Author: José Lamazou

“If we pass the Cape of Good Hope one day or one and a half days behind the record, that will be good,” said Francis Joyon before the start in Brest, after looking at the weather forecasts for the Atlantic. Sailing ahead of a low since yesterday, the IDEC SPORT Maxi trimaran is ahead of their initial forecasts. They have reduced their deficit to the title-holder to 600 miles or in other words around a day of sailing. Banque Populaire V rounded the first of the three major capes after 11 days, 21 hours and 48 minutes.

 

Sailing at more than 38 knots, the big red and white trimaran has sailed 825 miles in 24 hours and should pass the Cape of Good Hope in less than 13 days, which is a substantial gain over the pace achieved last year. They will be trying to stay in this NW’ly air stream for as long as possible. Joyon, Surtel, Pella, Audigane, Stamm and Gahinet are on the attack and happy to get back up to the sort of speed they were hoping for from their Maxi Trimaran IDEC SPORT.

 

Like their virtual rival in December 2011, they will have to gybe at some point to stay with the wind and dive into the Southern Ocean to head towards the Kerguelens, after passing Cape Agulhas marking the entrance into the Indian Ocean.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

At the start of the eleventh day of racing, IDEC SPORT has entered the Forties. On the way into the Southern Ocean, the big red and white trimaran got a taste during the night of the NW’ly winds generated by the first Southern low. 1500 miles from the Cape of Good Hope, speeds are back up.Francis Joyon and his men are speeding along at more than thirty knots.

 

It took courage and determination to find their way through the traps and calms associated with the St. Helena high, which was blocking their route down the South Atlantic. Francis Joyon and the router Marcel van Triest have kept hard at it during this demanding phase.

In spite of some complicated weather patterns, they have managed to get away from this zone thanks to a laborious route and enter the Big South. They have kept the distance to their virtual rival, the title-holder down to 730 miles. The winds have gradually been strengthening over the past few hours and the men and boat are ready to race across the Southern Ocean. They are on the attack !

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

 

The Christmas truce is over. After a long straight run yesterday, which allowed the crew of IDEC SPORT to perform better than expected in the South Atlantic, they have now entered a transition zone, where they have to pay the toll before entering the more powerful winds further south.

Early yesterday afternoon after a long straight track due south, Francis Joyon, Bernard Stamm, Alex Pella, Clément Surtel, Gwénolé Gahinet and Sébastien Audigane carried out  a series of gybes in winds which were forecast to ease off. It is not surprising that speeds fell and the gap to Banque Populaire V increased, as in 2012, the latter managed to keep on the fast track although going further via the west of the St. Helena high. This morning the red and grey trimaran is 647 miles behind her virtual rival.

Soon, the crew of six will be tacking upwind in light airs. However, in spite of all the hard work ahead on Monday between two weather systems there is the promise of an acceleration as the winds come around and strengthen as they head towards te cape of Good Hope. Tomorrow in this attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy, it will be like entering a different season as they approach the Southern Ocean.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

On Sunday, Thomas Coville, at the helm of Ultim Sodebo, smashed the solo round-the-world sailing record, held since 2008 by Francis Joyon, currently vying for the Jules Verne Trophy.

 

In 2008, Francis Joyon finished his world tour in 57 days, 13 hours and 34 minutes. On Sunday, a little after 6 p.m., Thomas Coville picked up a splendid Christmas present by bettering this record by 8 days. The sailor from Brittany went over the finish line at Ushant after 49 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes and 38 seconds at sea. After three attempts in 2008, 2010 and 2011, the fourth was the one that would bring success to Coville, who has been sailing on Olivier de Kersauson’s former vessel since 2014.

Emotion flooded the sailor, originating from Rennes, while on the verge of pulling off this feat.

Francis Joyon, currently attempting a Jules Verne Trophy record, was keen to congratulate Coville: “Thomas has produced an incredible time over a perfectly handled course. Bravo to him. Bravo for his performance and his perseverance. With his boat that is larger and more heavily sailed than my trimaran Idec was, he raises the bar very high. A great deal of mastery will be necessary in the future to beat this time and to handle a succession of different weather systems with no transition in the way that Thomas has managed to. Only three of us, including Ellen, have completed this world tour in multihulls without stops, and we are aware of the utter commitment that Thomas needed to carry off this magnificent performance.”

The new record will be difficult to beat, namely for François Gabard, set to affront it next winter.

 

Isabelle Trancoen

After eight days at sea and a constant battle against the clock, the crew of IDEC SPORT is continuing to dive down the South Atlantic off the coast of Brazil between Salvador da Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.

 

Sailing on a bearing of 180° at 18° latitude S, Francis Joyon and his men are making the most of a 15-knot easterly wind. With the wind on the beam on the port tack at a constant speed of 25 knots, conditions are allowing good speeds and they have regained around fifty miles in the past 24 hours over their virtual rival, the title-holder.

