Announcement

**Photoboy** · 10-19-2019, 03:55 PM

Mauritius Route Attempt Underway

Francis Joyon set off this morning on his attempt at the Mauritius Route record between Port Louis (Brittany) and Port Louis (Mauritius). At 0911hrs UTC on Saturday 19th October, the skipper of IDEC SPORT crossed the start line off the Citadel of Port Louis (Morbihan). Ahead of the boat, a complicated 8,800-mile long solo voyage to the island of Mauritius. Francis is attempting to smash his own reference time of 26 days, 4 hours and 13 minutes set ten years ago. To improve on that time, he will have to finish before 1324hrs UTC on 14th November. The Mauritius Route is the first Act of his campaign of record attempts in Asia, the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR.

Francis Joyon set off this morning at the start of his latest adventure doing something that he always enjoys: trying to beat the clock. The record-breaking sailor, skipper of IDEC SPORT is tackling the reference time for the Mauritius Route set in 2009 aboard the previous IDEC trimaran. In 2014, Lionel Lemonchois attempted to smash that record, but his boat capsized off Brazil, confirming just how complicated this 8,800-mile course can be.

TRACKER

Better than 26 days, 4 hours and 13 minutes

On Saturday 19th October, Francis Joyon left his home port of La Trinité-sur-Mer in Southern Brittany to head for the start line off the Citadel of Port Louis. At 0911hrs UTC (1111hrs French time), Francis crossed the start line in a light westerly wind. A few hours earlier, he gave us his final impressions about the weather opportunity, explaining that it was not ideal, but favourable enough given the context:

“It’s true that the wind isn’t very strong. I’d have liked it to be stronger, but we don’t have the choice as otherwise we would be facing strong headwinds. I need to pick up a light northerly flow by heading into the westerly winds first. After that, it should be fairly fast down the coast of Portugal and past the Canaries? I’m going to have to weave my way around the Cape Verde Islands. With Christian Dumard (router back on dry land) we’re keeping an eye on a low pressure system forming further South, which risks interrupting the trade winds. That’s why we wanted to start so quickly. The record can be smashed. I may well be a bit behind by the Equator, but I hope to make up for that during the rest of the voyage.”

The equivalent of three Route du Rhum races

As he once again tackles the Mauritius Route record, Francis Joyon will be carrying out his longest trip alone aboard IDEC SPORT. “It is around the equivalent of three Route du Rhum races,” explained Francis. “There are hardly any moments when you can take the direct route. Ten years ago, I sailed 10,000 miles rather than the 8800 theoretical miles. This is going to be a much longer voyage on this boat than my previous solo trips, so it will be an opportunity to get to know the boat better.”

A bit of an adventure

The Mauritius Route record is the first act in the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR 2019-2020, a brand new campaign of records covering almost 27,000 miles. “We have never done a voyage like this. That makes it the sort of adventure I enjoy,” said a delighted Francis Joyon.
After the Mauritius Route, there will be three more record attempts, this time with a crew:
Act 2: Mauritius - Ho Chi Minh (3975 miles),
Act 3: Ho Chi Minh - Hong Kong (920 miles)
Act 4: Clipper Route between Hong Kong and London (13,000 miles).

**Photoboy** · 10-21-2019, 09:05 AM

Joyon Well Ahead Of The Pace After 2 Days

Francis Joyon and his maxi trimaran IDEC-SPORT have got off to the finest of starts in their latest challenge, the Mauritius Route, an attempt to beat the record set by IDEC SPORT ten years ago between Port Louis (Morbihan) and Port Louis on the island of Mauritius. This is a fascinating voyage, although not often sailed, which takes the route followed by round the world sailors that the boat and the skipper know so well. With a lead of more than 184 miles over the pace he set with the second maxi trimaran to display the name of IDEC (designed by Irens in 2007), Francis says he is happy and pleased with the first 48 hours. The trajectory from Brittany to the island of Madeira that he passed north of around the middle of the day, looks very smooth, but hides a lot of difficulties with winds that have been irregular in strength and direction. This configuration is set to continue and become even more unstable as he makes his way to the Cape Verde Islands. Francis is not looking forward to setting an exceptional time to the Equator. He has already settled into long haul race mode and the rhythm is far off the furious pace he achieved a year ago when he won the Route du Rhum.

