Idec Sport & Spindrift 2 Jules Verne Record Attempt

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Spindrift2 Day 42



Spindrift 2 continues to make rapid progress in the strong north-east trade winds.
The objective: to go around the anticyclone at around 40 W, tomorrow (Sunday).

Then they will have to position themselves in the 35-knot stream of an active depression to the north by finding the right combination of strong winds, but not too strong, and of big seas, but not too big.

It's a balancing act that requires some skill.





After a slow-motion climb up the South Atlantic, and an Intertropical Convergence Zone, which though not very active, was ultimately quite extended, the men and woman on board Spindrift 2 are once again registering high speeds. And it feels good. Spindrift 2 has been making 30 knots now for more than 24 hours, reaching in big seas. The deck is wet and the bows smoking. But above all there is that feeling that we are making progress on the road - the meteorological road map anyway.

As a direct consequence of these tough conditions, life inside the boat is not the most comfortable. Outside of the normal kind of movements you get at this speed, it is the heat that is difficult to bear. The wet conditions that the maxi-trimaran is going through forces everyone to close the portholes, thus depriving themselves of air circulation. Temperatures in the cooking and sleeping areas often exceed 30 degrees, and make recuperation difficult, especially in the middle of the day.

But then again, that sensation of speed and progress towards the finish has many benefits, including accepting these kind of discomforts rather more easily.

08:00 GMT

Position at 8:00 GMT

12° 74' 4" N and 39° 42' 11" W
202 behind the record holder Banque Populaire V
Distance covered from the start: 24 844 nM
Distance traveled over 24 hours: 671 nM
Average speed over 24 hours : 28 knts
Actual speed : 30 knts
Waves: 3 meters
Wind : Est North-East, 26 kts
1 reef, J2




Tracker

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IDEC Sport: Still Determined




With four days and a few hours to go to the record time for the Trophée Jules Verne, and with 3000 miles left to sail in the North Atlantic, Francis Joyon, Clément Surtel, Gwénolé Gahinet, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm and Boris Herrmann have very little chance now of finishing before the deadline of 1644hrs on Wednesday 6th January. The men on IDEC SPORT, caught in a patch of calms for three days off the coast of Southern Brazil have accepted that, but show no regrets. Quite the reverse.

The desire to get to Ushant as quickly as possible remains intact as they pay attention to getting the trimming just right, steering precisely and getting the best route possible. They still have a few targets to aim for, starting with the desire to beat the reference time between the Equator and Ushant of 6 days, 10 hours and 44 minutes held by this very boat, when she was in the colours of Groupama 3 and this new challenge seems to be motivating the crew on the big, red trimaran. Then, there is another target, which is important too for these born competitors. The maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 is 550 miles to their north-west, but only 350 miles closer in terms of distance to the finish. This and other elements mean that there is still a lot of excitement in this final week of the Jules Verne Trophy.




Tracker

Getting around the high

IDEC SPORT stepped up the pace again this morning entering into the steady NE’ly trade winds where there is a swell in the opposite direction banging the boat and men around. “With the wind on the beam and a swell head on, life on board is quie challenging,” said Francis Joyon. “You really have to hold on to move around the deck or inside. But the temperature is pleasant and the boat is sailing quickly.” They have been through all the headsails as the wind has got up from the big gennaker to the J2, the hybrid sail, which can be used downwind or when close reaching. “This morning, we have a bit too much sail up,” added Francis, revealing the determination of his crew on IDEC SPORT. “Conditions in the North Atlantic should allow us to be very quick with this trade wind taking us to the west of the area of high pressure blocking the direct route up the Atlantic off the Canaries. We should get some lighter downwind conditions, which will allow us to get to the low-pressure areas moving in from the west. It looks like being a very windy finish off Brittany.”

The competitive spirit

IDEC SPORT would like to get a new record on this final stretch in the North Atlantic and improve on the record set by Franck Cammas on Groupama 3, and maybe even get back up with Spindrift 2, the maxi trimaran, which smashed the record, when she was in the colours of Banque Populaire V, and which has been a sparring partner for them since the start on 22nd November. “As a Figaro racer, who has never attempted the record before, the presence of Spindrift 2 meant that this was no longer a virtual challenge,” Gwénolé Gahinet explained. “Whenever you have a rival out on the water, you always want to finish ahead…”

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Spindrift 2 Jan Update




Situated just 2,600 nautical miles away from the finish line off Ushant and about to start her 43rd day at sea, Spindrift 2 is now only 266 miles off the pace, but will no longer be able to improve on the Jules Verne Trophy record time of 45d 13h 42m 53s, set in 2012. Although the crew have battled incessantly, closing the gap by more than 700 miles in three days, the weather has sealed their fate. The Azores High has blocked the direct route, while violent storms lie ahead, making the sea unnavigable, so the conditions in the Atlantic make it impossible for the crew to finish the circumnavigation on time. From today, Spindrift 2's crew have been forced to take their foot off the gas and leave off record-attempt mode.

