AN AWARD!

Future Fibres has always been the forward-looking specialist rigging company – predicting and driving demand in a competitive market for lightweight PBO rigging. While planning for 2008 and beyond, a quick reflection of Future Fibres' achievements in 2007 shows success at all levels...

The superyacht industry has embraced the use of PBO rigging, a panel of superyacht owners and experts voting Future Fibres winner at the World Superyacht Awards in Venice in April. Six weeks later Germanischer Lloyd awarded classification society approval to Future Fibres' PBO cables after extensive testing and scrutiny of production processes and documentation. Absolute confidence in the product's safety and performance has led to superyacht owners, designers and project managers specifying Future Fibres for new build and retrofit projects. Fast superyachts Sojana and Hamilton II have both reported dramatic improvements in performance since opting to retrofit PBO rigging earlier this year.

Racing monohulls whose owners selected PBO rigging, after comparing it with continuous carbon, include Morning Glory, the Reichel Pugh Z86 and Leopard 3, the supermaxi destined for the charter market after an intensive 18-month race programme. Future Fibres has also made a big impact on the Open 60 class this year. This exciting fleet is growing rapidly in preparation for next year's Vendée Globe, starting November 2008. Six of the nine entrants starting in the Barcelona race this month are carrying full sets of PBO rigging, as are over 50% of the potential Transat Jaques Vabre and Vendée fleets

Multihulls Sodebo and Groupama 3 have been working with Future Fibres on an extensive R&D programme throughout the year, smashing several records along the way...

Wally, another brand synonymous with leading edge thinking and style, has Future Fibres PBO rigging on Y3K – its latest 'reference point' technologically advanced racing boat, as well as the Wally 148, Saudade, a Wally 130 (in production) and a recent order for a Wally 101.

Clean design is evident in every item emerging from Future Fibres' facilities, the continuously wound concept pioneered by Future Fibres being the neatest and best looking system on the market. And now, for those who like an even more minimal design on deck, an 'under-deck turnbuckle' has been developed and patented, reducing drag and windage while also lowering the centre of gravity

Production and semi-production boat builders continue to recommend Future Fibres PBO, as they aim to differentiate their product with a performance edge. From Dehler 44's to Shipmans (80, 72 and 63s) and a number of Southern Wind 100s, this is an exciting development as this high tech product receives general market acceptance, a lot sooner than anyone could have imagined

Teamwork is at the heart of Future Fibres and its core team has seen the benefits of keeping the pace fast, meetings short, and making every project an opportunity to improve a boat's performance and make a client happy. Now with over 50 full-time staff, Future Fibres is currently recruiting further technical sales staff, project managers, engineers and service personnel whilst expanding its production and test facilities at its 5,000m² factory in Valencia, in order to fulfil its growing 2008/09 order book.