While Spindrift Racing has announced that it will not be making an attempt at beating the Jules Verne Trophy record this winter, IDEC Sport on the other hand is ready on standby at Trinité sur Mer.
In 2015, Francis Joyon and his team sailed around the world in 47 days, 14 hours and 47 minutes. By just two days, they missed out on beating the record set by Banque Populaire in 2012, of 45 days, 14 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds.
Since this morning, the red-and-white maxi trimaran has once again gone on standby, with the aim of bringing down the record. Francis Joyon has gathered the same team as last year: Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet, Boris Herrmann, Clément Surtel, Alex Pella and Marcel Van Triest, the onshore router.
The navigator is now waiting for the right weather window to come up before setting off around the world, defining the month of February as a limit.
“The probability of a window before mid-November is extremely low,” he explains, “but we need to be ready to seize the opportunity if it arises. Leaving fairly early in the season can also help us to benefit from better conditions for sailing up the Atlantic, even if a large element of the unknown will naturally persist. The season is relatively short, and ends in February. The earlier we can leave, the better things will be for us. We’ll set sail when the wind makes it possible – when the situation is correct, even if not ideal. There are no more outings on the agenda because the big trimaran will no longer be manoeuvrable at the port. We’ll only head for Brest when we see the signs of a serious weather window opening up,” notes Francis.
Début du stand-by officiel du maxi-trimaran IDEC SPORT pour le Trophée Jules @TJV_officiel https://t.co/xMuDuK22E3 pic.twitter.com/vAxmvGUXNN
— Francis Joyon (@FrancisJoyon) October 20, 2016