TRACKER

The equivalent of three Route du Rhum races

“I’m not pushing as hard as during the Rhum,” explained Francis. “This is a long haul race, representing the equivalent of three Route du Rhum races. I have to keep an eye on the equipment. The start of the record has gone well, in spite of having to get through squalls, where I needed to be extra cautious in between gusts and calms. At the moment, I am under a huge dark cloud, which is moving forward with me at low speed. I have to zig-zag around to get out away from its influence…”

IDEC SPORT gybed in the middle of the morning to head due south and is now on the port tack in the NE’ly Portuguese trade wind, which is being interrupted by squalls. Francis Joyon will be passing to the west of Madeira late this afternoon. The sailor and his onshore router, Christian Dumard are doing a lot of thinking about how to get past the Canaries. The areas of high pressure are also tending to move towards the south and the big trimaran must avoid at all cost getting caught by them. As expected before the start, the conditions will not allow him to get close to record times from Brittany to the Equator for crewed or solo sailing, but this was never Francis’s goal. He wants to make the most of the conditions he encounters while looking after his boat. “In this ASIAN TOUR, we are involved in a long adventure I am trying to find the right dose of performance and moderation for the boat and myself. I didn’t get any sleep during the first night, as is usual for this sort of epic voyage. Last night, I let myself take a few breaks, but the line of squalls kept me busy.”

Francis enjoying this great voyage

The winner of the Route du Rhum, holder of the Jules Verne Trophy, is once again enjoying himself as he always does when he finds himself at sea. “It’s true that I really enjoy this and I feel a special emotion sailing this route down to South Africa, which I have done on my round the world voyages. I am back with a unique way of living, feeling at harmony with the sea and the boat, which always fills me with emotions.” In his fleece and waterproofs, Francis is looking forward to a warm breeze off the Canaries this evening, before he rediscovers the heat coming off Africa.

https://www.idecsport.com/en/joyon-e...urs-de-course/

**Photoboy** · 10-23-2019, 09:20 AM

28 Knots With Tee Shirt And Shorts Weather For Joyon

TRACKER

ALREADY LOOKING AT THE DOLDRUMS

It is one of the magical things about modern multihulls. They make the distances covered seem so banal. After four days of racing in his attempt against his own Mauritius Route record, Francis Joyon sped past the Canaries, and is now being pushed along in a lively NE’ly trade wind towards the Cape Verde Islands. Well positioned in a 25-knot air stream, he is clocking up the miles at high speed heading due south, waiting for that crucial moment this evening when he will gybe again to get around the west of the Cape Verde Islands and aim for a way through the infamous Doldrums, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which have been particularly active over the past few days

“I think I may lose some time to the south of Cape Verde,” admitted Francis without any hint of being worried. His steady progress since the start last Saturday means he now has a lead of more than 330 miles over his own pace set in 2009. This performance leads him to believe that the start time was a wise choice. “The way through was blocked off behind us,” he explained. “If we had postponed our start, it may have seriously compromised the schedule for the Asian Tour.” Passing around the west of the Canaries offered its usual package of uncertainties and ups and downs. “The wind shadow of the volcanic peaks on the island could be felt and I was severely slowed down yesterday afternoon for more than an hour.” Since then, IDEC SPORT has continued to accelerate and step up the pace. Her average speed has been almost 23 knots since the start and Francis looks like having his best day by this evening.