This morning Joyon and his men are around ahundred miles off the pace set by Banque Populaire V and are sailing further east to get round the St.Helena high. This zone is not going to make things easy for them. They are happy to be making gains for now, because the wind is likely to drop off in the next 36 hours. This is due to a ridge of high pressure blocking the way south, meaning it looks like a busy and tricky Christmas.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

 

The IDEC SPORT Maxi-Trimaran has been sailing off Brazil since the middle of the night. The SE’ly trade winds are gradually backing to the east as they dive south, allowing the trimaran to accelerate.

 

Joyon and his men are back up to speeds above 24 knots this morning, which is the ideal way to make up for the ground lost since the Doldrums, which slowed their voyage to the Equator. This morning off Recife they are 150 miles behind the title-holder but more or less equal as the virtual rival, the maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V, was at this point in 2012 off Salvador da Bahia, but much further west.

The strategy and positioning are key in this stretch of the South Atlantic with all its uncertainties. The St. Helena high appears to be swelling right across to Rio, and getting around it looks complicated. IDEC SPORT has been sailing under dark clouds since the Cape Verde Islands, but this should soon be replaced by sunshine.

Time to get out the sun cream, T-shirts and hats on the scorching deck of the maxi trimaran.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

The crew on the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran moved into the Southern Hemisphere at 0318 hrs UTC on Wednesday night.

 

It took Joyon and his men 5 days, 18 hours and 59 minutes to sail from Ushant to the Equator, which was two hours and 59 minutes more than the title-holder, Banque Populaire V. Francis Joyon refers to this as a decent time and says they are on track. The Doldrums seem to have become too attracted to the big red and white multihull and does not want to let her go, as the crew has been stuck in there now for more than 24 hours.

After fouir excellent days in the trade winds with peak speeds of 40 knots off the Cape Verde Islands, IDEC SPORT has since Tuesday evening been at speeds unworthy of even monohulls, and they have only sailed just over 200 miles in the past 24 hours. In moderate winds and a confused NW’ly air stream followed by calms, Joyon, Surtel, Pella, Stamm, Audigane and Gahinet are trying to find a way to get to the trade winds in the south. At this point in the record attempt, Banque Populaire V, a long way west of IDEC SPORT’s position was back up to 25 knots.

The advantage that IDEC SPORT had has now become a loss of over 40 miles this morning and this is likely to grow until Joyon and his men go on the port tack in the trade winds.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

 

Olivier de Kersauson, a key figure in the sailing world, has recently published a new book called Promenades en bord de mer et étonnements heureux (Promenades at Sea and Happy Surprises). In these pages, the winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1997 and 2004 retraces his career as a sailor: his joys, his sorrows, his gripes and his thrills.

Last Sunday, he was Laurent Delahousse’s guest during the 8 p.m. news on television channel France 2, invited to present his book. He also spoke about his life in Polynesia, politics and the sea.

 

Isabelle Trancoen

The IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran was suddenly slowed last night just before midnight after the high speed voyage down from Ushant. After speeds in excess of thirty knots, the situation suddenly changed at 3°N with the first effects of the Doldrums being felt.

 

Joyon and his crew of five have been struggling in an area of light winds since then. After coming to a standstill for a while, the big red and white trimaran has been heading south since dawn at slow speed at between eight and ten knots. His lead over the title-holder Banque Populaire V, which reached 210 miles, has gradually been falling and is now 160 miles.

The Equator is still 150 miles ahead of IDEC SPORT, sailing in the area of light winds. On the other hand, the SSE’ly trade winds seem to be well established to the south of the Equator. It looks like the whole of this fifth day is going to be slow and frustrating for the sailors.

Joyon’s men are some way east of their virtual rival, who in 2012 had to go a long way west to get around the St. Helena high. Loïck Peyron and Banque Populaire V took five days and 16 hours to get to the Equator.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

 

After the Canaries and the Cape Verde Islands, the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran is preparing to enter the Doldrums. The effects of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which did so much damage to Joyon and his men in November will be felt in around twelve hours.

 

Joyon, Surtel, Gahinet, Stamm, Audigane and Pella have not been hanging around since they left Ushant four days ago. Off the Cape Verde Islands they have just had a magnificent day sailing 725 miles averaging more than thirty knots in 24 hours. This morning, the Equator is only 660 miles ahead of their bows. The trade wind is blowing at between 20 and 25 knots and is set to continue for most of the day allowing the red and white trimaran to keep up this pace.

There is then the uncertainty associated with the Doldrums. In November this area dealt a blow to IDEC SPORT on her recent attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy. It expanded in front of Joyon and his men, dashing any hopes they had of getting to the Equator with a decent time and more importantly of making it to the South Atlantic lows. A little luck would be helpful in this area, where they have to deal with calms and sudden wind shifts.

They currently have a lead of around a hundred miles over their virtual rival, the title-holder, Banque Populaire V, as they prepare to enter the Doldrums.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com