On Sunday, Francis Joyon and the IDEC Sport team went back into Code Green, the signal indicating that they may well be about to set off.
It’s the third time since the start of November that the Idec Sport team has seen a favourable weather window open up, but this time may well be a case of third time lucky. Latest forecasts predict a “60 % chance of leaving between Sunday evening and Monday morning,” according to Francis Joyon, visibly in a hurry to get going.
“It’s very difficult to wait because we’re on the alert,” explained the navigator. “We make weather readings 4, 5, 6 times a day, checking that the crew’s available and set to get to the boat.” By returning to Code Green, Francis Joyon and his fellow crewmembers (Bernard Stamm, Alex Pella, Boris Herrmann, Gwénolé Gahinet and Clément Surtel) are back in battle-ready mode. The next updates coming from their onshore router Marcel Van Triest will be analysed carefully so that they can make the best decision and seize hold of the timeframe most likely to help them set a new record for the course. The crew is nonetheless dogged by “a level of concern because we’re not sure about the weather,” adds Francis Joyon.
Isabelle Trancoen (article translated from French)