He is also taking advantage of more pleasant conditions, something which is rare in such attempts. The sun is out and it is warm off Mauritania. “You get very wet on the boat and I was in waterproofs, but once the sun appeared, the temperature rose aboard IDEC SPORT. The wind is now more regular in direction, with gusts reaching 27-28 knots.” The wind angle and strength are ideal to allow him to get the most out of his maxi trimaran, which has been hovering close to thirty knots since last night. “I’m spending some time at the helm just to enjoy it. I have been inspecting the boat, but my team did a great job and I intend to bring to them in Mauritius a boat in excellent condition. During the night I crossed paths with a small yacht heading for the Cape Verde Islands. We talked a bit over the VHF and we discovered we had some friends in common…”
So that is the state of play for Francis, the record hunter, who is more than ever in phase with life on the ocean waves, in harmony with his boat, the elements and looking forward to new horizons…

**Photoboy** · 10-29-2019, 02:55 PM

Is It Time To Fall Behind Or Spring Forward?

The long route off Brazil...

Francis Joyon is sailing day after day clocking up more than 600 miles averaging over 26 knots. In spite of being some way from the direct route off Brazil, the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran is today (Monday) 266 nautical miles ahead of the record he is attempting to beat.

What is there left to generate emotions for Francis Joyon, the sailor who has held all the solo and crewed sailing records? A sunrise or sunset under the Equator, a giant trimaran, speeding along on calm seas in steady winds, the open spaces of the oceans? Yes, indeed. As for extending his route by a few hundred miles on this record attempt, that is no problem for him. Francis calmly accepts the prolonged journey aboard his IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran off Brazil. The bearing taking him close to the coast of Brazil was part of his meticulous plan developed with his on-shore router, Christian Dumard. Francis is doing better than just holding on. He is getting it just right in terms of speed in this pleasant stretch of the voyage to the Indies.

TRACKER

Still 266 miles ahead…
Francis is taking advantage of some excellent sailing conditions to get the most out of his trimaran that he now knows by heart and obeys his gentle touch. His lead over the progress achieved ten years ago aboard the second IDEC has fallen from 427 miles at the start of the weekend to a mere 266 at lunchtime today. This is all very relative, as out on the water, Francis has headed 650 miles further south in latitude. The light airs to the west of the St. Helena high explain this long trip via the west. Francis will be continuing with this long route for at least two days, before hopping onto the front of a low-pressure system forming to the south of Brazil, which will allow him to sail at speed downwind towards the tip of South Africa.

“I took advantage of the weekend to get some rest”
“I’m in good shape and took advantage of the weekend to get some rest.” It sounds like a worker benefitting from a short break before going back to work on Monday, but this was what Francis Joyon happily told us, as he enjoys this attempt to smash his own Mauritius Route record. “I’m in good trade winds, which are very stable and on calms seas. These are rare and ideal conditions to sail quickly without putting too much pressure on the boat. This route is not that extraordinary. This is the route taken by the big sailing vessels, which had to deal with low-pressure systems like me off the south of Brazil to cross the South Atlantic towards the Cape of Good Hope. I’m prolonging the route a bit but am sailing fast. Conditions mean I can trim the boat perfectly. I can say that I’m getting the maximum from the boat without punishing her. I’m spending some time at the helm in the morning, at noon, in the evening and at night.”

IDEC SPORT will be continuing on this route, which is a bit off the beaten track, heading SW away from the direct route. The giant is going to have to deal with a transition phase when the trade wind dies away before the low deepens off the Bay of Rio. IDEC SPORT will gradually swing her bows around towards the East and Francis will get back to the usual route ahead of a low, as he makes his way towards the famous Cape of Good Hope…

**Photoboy** · 10-30-2019, 02:22 PM

Joyon At Full Speed Heading Towards The Cape of Good Hope

There’s no changing Francis. The skipper of the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran is at the age of 63 just as keen as ever to set new records and perform well, as we have been able to see over the past 24 hours, during which with the support of his weather advisor back on dry land, Christian Dumard, he has been examining the charts and routes and comparing them to what it is like out on the water. His goal is to catch the tail of a low-pressure system, which yesterday was out of reach, but which could propel him for more than 2300 miles under the latitude of the Cape of Good Hope. Such a performance could enable IDEC SPORT to round the famous cape just under two days ahead of his reference time from 2009. As for the conditions aboard IDEC SPORT, the tropical air is behind him now and the wet weather gear, fleeces and foulies are out again