To beat the record, the black and gold trimaran would need to average 26 knots all the way to the finish line, but the weather is not being compliant. Until yesterday (Saturday), there was still a very slim chance of crossing the finish line next to Créac'h lighthouse on Ushant on time, albeit with only a few minutes to spare. But late in the day, the situation changed, and weather conditions blocked all possible routes to the line before the cut-off point on January 6th at 5:43 pm UTC. The Azores High had taken up position right in the middle of the direct route to the finish line, forcing Spindrift 2 to make a huge detour to the north-west, following the same path taken by the current record holder. Not only that, but by Sunday night the high-pressure conditions, with little wind, will stretch north all the way to Newfoundland.




Storms en route
It will therefore be impossible for Yann Guichard, Dona Bertarelli and their twelve-man crew to "cut the corner" by heading towards the Azores. Meanwhile, the Breton and British shores have not been spared any of the bad weather, and the situation does not look like improving any time soon, with another violent low expected to sit between the south of Ireland and Cape Finisterre on Sunday night, leading to further violent gusts on Thursday.

The coming days will not be a good time for sailing between Labrador and the Bay of Biscay, especially as the already heavy seas off Ushant will worsen and become more chaotic, perhaps even dangerous, even for a 40 m trimaran. On Saturday there were already 35 knot winds (72 km/h) and 60 knot gusts (139 km/h) sweeping over the Iroise Sea, creating waves that were more than 8 m high.

Given the conditions, skipper Yann Guichard will put safety first and sail cautiously to avoid putting his men and his boat in danger. If he needs to slow down to avoid the worst of the succession of winds, caution will prevail over all other considerations.

Yann Guichard, skipper de Spindrift 2:
"The Azores High is continuing to grow, and we'll have to travel another 1,000 miles (1,852 km) north-west to sail around it and pick up the lows. It seems hard to understand because we are only 170 miles behind the current record holder (Saturday night), but at the cut-off time we'll still be 1,000 miles away from the finish line due to the big detour. We were hoping a window would open so we could take a faster route to Ushant than that taken by the current record holder, but the window didn't appear, so we just had to face up to reality.

We'll have to be very careful sailing back in to Brittany, as we're expecting strong winds and heavy seas. All this means we're no longer in record-attempt mode, as we can no longer claim the Jules Verne Trophy. Our aim now is to cross the finish line safely in Ushant and then return to the home port in La Trinité-sur-Mer.

Obviously it's a bit disappointing for me and the crew, but we've given our all since the start. We sailed a good race, there was a great atmosphere on board and we can be proud of our performance. We were 500 miles up at Cape Horn, but the weather gods decided not to help us all the way to the finish. Everyone has supported us from start to finish, and this is just a postponement before we make another attempt to beat the Jules Verne Trophy record."

Dona Bertarelli, helmsman-trimmer: "Obviously it's disappointing to come so close without being able to finish off the job. It has been and will remain a wonderful adventure. Long before our departure we knew the situation, and we knew the weather would be the arbiter. You just have to accept how things turn out. The aim now is to complete the circumnavigation and see all the people who have been encouraging us throughout this Jules Verne Trophy."






