Category: Spindrift Racing

Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and all the team of the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change announced a switch to code yellow this morning within the scope of their Jules Verne Trophy record attempt.

Indeed, a potential weather window looks likely to open in the South Atlantic. If this window is confirmed, it would enable a good arrival time at the Cape of Good Hope.

In this case, the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change could cross the start line off the island of Ushant between Wednesday and Thursday.

Given the NW’ly winds and heavy seas forecast, the team is planning to deliver the boat to Brest on Tuesday morning and tie up to the dock outside the harbour town through until the start.

Confirmation of the delivery trip will be given this evening upon receipt and analysis of the latest weather files.

Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and their nine crew will begin a fresh Jules Verne Trophy record attempt this Thursday. Early in the morning, the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change will cast off from her port of registry in La Trinité-Sur-Mer (Morbihan) to make for the start line offshore of Ushant. Their goal: to complete the non-stop, unassisted round the world course, leaving to port the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin, Horn), faster than the record time set by Francis Joyon and his men in 2017 of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s also an opportunity for the crew of the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change to support the #30×30 campaign, which aims to protect 30% of the planet by 2030 and raise awareness about this cause.

A 4TH RECORD ATTEMPT 
Early on Thursday morning, the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change will leave her port of registry of La Trinité-Sur-Mer (Morbihan). On board, the 11 sailors on the largest offshore racing trimaran in the world will set a course for the island of Ushant offshore of Finistère. Later in the day, they’ll cross the Jules Verne Trophy start line located between Créac’h lighthouse and the Lizard Point lighthouse, with the objectives of breaking the round the world record under sail, which stands at 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds, as well as flying the flag for Sails of Change and the ‘30×30’ campaign, which aims to protect 30% of the planet by 2030.

For this fourth record attempt, the crew led by skipper Yann Guichard has pulled out all the stops in a bid to optimise the trimaran. The boat’s hull has notably been shortened by three metres to enhance the balance at the helm and limit vibration. On top of this, the cockpit has also been redesigned throughout to make it more comfortable for the sailors and less exposed to the sea spray. The maxi-trimaran’s sail plan has also been redesigned, the aerodynamics improved and the boat has undergone a weight-reduction programme.

At sea, Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard will be surrounded by a crew which boasts a combination of seasoned offshore racing sailors and high-energy youngsters.

On previous occasions, the team has posted the 3rd best time in the Jules Verne Trophy (in 2015 – 2016 in 47 days 10 hours and 59 minutes), earning Dona Bertarelli the title of fastest women around the world in 2015, together with the record for the Ushant – Equator section (in 2019 in 4 days 20 hours and 7 minutes). The whole team will be setting sail with these reference times uppermost in their thoughts, eager to take on one of the greatest challenges in offshore racing.

A FAVOURABLE WEATHER WINDOW

Sorry, this entry is only available in French.

Sorry, this entry is only available in French.

Sorry, this entry is only available in French.

Sorry, this entry is only available in French.

Yann Guichard and his eleven crew left the dock in La Trinité-sur-Mer today (Tuesday) at 1130hCET to make their way to the start line of the Jules Verne Trophy. It is anticipated that the maxi trimaran will cross the line off the Créac’h Lighthouse (Ushant) at about 2100hCET this evening. With the current moderate easterly sea breeze, Spindrift should take between six to seven hours to reach the start line area.

© Chris Schmid / Spindrift racing

There were some emotional scenes when the twelve-strong Spindrift 2 crew said their goodbyes to relatives and friends on the pontoon at La Trinité-sur-Mer, before setting off for their forty-day record-breaking attempt around the world.  As black and gold trimaran eased its way out of the harbour in bright sunshine and a steady easterly breeze, they hoisted their mainsail at the mouth of the river and setting their bows toward the start line at the Créac’h Lighthouse at Ushant, some six to seven hours away.  It was a peaceful start and this same tempo looks set to accompany them, as the conditions in the Bay of Biscay look calm and flat for the first few hours of this third attempt on the record.



Five days and dust …

“There is a good weather window that shows us reaching the equator in a little over five days and the South Atlantic seems to be improving so, hopefully the first section of this record will be good. Spindrift 2 has two new rudders that will allow us to further improve on performance but nevertheless, the record will be difficult to beat! Whatever happens, it is an incredible voyage, and it’s still a human, technical and sports adventure. The crew is really motivated and my core team that has been part of this journey before. So we will leave the Bay of Biscay in relatively quiet conditions before accelerating significantly after Cape Finisterre… ” said Yann Guichard before leaving the dock.

Spindrift 2 is due to start the 21,600 mile course on Tuesday, December 3 at 2100h CET. The course is marked by three legendary capes: Good Hope (south of the African continent), Leeuwin (south-west of Australia), Horn (south of the American continent). This is the team’s third attempt at targeting the 40d 23h 30 ’30’ record around the world.

“You have to be persistent in the Jules Verne Trophy! First you need a good, well-prepared boat, good chemistry amongst the crew and of course, favourable weather conditions. The conditions look to be relatively easy at first, which will give us a nice descent to the Equator.  We anticipate that we should be able to reach the Cape of Good Hope in twelve days, which is a very good time compared to the reference time.”  Says Erwan Israel (navigator).