The day began with two gybes. Clearly, Francis Joyon is in good shape. He is keener than ever to search for speed and performance, which seem to be the food for his very existence. “The Deep South is a place where IDEC-SPORT frolics like a thoroughbred in a meadow! It was here with the crew in the Jules Verne Trophy that we clocked up day after day of more than 800 miles.” This memory lingers on Francis’s mind. He has chosen now to watch a low move east and for another to develop to the south of Uruguay. The latter promises downwind conditions allowing him to follow the former, which may allow him to hop across the huge South Atlantic separating him from the tip of South Africa.
“I shall be diving even further south,” he explained in his usual calm voice that has become part of the legend. “I’ll be staying ahead of that low which will speed along towards South Africa. The second low seemed to be decent enough, but the prospect of saving two days by the Cape of Good Hope has led me to focus on how I sail to gain a few thousandths of a knot more to make the most of that low pressure system that appears to be waiting for me. The skies are clouding over and the wind getting above twenty knots. I’m where I want to be!”

TRACKER

Polar atmosphere
IDEC SPORT left the tropical air behind yesterday. The wet weather gear is out again. “I love these latitudes » admits Francis. “This is a place that is both scary and fascinating. I feel happy here, as I know this is where the boat is able to express herself fully and she can speed along smoothly in some wonderful light.” The skipper of IDEC SPORT has an incredible ability to go from a moment of contemplation to working flat out around his trimaran. “Yesterday was a day for dreaming. I read a few pages of a book by Jean Marie Gustave Le Clézio who tells the story of his grandfather travelling to Rodrigues Island (an island near Mauritius). Since this morning, I have been very busy aboard the boat taking advantage of this first low-pressure system slowing down. Good Hope, here we come! It’s funny, but out of all my trips around the world I have never caught sight of South Africa, as I have always sailed a long way off the coast. It is nevertheless a symbolic longitude in my mind.”

**Photoboy** · 11-01-2019, 12:47 PM

Hitched Onto A Deep Low

A day full of contrast...

While the figures from the past 48 hours led us to be euphoric with 716 miles clocked up yesterday in 24 hours and a lead extended this morning to 707 miles in comparison to the pace set in 2009, out on the water, the situation is rather more worrying and painful for Francis. Over the past 36 hours, the skipper of IDEC SPORT has been tortured as he hears his beloved trimaran groaning and shuddering in a nasty swell in excess of 5 metres, coming in the opposite direction from the boat heading due east. As he progresses, the movement is violent and bumpy, which is not what Francis is used to, but he has to stay in these conditions at the heart of the deep low, which is propelling him at high speed towards the continent of Africa.

Tracker

I don’t like seeing my boat suffer
Francis Joyon: “I could have sailed three knots faster, but the boat kept bouncing off the waves. The whole boat would vibrate. I have rarely seen this sort of reaction. I gybed three times during the night to get back behind the cold front,” added Francis, who remains as calm as ever even when talking about such horrible conditions. There is a lot at stake for IDEC SPORT. If he manages to stick with this weather system, as he has done for the last two days, in two days from now, he may be able to point his bows under the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope almost two days ahead of his record from 2009. If however, the weather system, moving rapidly at almost thirty knots in the wide open desert of the Southern Ocean, gets away from him, it will only be in four days from now that IDEC SPORT will pass under the southernmost tip of Africa.

Tricky seas and the first albatrosses
The latter scenario is something Joyon refuses to imagine. He is prepared to sacrifice his sleep not only to get the most out of his incredible boat, spending time at the helm and not skimping on trimming, but also wishing to ensure with the precious help of his router, Christian Dumard, that the boat is in the right place in this huge area of low pressure that is so typical of the southern latitudes. The three gybes to move slightly further south over the past few hours show just how intense the task is for the skipper of IDEC SPORT. “I have found seas that are slightly more manageable and not so hard on the boat, which is now suffering less in the waves and breakers,” stressed Francis. “The skies have been very grey with low cloud over the past few days, but it is slightly brighter now behind the cold front, which violently passed over during the night with some strong gusts. This is apparently the sort of seascape that is normal down here. I caught sight of some albatrosses in the distance. They were a bit shy and kept away from the boat, which is rather unusual, as they are usually attracted by the wake of the boat hoping to find some fish getting thrown up behind.”

