Category: IDEC

IDEC SPORT’s dash across the Southern Ocean  should be rewarded this afternoon with the first intermediate record for Joyon and Co. They look like setting an incredible time to Cape Leeuwin in SW Australia, the second major cape in the Jules Verne Trophy.

 

It will have taken them just over 17 days since leaving Ushant, some twenty hours ahead of the reference time set by the title-holder, Banque Populaire V. Joyon, Pella, Stamm, Gahinet, Audigane and Surtel should be setting a new record for the stretch between the Cape of Good Hope and Leeuwin, which they covered at an average speed of more than 36 knots.

The speed has dropped slightly since yesterday evening, as expected by Francis Joyon yesterday. The strong winds are on the left of the boat, shifting to the north. This requires skill at the helm with teh wind on the beam and speeds will not be as high as over the past few days since entering the Indian OCean on 29th December, just four days ago. The lead over Loïck Peyron and his crew of thirteen is now 437 miles, and they are still extending this lead, with IDEC SPORT continuing to go straight on gaining by taking the direct route in the Furious Fifties.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

Sorry, this entry is only available in French.

Sorry, this entry is only available in French.

1000 miles from the Kerguelens that they should pass via the south, IDEC SPORT is continuing to progress at high speed. Francis Joyon and his crew are keeping up some very high averages and in so doing narrowing the gap to their virtual rival the holder of the Jules Verne Trophy. The speedo is stuck on around 35 knots meaning that the record attempt is definitely still onin the Indian Ocean. They need to keep an eye out for ice in these hostile latitudes…

 

Aboard IDEC SPORT, which entered the Southern Ocean yesterday, Francis Joyon and his crewmen are taking it in turns every half hour at the helm to make the most of the favourable conditions. As they enter the Fifties, the big red and white trimaran is narrowing the gap to Banque Populaire V, whose lead is melting away. In the rankings this Friday morning, the deficit of 755 miles recorded on 26th December is now down to less than 300 miles.

On the deck, warm clothing and gloves are required as the trimaran dives into the Southen Ocean. The radar is on permanent watch and is a vital help in these southern latitudes. “It is very cold with the se temperature down to 2 or 3°” stated Sébastien Audigane, in a video sent back this morning. Famous for his skill at the helm, Big Seb admits he is enjoying seeing the dials indicate such high speeds in the leaden skies of the Indian Ocean. “We’ve just shaken out a reef as we weren’t going fast enough, just 35 knots, so now we’re under full mainsail and making forty knots.”

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

 

Still at full power, IDEC SPORT crossed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope, the first of the three major capes in the Jules Verne Trophy at 0347 hrs UTC after 12 days and 19 hours. Pushed along in front of a low-pressure system, Francis Joyon and his crew are keeping up high average speeds having sailed 879 miles in 24 hours at an average of 36.6 knots.

 

Since they entered the Southern Ocean 48 hours ago, Francis Joyon, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet, Clément Surtel and Sébastien Audigane have been clocking up incredible speeds in ideal conditions. On the attack, the six sailors are taking it in turns at the helm as they fight hard to remain ahead of the system. They have therefore been able to regain a lot of the ground they lost in the South Atlantic as they aim for the record time of 45 days and 13 hours, and meanwhile have clocked up the best day in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy.

Today they are less than one day off the pace (21h and 40mins) set by the title-holder, Banque Populaire V skippered by Loïck Peyron. This deficit is continuing to fall, as conditions remain favourable for IDEC SPORT with a good wind angle allowing them to remain at around 35 knots. It was at 0541 this Thursday morning that the red and white trimaran entered the Indian Ocean passing Cape Agulhas. In this cold and hostile wasteland, they are currently reaching peak speeds of around forty knots.

 

Source : www.idecsport-sailing.com

“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

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