Key crossing times for Spindrift 2, skipper Yann Guichard

Start, Ushant: Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 04:02 UTC

Crossing the Equator: Friday, November 27 at 01:31 UTC

Time for Ushant - Equator: 4 days 21 hours 29 minutes
Delta with Banque Populaire V: ahead by 17 hours 25 minutes

Crossing the longitude of Cape Agulhas: Friday, December 4 at 04:04 UTC
Ushant - Cape Agulhas: 12 days 00 hours 02 minutes
Delta with Banque Populaire V: behind by 12 minutes

Crossing the longitude of South East Cape, the southernmost tip of Tasmania: Saturday, December 12 at 08:39 UTC
Ushant - Tasmania: 20 days 4 hours 37 minutes
Cape Agulhas - Tasmania (Indian Ocean): 8 days 04 hours 35 minutes
Delta with Banque Populaire V: ahead by 2 hours 34 minutes

Rounding Cape Horn: Tuesday, December 22 at 08:09 UTC
Ushant – Cape Horn: 30 days 4 hours 07 minutes
Delta with Banque Populaire V: ahead by 18 hours 11 minutes

Crossing the Equator: Thursday, December 31 UTC at 17:33 UTC
Ushant - Equator: 39 days 13 hours 31 minutes
Delta with Banque Populaire V: behind by 1 day 10 hours 46 minutes

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JULES VERNE TROPHY
January 3rd, 2016

As we have said over the past few days, the Jules Verne Trophy record is not going to be beaten this year. The small areas of low pressure and the large highs spread across the Pacific and South Atlantic in particular, have dashed the hopes and ambitions of the two contenders, IDEC SPORT and Spindrift 2, in spite of their determination and hard work. However, the sporting spirit remains with the desire to get the most out of the racing machine right up to the end of this voyage. There is also the desire to share the friendship that has developed between six world-class sailors over all the miles they have sailed together. There is also the competitive spirit which can be seen as they try to find the best way to get to the finish with the various obstacles that lie along the route. Aboard IDEC SPORT, after 43 days of intensive sailing, they have the same desire to sail the final 2700 miles of the theoretical route, as they had back on the first day, as they are determined to get the best time possible off Ushant.

They don’t know how to play it cool and take things easy,” Francis Joyon joked looking at the stubbornness of each of the five members of his crew, as they continue to push the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran as hard as they can. “During the night we had some very chaotic conditions,” he added. This was not something we could see in the figures that appeared during the night as the boat speed was rarely below 30 knots. IDEC SPORT is continuing at high speed, but on a route that is far from being direct. “The Azores high is forcing us to head towards the NW and the continent of America. This morning we were less than 950 miles from the Caribbean,” explained Francis. This meant that they were not making very efficient gains towards the finish, but based on the latest forecasts, that will suddenly all change when Joyon and his men pass the western edge of this large area of calms to go straight into the strong westerly air stream. “After that our performance will depend on the sea state,” continued Joyon. “But we should be able to stay on the edge of the deep lows in a wind range that we can deal with.”

As for their ETA, that still remains vague. IDEC SPORT has often proven her ability to surprise everyone exceeding the forecast routing times. We are currently looking forward to seeing the boat finish off Ushant sometime on Friday 8th January.





Tracker

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It's Going To Get A Bit Violent




Right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Francis Joyon and his men are giving it their all for this final battle, clocking up supersonic speeds. In four days, they are expected to cross the line off Ushant. But before that, they have some rough weather ahead…



To the left of the boat, there is Florida around 1600 miles away. To the right, the Canaries are around the same distance away. Right in the middle of the Atlantic at 27 degrees north, the big, red trimaran is still going full steam ahead. “We’re on a semi-circular route and that should bring us back to Brittany one day.” Francis Joyon has not lost his sense of humour on this 44th day in the attempt to smash the Jules Verne Trophy record. That tells us a lot about the spirit that reigns aboard IDEC SPORT with all six men still on the attack. While they have known for several days now that the round the world record cannot be beaten, they are nevertheless keen to achieve some other successes along the way. Why not got the boat’s record on this North Atlantic stretch, for example? “And then there’s that other boat ahead of us (Spindrift) that we would like to catch,” explained Joyon.

Peak speeds of 40 knots? “We went a bit wild”

Full speed ahead! It is as if the sailors on IDEC SPORT could not imagine anything else. “Last night, we went a bit wild, it’s true,” Francis told us when asked about the peak speeds in excess of 40 knots. “It’s true that it was a great night and the sea was smooth, so it didn’t require too much hard work. We were able to get up to high speeds without putting too much strain on the boat and without taking any risks.” Those few sailors, who have gone beyond 40 knots, will appreciate the extent of the feat.
So what now? In the coming hours, the idea is to complete the rounding on the western side of the high. Already since this morning, the speed towards the finish has doubled (20 knots instead of 10 knots of VMG), while the real speed on the water is still the same at around an average of 30 knots. What that means is that gradually IDEC SPORT is shifting her bearing towards the east. “Slowly but surely, we are taking advantage of the wind shift to turn towards the right,” confirmed Francis Joyon, before adding, “We had to go a very long way around, but in the coming hours, we shall be back on the direct route towards Brittany.”