With 3300 miles to go to the finish at the start of this 14th day of sailing, IDEC SPORT has already sailed more than 5500 miles on the theoretical route and 7200 miles out on the water, averaging more than 23 knots. That is all down to the huge diversion to get around the St. Helena high. He is now some 700 miles ahead of the record pace.

**Photoboy** · 11-04-2019, 11:58 AM

Joyon Continues To Build On New Record Time

The huge improvement in the reference time between Port Louis (Brittany) and the Cape of Good Hope (2 days and 19 hours) achieved yesterday has not led Francis Joyon to ease off or modify the pace he has set since moving away from the coast of South America. For the sailor facing the harsh reality of the Southern Ocean, the problem has not really changed. The powerful low he has been speeding along on the edge of for six days still has the fuel required to allow him to improve still further on his performance as he heads towards Mauritius. Francis is having to dig deep within himself to find the energy to maintain an impressive level of concentration and performance hour after hour and wave after wave.

Francis Joyon: “I am continuing with the same weather pattern in order to advance on the northern edge of this low,” the skipper of IDEC SPORT confirmed. “During the night, I had a bit of a scare, when the wind dropped off suddenly to 14 knots. The skies were completely clear and I thought for a moment that the high had caught me. It was only a short worry, as the wind soon got up again, a bit lighter than during the weekend, at around 25 knots.” This means he can still speed along at 27-28 knots and maintain his huge lead of almost 1300 miles over the record pace. We can remember that in 2009, when the second IDEC trimaran to bear the name climbed up towards Mauritius, it was particularly testing. “I had to sail a long way east on the stretch down below South Africa,” remembers Francis. “This year, the weather pattern is much more favourable. I shall be maintaining these high speeds for another 930 miles or for a day and a half, before turning left and climbing up the Indian Ocean towards Mauritius.” Some brighter weather and a warmer atmosphere lie ahead for Francis. “Christian (Dumard – editor’s note), suggested I carry out some gybes during the night to position myself in relation to the Agulhas Current and avoid the nasty waves coming towards me in this area. The wind turned to the south for a moment and the temperature dropped off. I now only have a 12-foot swell and IDEC SPORT is sailing smoothly.”

After 16 days at sea, Francis Joyon is over the moon and enjoying his sailing. His amazing route across the South Atlantic has filled him with joy. He has made it all look so simple having to deal with the elements thrown at him, but it has taken a lot of hard work and commitment, which from ashore seems absolutely incredible, but the skipper of IDEC SPORT has taken it all in his stride.

***********************************

Francis Joyon and the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran crossed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope, often referred to as the Cape of Storms, this morning at 0454hrs UTC, after 14 days, 19 hours and 48 minutes of sailing. He was 2 days, 19 hours and 51 minutes ahead of the time he set in 2009 on his first attempt at the Mauritius Route, the start of the route to the Indies, between Port Louis (Brittany) and Port Louis (Mauritius). This time was not the main goal for Joyon, for whom the Cape is a mere waypoint on a route that continues for another 2200 miles. The Cape of Storms earned its nickname because of the hellish weather conditions that can often be found in this part of the world. Far from resting on his laurels, Francis is now more than ever focused on keeping his maxi trimaran in this powerful corridor of wind offering him high speeds, while avoiding the tricky Agulhas Current, which is one of the most dangerous in the world, as it flows in the opposite direction to the winds.

