Spindrift On Standby For Jules Verne Record Attempt

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Only a few hours before the standby period for our upcoming round the world sailing record officially begins.
Let's look back at the last few weeks, with the final preparation of the team for this 4th attempt onboard the maxi-trimaran.










A big day for Spindrift racing and the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change:

We are officially on standby for the Jules Verne around the world sailing record!
let’s hope the wait for a good weather window won’t be too long, so we can set sail and start the attempt! For now, we are in code red 🔴

🔴 Code red : no possible start
🟡 Code yellow : possible start in the next 72 hours
🟢 Code green : possible start in the next 24 hours

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Dona's On Board Reporter Debut

At 53 years old, the Swiss businesswoman, co-president of the Bertarelli Foundation, Dona Bertarelli has decided to set off again on a Jules-Verne Trophy aboard the maxi “Sails of change”, on stand-by from this Monday. Six years after her first world tour, she wishes to share this human adventure.




Roughly translated from:
le Telegramme

Dona Bertarelli has decided to start again with a Jules-Verne Trophy. She will be a reporter on board to try to bring this world tour to life from the inside. (Photo Chris Schmid)

Jules-Verne Trophy

Six years after your first round-the-world trip, you are leaving on a boat that has undergone a fairly significant workover

We cut the central hull and it is true that there is less vibration on the boat, it behaves better in the sea especially. It deviates less in the sea, it is more pleasant. We have also done a lot of work in terms of aerodynamics, the cap and there is real comfort and real safety for the sailors. We are much more protected. There, we made a last trip to sea. We hope to have a weather window quickly but it is not impossible if it is dragging a bit that we go out to sea again.

40 days 23 hours and 30 minutes: not easy to beat?

The idea is to have a little luck to beat this record. The weather will give us the rhythm and distribute the deal. We will not be able to go more than what the weather can offer us. Even if we have the right boat, the right crew, we will also need a little help. We know that it is possible if we have the favorable weather situation even if we know that it is a very difficult record to get.

Is there anything special about the Jules-Verne Trophy?

It is always special because you are fighting against yourself and against a time. I think it's also very personal. Obviously, the professional sailors who are involved with us on this Trophy will have a different feeling from mine. In 2016, when we crossed the line, we had completed the lap but we had not broken the record. Yet for me it was already a victory. The fact of being able to do the whole tour together without having any damage and even if we had some of being able to repair them, to go back up, to stick together… for me, it is above all a human adventure. Obviously, there is the record, obviously, we are going there for a while but it is almost the icing on the cake.





In 2019, you had decided to stay ashore, what made you want to go on a round-the-world trip?

The urge has always been there but things weren't right for me to leave at that time. My children, who were young when I left in 2015 - my daughter was 13 years old - took a lot out of them. It was the whole family unit that went to sea. Often it is either the father or the mother who goes to sea and the other stays ashore. Yann (Guichard the skipper) and I were leaving. And I didn't think I could bring that back to my kids in 2019. Especially since I had several of my kids getting ready for the baccalaureate. Now, they have all finished their studies, they have grown up, they are of legal age. So things are reunited so that I can go back. Maybe the first time around, I left to prove to myself that I was capable of it and to push the limits.



The maxi "Sails of Change" will be on stand-by from this Monday November 1st for an attempt at the Jules-Verne Trophy. (Photo Pierre Bouras)


Before the departure of the maxi in 2019, you had confided "maybe this time my place is not on board" what has changed since?

I think that this pandemic, these last 20 months that we have just lived, it has been a difficult situation for everyone. But for parents like me, it was also a pleasure to be able to have children at home. We were confined together. And to be able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner together for several weeks in a row is not a trivial situation and it is not going to be repeated that often, we hope. I took it as happiness. We talked a lot during this time and that's where the Sails of Change program , “Setting the Sails of Change”, took its essence. And we decided to carry this message in our veils. It was all the more logical to go to sea to carry this message.

Did your kids urge you to go?

They didn't push me at all. They didn't even think I was going to leave. And then the opportunity came: we were always looking for a sailor and when it came time to make certain decisions, it started to ripen in my head. I started talking to Yann about it. And slowly things happened, it became obvious that I had my place on board. Certainly on a role a little different from the one I played in 2015, but a role that I know well and that I take to heart. And sharing this with the children of “Spindrift of Schools” (*) makes me want to go back.

Besides, there will be Duncan one of your sons on board: how do you imagine sharing this world tour with him?

It's particular. I saw him leave for the first time in 2019. It was very moving for me to see him leave for me in a way. I was extremely proud. He was still very young at the time (22 years old). Now to go with him is yet another dimension. I have a personal challenge, it is to put the mother aside and he will have his own: put the son aside. Obviously, there will be a benevolent look, but I must give him his place as a professional on board. He has a job to do at the same level as the others and I must not interfere as a mom. Likewise, he shouldn't try to protect me because a son always wants to protect his mom.



You are going to be an on-board reporter: how do you imagine this role?