Heavy weather for the final stretch

That’s the good news for the day. According to the latest estimates, they should be finishing sometime on Friday. Before that they are going to have to find a compromise between performance and a cautious approach, as IDEC SPORT has no option but to face the (very) heavy weather, which is currently affecting the North Atlantic, as a series of deep low-pressure areas sweeps across. “Yes, it’s going to be fairly violent,” Francis explained in his dulcet tones. “We can see 40-45 knots of wind on the charts, which will mean a tricky sea state. We’ll try to position ourselves well to deal with these lows, but in the end, there’s no escaping this heavy weather. At some point, we’re going to have to face it in order to get back towards Brittany.” That is the main hurdle that lies ahead in the next four days before they complete this fantastic adventure. The bows will once again be sending the spray flying with a mass of water in the air in their wake…

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Spindrift2 Due In Friday



STILL SOME TIME TO GLIDE

There are still 1,700 miles left to for the trimaran, whose arrival in Brittany remains scheduled for Friday. Since this morning, Spindrift 2 has not dropped below an average speed of 30-32 knots, which conjures up an image of lovely gliding on an ever-friendly ocean road. Indeed, the crew and particularly the helmsmen, are taking advantage of what is an awesome feeling and some really uplifting hours for these lovers of multihulls. Especially as the route is beautiful, straight and on the way home. But the atmosphere will change. The imposing depression coming from the American coast is catching the black and gold trimaran. In a few hours, the cold front will make conditions a lot tougher.


Day 45 – 16h00 GMT
877 nm behind the current record holder
Distance covered from the start: 26,812 nm
Average speed over 24 hours: 23 knots
Distance over 24 hours: 565 nm

15:00 GMT

WEATHER FORECAST - JEAN-YVES BERNOT

Today, Tuesday 5:

Everyone involved with the project is getting ready for the welcome home party in three days time.

The low-pressure area off the US coast is rapidly moving towards Iceland where it will park up for a moment.
The Azores High is still resisting after two days of sustained south-westerly wind between the two systems.
The cold front associated with the depression is sweeping the area we will be sailing in on Wednesday.
A 25-knot south-westerly wind, increasing to 30, with a 3-metre westerly swell.
Tomorrow, January 6:

We will have to cross the active cold front: south-westerly wind, 30-40 knots, gusting to 45 knots at the head of the front. A 30-knot north-westerly wind after the passage of the front. In between: some squalls...Big, cross seas: a westerly swell of 5-6 metres, and a 3-metre swell blown by a north-westerly wind.

On January 7 and 8:

The wind will remain strong in the path of the depression: a westerly flow of 30 knots, gusting to 35 knots, and a 5-6-metre swell from west.

See the forecast from the NOAA (US) for January 7 here: there are a lot of people in town...




Message de Dona

The menu for the next few days has been posted on the noticeboard by the purser on board, our lieutenant on the quest, our “hunger guard” - in charge of the victualing - the aptly named Xavier Revil.

“There will be a complete hot meal service until Friday night. No need to worry about snacks and chocolate bars. We could hold out until Saturday. There’s no famine looming!!!

There are foreseeable shortages of coffee and sugar on Thursday and cereals on Friday.

Change to Porridge, it’s going to be cold!”

With this message, Xavier put an end (before they begin) to everyone’s concerns about the three square meals a day. The dreaded rationing will not be happening. Like a metronome, the Lieutenant has planned to perfection; neither too little, nor too much.

You’re wondering...? And yes, you're right. After 45 days at sea, you don’t get a promotion, but you do earn a nickname.

For me it's Olive, Popeye's wife. And then there’s the Lieutenant, MacGyver, Brad Pitt, Corto Maltese…So far, so normal, right?©

But we also have on board: Speedy Gonzales, Inspector Gadget, Marsupilami, Winnie The Pooh, Taz the Tasmanian Devil, Captain Hook, Jokey Smurf and finally, Professor Calculus. I will not reveal to you, who is who. For that, you will need a little imagination.

[Born 2 Sail]

I suppose that the balls out downhill sleigh ride finish for both crews is some consolation after 45 days at sea.

This record may not be broken for a long while.