Just like in major records

“I fought hard for this just as during major record attempts,” explained Francis as he passed away from the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope. “This was a good time, particularly seeing the start took place with a weather opportunity that was far from being ideal, but we wanted to make the most of in order to stick to our ambitious schedule in the Idec Sport Asian Tour, which will take us all the way to Hong Kong.” With his usual modesty, Francis Joyon does not touch on what he had to do to achieve this performance. We can see how hard it was when we look at the performance level the skipper of IDEC SPORT is currently achieving. In order to round the St. Helena high, Joyon was forced to sail a long way west of the direct route during his second week of racing, extending the distance by more than 1600 miles. Once he had managed to hop onto the front of a powerful low-pressure system moving away from the coast of Argentina, Francis lived up to his reputation, clocking up more than 700 miles or more a day, in spite of some horrendous seas with 20-foot high waves and averaging more than 27 knots.

A hellish pace in an extremely hostile environment

The pace he has maintained in the hellish conditions typical of the Southern Ocean has surprised even the most loyal observers. Among them, Christian Dumard, Francis’s weather consultant back on dry land, who could not hide his admiration this morning: “We cannot imagine what Francis is going through down in those latitudes. Maybe if we look at the stormy conditions at the tip of Brittany and in the English Channel, we can get a better idea of what Francis is having to deal with aboard his high-speed maxi-multihull.”

TRACKER

The Agulhas Current comes up against the strong westerly winds

The skipper admitted that “the Cape of Good Hope is just a longitude on the map.” The hard work does not stop when that virtual line is crossed. With a series of perfectly timed gybes, Joyon has managed not only to position IDEC SPORT in a strong air stream with decent winds and a good angle, but has also managed to avoid the tarrying Agulhas current, which comes down from Mozambique at around 5 knots and which comes up against the prevailing westerlies, generating nasty seas, and occasionally what are referred to as rogue waves, which appear out of nowhere… This is certainly a tricky exercise dealing with contrary currents, winds in excess of thirty knots and waves that are higher than 30 feet off to his south.

Having sailed almost 8500 miles averaging 23.5 knots out on the water, Francis has to keep up this mammoth task for another couple of days, before turning left and pointing his bows towards Mauritius. He will then have to deal with an area of high pressure and try to sail with the easterly wind on the beam towards the finish of this Mauritius Route with all its contrasts and dangers.

Francis Joyon’s reaction: “Seas that I have never experienced”

“I’m pleased with this time to the Cape of Good Hope, considering the weather we chose, which was far from being exceptional. We managed to weave our way down to the Cape Verde Islands and get through the Doldrums without getting held up. This was the first major hurdle we had to avoid tripping up at. I then pushed the boat as hard as possible in conditions that continued to strengthen. The low I have been hanging on to for the past four days is very violent with winds in excess of thirty knots all the time, but more importantly with violent gusts and very heavy seas, the like of which I have never seen. I had to do a lot of thinking to find the right settings and configuration to keep moving fast without punishing the boat, which was bouncing around all over the place. IDEC SPORT continues to surprise me. With one reef and the J1 sail, I can sail with the wind almost directly behind me and in seas that are slightly calmer, I am now back in more normal conditions. This very fast crossing of the South Atlantic was far from easy. I’m going to try to stick with this low for the next two days, while gradually heading further north. I’m trying to find my way through between the Agulhas Current and the very nasty seas further south. I think I’ll finish in around five days, so on around 8th November. I am not spending much time at the helm, as out on deck it is extremely tough, cold and wet. There aren’t many albatrosses to see in any case. My living conditions are stripped to the bare minimum. I haven’t really got any sleep at all over the past three nights, and it is only occasionally that I have managed to warm up some soup on my camping stove.”

**Photoboy** · 11-08-2019, 09:46 AM

Joy for Joyon's New Mauritian Record

Francis Joyon breaks the Mauritian record
19 days, 18 hours, 14 minutes and 45 seconds to reach Mauritius

Francis Joyon comes, with a disconcerting appearance of ease, to explode his own record established 10 years ago on this Route des Indes baptized La Mauricienne. 19 days, 18 hours, 14 minutes and 45 seconds, a gain of 6 days and 10 hours in 10 years. The Mauritian, an original route, which borrows from Port Louis in the Morbihan, the course of great tours of the world that Francis knows so well, alone or crew, until the rise of the Indian Ocean all traps, to another Port Louis, that of Mauritius.