Cape of Good Hope:  a Focus

“I am very happy with this rather peaceful and calm departure from La Trinité-sur- Mer: it is good way to start a world tour for the first time, so it will be a really big adventure! I do not know the Southern Ocean or the Southern Hemisphere… You experience four seasons during this Jules Verne Trophy: we leave in the autumn, we enter the South Atlantic in the spring, we complete the Southern Ocean in early summer and finish in Brittany in the middle of winter… ” notes the novice Grégory Gendron.

The round-the-world record, which in a quarter of a century has been reduced from 79 days (Commodore Explorer in 1993) to a little over 40 days (IDEC Sport in 2017), usually requires two or three attempts before it is broken. The record has been successfully won by Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston (Enza New Zealand in 1994), Olivier de Kersauson (Sport Elec in 1997), Bruno Peyron (Orange in 2002), Steve Fossett (Cheyenne in 2004), Bruno Peyron (Orange 2 in 2005), Franck Cammas (Groupama 3 in 2010), Loïck Peyron (Banque Populaire V in 2012) …

“I’m not the only one onboard to already have the record, there is also Xavier Revil! Six out of twelve of us have already completed the round the world in a multihull but a coordinated crew, that works well together and knows the boat that, we have optimised over the years, is a key ingredient. Spindrift 2 is now lighter, so more able to get airborne with the added advantage of being able to adjust the thrust with rudders, so it more efficient, and more sensitive. We are trying for a third time, but the Jules Verne Trophy becomes a bit of a habit because as a crew you get hooked after the first attempt! “Says Thierry Chabagny (helmsman).

The crew of Spindrift 2 has changed very little with only Corentin Horeau and Grégory Gendron joining the core team, which made a previous attempt at the beginning of this year. Under the leadership of Yann Guichard, the black and gold trimaran is, once again, ready to face Neptune’s moods as they attempt to beat forty days on this world tour.

“When we arrive back in Brest, I will have completed my first world tour, my first passing of Cape Leeuwin and my first Cape Horn.  Last time I only reached the Indian Ocean before we broke our rudder… The conditions for the start are calm, which feels bittersweet as we leave our ‘home’ for the start. The key now is to get a good time to the Equator and on to the Cape of Good Hope. ” Concludes Erwan Le Roux (boat-captain).

Spindrift 2 is preparing for a new attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy, the round the world record that starts and finishes in Ushant, leaving the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin, Horn) to port. The reference time is the current record set by Francis Joyon and his crew in 2017, of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds. With their optimised maxi trimaran and a crew of eleven, skipper Yann Guichard is aiming to start this new attempt on the night of Tuesday 3 to Wednesday, 4 December.

© Maxime Horlaville / Polaryse / Spindrift racing

Yann Guichard and crew will cross the line during the night of December 4th,  in front of the Créac’h lighthouse (Ushant) to begin the 21,600 mile route (following the Great Circle, which is the direct route chosen by the WSSRC, the international organisation that ratifies sailing records), with the aim of beating the record of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds.  Based on its performance on a previous attempt, the black and gold trimaran could have the record on target, especially given recent technical improvements to the trimaran, including setting rudder fins to better sustain the Spindrift 2 at high speed.

A third attempt
Yann Guichard and his crew have tried to beat the record on two previous occasions: in 2015 (47d 10h 59 ‘) with Dona Bertarelli, who became the fastest woman around the world, and in 2018 (where the team was forced to abandon their attempt following rudder failure close to the Kergulen Islands). However now, once again, the North Atlantic has a favourable weather window that could allow a passage to the equator in about five days.
“We will start from La Trinité on Tuesday morning to cross the starting line of the Jules Verne Trophy at Ushant between 18:00 on Tuesday and 6:00 on Wednesday: once we see how the weather is evolving, we will be able to refine this window. The conditions are quite good, with a time at the equator of around five days.  We should be able to leave the eastern sector in the Bay of Biscay with a moderate breeze and then we will benefit from trade winds that ill strengthen to the north of Portugal. We will have make some gybes to get to Madeira before performing our swoop down into the doldrums.” Says Yann Guichard.
But if the descent to the Equator looks favourable, the round the world record can still be lost at the Cape of Good Hope. Spindrift 2 already holds the fastest time between Ushant and the Equator made during the second attempt in early 2019 (4d 20h 07 ‘), but it is the ability to improve the reference time to the Cape of Good Hope and arrive at the Indian Ocean with time in hand that is critical. Francis Joyon had an extremely fast crossing of this second ocean in 2017 (5d 21h 07 ‘). Spindrift 2 must therefore keep to an average speed of about 23 knots to South Africa, to ensure that there is enough margin on the reference time to start the next section.

© Chris Schmid / Spindrift racing

North-South sequence 
“The doldrums seem more favourable to the East as we have seen during the recent Transat Jacques Vabre and Brest Atlantiques. To get into the Southern Hemisphere in good shape: we hope to pass the Cape of Good Hope in less than thirteen days, which would allow us to be ahead of Francis Joyon’s time. While it is still a bit far out, we can already see that the South Atlantic is not closed and we could hook into a depression off Brazil to arrive on South Africa quite quickly.” Says the skipper of the black and gold trimaran.
Spindrift 2 is ready for this new attempt with a total crew of twelve, including two newcomers: Grégory Gendron and Corentin Horeau., who know the boat well and are already well integrated into the team. “We will leave with conditions more pleasant than usual, and the day after the start, it will not be as cold … It is a fairly standard route but we hope it will be rather fast –  to the equator at least!” Concludes Yann Guichard.

© Maxime Horlaville / Polaryse / Spindrift racing