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Just Off The Pace

35-40 knots tonight



This Wednesday, at noon, Spindrift 2 was sailing between the Azores High and a large Atlantic depression in 35-40 knots of wind. With less than 1,000 miles to Ushant by tonight, Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and their 12 teammates still have a day and a half of difficult sea conditions, which, happily, will improve on the approach to the Breton coast on Friday.

Time to improve the Jules Verne Trophy record runs out this Wednesday at 17:43:51 UTC/GMT when Spindrift 2 should be, as anticipated, approximately 1,000 miles and between 36 and 40 hours, off the pace. Expected in Ushant on Friday, the sailors on Spindrift 2 plan to head to its home port and base at La Trinité-sur-Mer. The record for the Jules Verne Trophy continues to be held by Banque Populaire V (45d 13h 42' 53''), but Yann Guichard and his crew have shown that the new configuration of the record-holding trimaran is more manageable and efficient in almost all weather conditions.

Unfortunately, whereas on the way south, Spindrift 2 set the new record of 4d 21h 29mins between Ushant and the Equator, the return journey in the North Atlantic has been no more favourable than that in the South, where after rounding Cape Horn with a lead of more than 18 hours, the trimaran lost more than two days.



Happy to finish a great voyage

Before the finish, Yann Guichard’s crew will have to cross an active front sweeping the Azores archipelago on Wednesday afternoon. To protect crew and material, Spindrift 2 has chosen a sensible path on the edge of the anticyclone, but will have to head towards Brittany this afternoon after a gybe in a 35-knot westerly wind.

An active front is moving quickly to the East behind the maxi-trimaran, and it is linked to a very big depression that will sweep the Channel this weekend. The crossing of this cloud mass will see the wind jump to over 40 knots in the squalls, but Spindrift 2 will be on a port tack with its working foil. This tricky period should last only a few hours before a lull behind the front, with the wind swinging round from west-south-west to north-west. As they point towards the Créac'h lighthouse, the sailors will still have to manage a changeable sky with large cumulonimbus full showers and gusts, but the sea should be more conducive for the arrival in Brittany.



Then they will be back, wearier but wiser...

The crew will definitely need to make several gybes before crossing the line and although the vast swell of the Atlantic will be in full effect, it will be more sensible in the vicinity of Ushant. The weather will then deteriorate further this weekend with the arrival of this depression coming from Greenland that will bring winds over 40 knots in the Iroise Sea.

The trimaran will then head to its home port concluding this first attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy in the colours of Spindrift racing and its partners Mirabaud, Genes-x and Zenith. The boat will return to the boatyard to undergo a complete check-up because this great voyage around the world has brought a lot of lessons and knowledge for future challenges.

Tracker

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JULES VERNE TROPHY
January 6th, 2016

IDEC SPORT is passing the Azores at 33 knots in heavy seas. The big gennaker only came down when the wind got above 35 knots last night. Francis Joyon’s scenario is clear: he wants to be in Brest as early as possible on Friday to beat the record set on this boat by Franck Cammas in 2010.


48 hours. An exciting film and an exciting finish to the round the world voyage for Francis, Bernard, Alex, Clément, Gwénolé and Boris. “If we get 100 % out of the boat, we can imagine crossing the line on Friday lunchtime. We’ll see how it goes,” stated Francis Joyon at noon today (Wednesday).
Last night, and it is indeed still the case today, the sailors on IDEC SPORT have not eased off. They only brought down the big gennaker (the largest of the boat’s headsails), when the wind exceeded 35 knots. “We then set up the J1, which is good for winds in excess of thirty knots. The idea of ‘climbing the stairs’ back up towards the north is to get some stronger winds and go faster…“ Off the Azores the waves are already reaching 14 feet and that is set to increase as IDEC climbs back up north into the heart of the low-pressure areas sweeping across the North Atlantic.

Almost due north

Early this afternoon they are planning to gybe once again to the north of the Azores “That’s when we will decide which route to take, as there is the possibility of heading due north or going towards Cape Finisterre,” at the NW tip of Spain. The Spanish option looks smoother, but there is another risk. “After the front goes over tonight, there could be several hours of lighter winds. Getting stuck in a heavy swell with light winds with the sails flapping would be tough on the gear,” explained Joyon.
So, it is highly likely that IDEC SPORT will head northwards. “Our gut feeling tells us for the moment that this is the best option in order to cut across this front as quickly as possible avoiding the lighter airs behind it. We won’t avoid the nasty seas, huge gusts and heavy weather. We’ll have to play around with the foil to cut through the waves as best we can. For the moment, the boat is doing well and everything is fine,” Francis told us.