8,950 theoretical sailing miles, which turned to Francis, turned into nearly 11,000 miles on the bottom, swallowed at 23.2 knots average. A performance that fits perfectly to its author, satisfied to bring safely his IDEC SPORT in perfect condition, happy with his career, delighted to respect the demanding timing of his Asian Tour, and illuminated wonders crossed.

A weather window far from optimal
"I lived this record under double pressure," says the winner of the last Route du Rhum and holder of the Jules Verne Trophy. "The pressure of the result, as usual when we fight against the clock. I did not have the pressure of opponents as on the Route du Rhum, but I had to stay in the timing given by our upcoming appointments of the Asian Tour that will lead us to Vietnam and China. I did not want to compromise everything when I arrived here late. A remark in all modesty that hides Francis' insatiable appetite for these races against the chronometer and the convolutions of the natural elements. For this record was from the start, on October 19, far to be won: "Our weather window was far from ideal," he says, "but as we have seen later, nothing really interesting came before us for days, even weeks. We had to leave in order to remain able to respect our Asian program. "

In a little over 7 days and two hours, IDEC SPORT reached the equator. An average time, according to the same person, compared to the times established in recent seasons both solo and crew. But who already put it ahead of more than a day on his record of 2009.

A vast bypass of Saint Helena
Saint Helena and its anticyclone holiday resort under the Brazilian coast were therefore a new challenge at the height of Francis. The trade winds of South East pushed IDEC SPORT far in the west, towards a huge and discouraging bypass of the languid delineated areas in the heart of the South Atlantic. IDEC SPORT, heading south west and away from the road, left some feathers, lamenting in his 11th day of racing a handful of miles (up to 27) behind IDEC, second name, author at the same time a beautiful parable in the shortest of the South Atlantic.

The great transatlantic cavalcade!
Then began the true piece of bravery of this adventure. With Christian Dumard's always clear-sighted help on the ground, Francis discovered in the development under the Uruguayan coast of a beautiful depression, the possibility of renewing his great cavalcade of 2017 with his fabulous crew during his triumphal Jules Verne Trophy. "I left on the front of the depression, which was evolving very quickly towards the East. With Christian, we thought that she would very quickly leave us on the way, and that I would have to wait long hours before the arrival of a second system, very interesting too. But as the hours went by, well lined up on the northern edge of the mighty North West flows, IDEC SPORT was once again marveling, aligning days to more than 600 miles, to the point of convincing his skipper that there was perhaps a possibility to remain until the end in this system. "There was a gain of two days in Bonne Espérance to the key! Says Francis, "So I got hooked! "We do not measure the feat achieved at this moment of the record. "The depression as planned is passed on it" continues, admiring, Christian Dumard. "Francis found himself with strong, irregular winds, more than 30 knots and above all a huge sea raised by the depression. But he caught on, adjusting the angle to the wind of the boat, barring much to place his giant trimaran on the crest of the huge waves of the Great South. "It's rare to be able to enjoy this weather system as long as you can," exclaims Francis. "We did it with the IDEC SPORT crew on the Jules Verne Trophy. " But at what cost ! Francis admits having suffered to see his boat suffer. "He was jumping from waves to waves, and making noises I had never heard him utter! The night just before Good Hope was the worst, with lows of 10 meters. I was tired but it was necessary to prolong the effort. That's where this record is played ... "

Happy as Francis ...
And yet, Joyon says, he has at no time "put in the red", as was the case during the Route du Rhum last year. "I always made a small margin. I have never pushed my settings. I had to spare the boat for the rest of the program. It's done. I am happy with this beautiful trajectory and this beautiful sequence of weather systems. The road was long but meteorologically, it was not bad. I arrived this morning and discovered with the sunrise my first lands since the departure. An incredible light, the turquoise water, the islands ... "To the happiness of Francis!

https://www.idecsport.com/francis-jo...-mauricienne/?

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Joyon's Light Glows Amber

Joyon's Light Glows Amber

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