Two records to beat

What is at stake now? They want to complete this round the world voyage safely, but also as quickly as possible. In so doing, they could achieve some special prizes. For example improving on the time set by Franck Cammas and his crew of nine in 2010 on this very boat, when she was in the colours of Groupama. Five years ago, they took 48 days, 7 hours and 45 minutes winning the Jules Verne Trophy, which would then be smashed two years later by Loïck Peyron’s Banque Populaire V. “Yes, that’s an additional motivation,” admitted Francis Joyon with a smile. “We didn’t get the trophy of course, but this encouraged us for example to keep up the big gennaker for as long as possible last night.” As IDEC SPORT completed 15 and a half days of sailing at 1400hrs today, they could even shave a day off that time. And then, there is another personal record to beat for one member of the crew. Bernard Stamm was in Bruno Peyron’s winning crew in 2005 on the Orange II maxi catamaran (50 days 16 hours). Francis Joyon laughed, “Oh yes, of course, Bernard was on Orange! OK, so we’re going to have to try to smash two records…“ They have 48 hours and 1200 miles of heavy weather ahead of them before getting home.

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Idec Sport Hits UFO

JULES VERNE TROPHY
8 January 2016

IDEC SPORT hit an unidentified floating object during the night. The port rudder is broken. However they are still expected to reach the pontoon in Brest at 1900hrs UTC.

At around 0300hrs this morning, just over 130 miles SW of Ireland in heavy seas, the crew on IDEC SPORT heard two big bangs, indicating that they had hit an unidentified floating object (a container, plank of wood, or something else?).
Once they had got over the scare, Francis Joyon’s crew saw that the port rudder was broken. On the starboard tack, only the central rudder can be used to steer the boat. However, that is not too worrying for the moment, as we can see from her speeds. Six hours after suffering this damage, IDEC SPORT was still making 30 knots towards the finish, which at 0900hrs this morning was 230 miles away. So for the time being the men are still expected to finish in Brest at around 1900hrs this evening.

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Sailors on Spindrift 2 have crossed the line to Ushant

The trimaran skippered by Yann Guichard loop its first Jules Verne Trophy, realizing the second time in the history and Dona Bertarelli becomes the navigator the fastest around the world.
The crew has crossed the finish line of the Jules Verne trophy to Ushant this Friday at 16 H 01 ' (French local time), After 47 days 10 hours 59 minutes 02 seconds. After almost 29 000 miles travelled (nearly 54 000 km) to an average of 25,35 knots on the water, on Spindrift 2 Loop and his first tour of the world in hanging the second best Time of history.

The Crew LED by Yann Guichard hasn't beaten this time the clock of Loïck Peyron (delay of 1 J 21 H 16 ' 09 '') Whose record of 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes left to take... On the other hand, it was faster than that of franck cammas in 2010 with 20 hours 45 minutes 50 seconds better on this journey always so demanding. During his journey at high speed, the trimaran black and gold has also improved three reference time (Ushant-Ecuador, Ushant-Tasmania, Ushant-Cape Horn) and detained for a few hours, the record of the crossing of the Indian Ocean. Only woman with thirteen men on this attempt and first to finish a Jules Verne Trophy, Dona Bertarelli is now the navigator the fastest around the world to the veil.

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IDEC Sport Completes The Voyage



JULES VERNE TROPHY
January 8th, 2016

IDEC SPORT crossed the finishing line off Ushant at 1650hrs UTC on Friday 8th January. Francis Joyon and his crew of five took 47 days 14 hours and 47 minutes to sail around the world. This was the third best time in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy

They are back. The sun was going down over the Le Créac’h lighthouse and it was under fairly clear skies with a few clouds around that Ushant welcomed back the six men aboard IDEC SPORT. Francis Joyon, Alex Pella, Clément Surtel, Boris Herrmann, Gwénolé Gahinet and Bernard Stamm can hug each other, perform a high five and smile as they look forward to a great night ahead in the harbour in Brest. It is true they didn’t smash the Jules Verne Trophy record, but they did manage to get the third best time ever sailing around the world. They improved on the boat’s own record by 17 hours, with a crew of just six, while Franck Cammas had nine men with him when he won the Jules Verne Trophy on this boat back in 2010.

Above all, this adventure will be remembered for the human aspect. There were some great moments, like the record sprint towards the Equator in heavy weather and just one gybe to start the adventure. Then, there was the outright record set in the Indian Ocean, when they dived a long way south down into the ice with the men and boat freezing. They suffered in the Pacific, which was a bit too quiet and ended with a very strange and peaceful rounding of the Horn. They could all admire the sight of a giant iceberg right in the middle of the South Atlantic. They went all the way to the limit in some wild moments of surfing at 45 knots. They sailed fast. Very fast. They laughed a lot. They got to know each other and shared their dreams with each other and with us back on dry land. They enjoyed themselves and fought hard. They will shortly be welcomed home in the harbour in Brest, when the public will be able to thank them for al that. But now we let them speak for themselves…

What the sailors said at the finish of the Jules Verne Trophy

Francis Joyon: “The Horn and a very positive feeling”

“There were a lot of great moments. I shall most remember a classic one: rounding Cape Horn in very pleasant conditions and in an incredible light… But the most important thing was the pleasure of being with a crew. We really worked well together and got on well. Our skills were fairly complementary. There were several solo sailors in this crew and that made a good mixture. We really worked hard on the boat, for example last night. I may sound a bit tired, but it’s true we didn’t get much rest, as we carried out manoeuvres through the night in squalls, but there was a good atmosphere and we all enjoyed it. At one point during the night, Bernard fell over in the boat. It was quite violent… Will we do it again? If we could set off again as a crew on this boat, we’d willingly do it. We are all very positive about what happened between us.”

Bernard Stamm: “Surfing along at 45 knots”

“If I had to pick one moment, it would be surfing along at 45 knots. I can’t remember when it was exactly, but I think it was in the Indian. The boat is very demanding at between 35 and 40 knots, but when you spend a long time above 40 knots, it’s not something you’re going to forget.”

Gwénolé Gahinet: “Diving down in the Indian and the human aspects of the adventure”

“One of my strongest memories is going right down in the Southern Ocean for the first time south of the Kerguelens and Heard Island. We had to go a long way south to get the record in the Indian Ocean. It was a real baptism of fire diving down to almost 60 degrees south with the sea temperature at two degrees. And you just keep going at 35 knots watching out for icebergs… it was demanding and exciting, and the cold was particularly tough. One night, the boat actually froze. The nets and deck were frozen, which is exceptional, when you’re sailing. It was a huge moment! But more generally, what was fantastic in this round the world adventure was the human aspect and the way we all pulled together as a crew. We had some great times and this was a wonderful voyage around the world. We were all quite different and had lots of stories to tell each other. Each time we changed watch, there were lots of anecdotes, we chatted a lot and laughed a lot too! That’s the main thing.”

Boris Herrmann: “Meeting up with Spindrift”

“One great memory for me was when we met up with Spindrift close to New Zealand… It was incredible crossing paths like that after sailing half way around the world. There was a great atmosphere on board, but it was the round the world voyage in general that was such a great experience. I think I learnt a lot of little things with this crew and became a little more mature as a sailor. It was an enriching experience with the others on board this magnificent boat.”

Clément Surtel: “The Horn, a legendary rock”

“For me, the greatest moment was Cape Horn. Getting away from the Southern Ocean so close to this legendary rock, which I was rounding for the first time with a magnificent sunset was something else. It’s a great image, which sums up the moment you get away from the Southern Ocean. There was a great atmosphere on board. Everyone supported each other. We discovered each other, as we didn’t really know each other before setting off and that is never easy when there are six of you on board a boat like this. We laughed a lot. And after 47 days together, we know each other better now.”

Alex Pella: “That huge iceberg we encountered”

“Of course, we’re pleased to finish this round the world voyage with a very good time, even if we didn’t smash the record. There were some great times on board and a fantastic atmosphere, which I’m sure you felt back on dry land. If I had to choose one particular ‘photo’, one magic moment, for me it would be seeing that huge iceberg in the South Atlantic on a magnificent sunny day. Out on deck, we were all amazed at this sight. It was as if it had been placed there just for us! There was also a great atmosphere on board. I like to laugh. I think that contributes to your performance and efficiency, and it helps too when things aren’t going so well. That’s important… There were some great people aboard!”

In short

Start: IDEC SPORT started the stopwatch at 0202hrs on Sunday 22nd November 2015.