I imagine it very simply. I will try to get you on board during this world tour. Try to keep communication simple and close. I was able to work with Yann Riou, a very talented mediaman who was on board in 2015. I cannot boast of having the capacities of Yann Riou and many others, who make it their profession. I will do it my way with simpler communication but hopefully close.

What do you want to find at sea?

I absolutely want to see the beauty of each of the oceans again. Because the Indian is not the same as the Pacific, nor the Atlantic. And to return there with more experience and maturity, I have a real desire and an apprehension somewhere to succeed in bringing this emotion to life because I am responsible for it this time.


Did you prepare differently from the first time?

I confirm. I prepared very differently. The last time, we bought the maxi with the idea that we could take it around the world and do the Jules-Verne Trophy with me on board, who had never raced offshore. So I had to learn ocean racing. To know if I felt good at sea, if I was able to be at sea for several weeks in a row without weariness. So we had done the Fastnet, the Route de la Découverte several times… This time, to tell the truth, the last ocean race I did dates back to 2016 during the Quebec - Saint-Malo. Since that time, I have not spent more than a day on board the maxi, I had other obligations. I have resumed navigation in recent weeks. Will it be missing? At the same time, physically and mentally, I almost feel more ready and stronger. We'll see. I remain lucid, I know that there are times which are going to be extremely difficult but I hope to have the maturity to go beyond.

You now know where you are going: is there any apprehension?

The feeling is totally different. I had big question marks the first time obviously because I had no idea what to expect at all. There, I don't know if it's more comforting or less comforting to know. But it's not the same type of apprehension at all. I may be less apprehensive, but I don't yet know how to tell you how I feel.

You do a lot of work for the environment and the protection of the oceans: can this world tour allow you to talk about it in another way?


I would like this world tour to give visibility to the cause of oceans, nature and biodiversity. In other circles in which I am used to working which are scientific, conservation and protection but also political circles: to be able to bring this message to a greater number and to a community of athletes who practice their sport in a natural environment. Any athlete appreciates nature as it is, we must understand this nature and understand how to protect it. And the message that we display 30 x 30 on our sails and on the boat: it is the call of the scientists who ask that 30% of the earth and the oceans be protected by 2030.

There have been other attempts since your participation in 2015 and no woman participated: what is your view on that?

The discussion of the place of women in certain circles is always the same: are there enough of them? But there are women like Sam Davies or Justine Mettraux who fought for their place in this environment and fought to find and keep their sponsors. They brilliantly brought to life the emotion of sport, of their adventure. If we look in the sailing clubs, there are quite a few young girls registered. Whether we give these young girls the means to become professional in this sport, the question is still there.

(*) Educational kit to “learn nature

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The Light Is Green For Spindrift Jules Verne Attempt




Jules Verne Trophy:

A Thursday start for the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change
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 #30x30 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 ‘30x30’ 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
A very quick descent towards the equator and the Cape of Good Hope are essential conditions for the success of the record attempt. For the first time since the start of standby on 1 November, a weather window is offering up a great opportunity to drop southwards, as Benjamin Schwartz, navigator on the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change explains: “Currently, a very powerful Azores High is in the process of dropping back down towards the islands of the same name, whilst a low pressure system to the west of Cape Verde is filling. The uniting of these two phenomena means that the trade wind is set to build from Thursday, which will enable us to drop down towards the equator very quickly. At the same time, a low pressure system over the north of England will drop down towards Brittany on Friday, bringing with it big seas and lots of breeze. As a result, the aim is to avoid all that by setting sail early evening on Thursday. According to the routing, this weather situation should enable us to make the equator inside the record time we set in 2019, namely a little less than 5 days, which is perfect for the start of an attempt! After that, there is still some uncertainty about the doldrums, which may hinder our progress for longer than planned. Finally, in the South Atlantic, we’re monitoring a low pressure system level with Brazil, which we may be able to position ourselves ahead of to make for the Cape of Good Hope inside the time set by Francis Joyon in 2017. Today, the weather at Good Hope is very good, but that may still change as the position of the Saint Helena High and the way the low pressure system will roll through are yet to be tied down as that’s still a long way off (D+10)”.

Therefore, the way the weather systems link together in the South Atlantic will be key in our bid to hunt down the record and slip along into the Indian Ocean as quickly as possible.



SAILS OF CHANGE, A ROUND THE WORLD FOR THE ‘30x30’ CAMPAIGN
In 2021, the maxi-trimaran boasts a livery in the colours of ‘Sails of Change’. Sails of Change is creating a community of sports and nature enthusiasts eager for a sustainable future for our planet. Founders Yann Guichard, Dona Bertarelli and her children are committed to sharing ideas and information, creating partnerships to protect and restore the environment and work to bring about significant changes for a sustainable future for all.

The first campaign supported by Sails of Change, ‘30x30’ is a global call to action to protect at least 30% of the ocean and the earth by 2030. The maxi-trimaran will deliver this message around the world, with #30x30 logos emblazoned on her sails and hulls, together with distinctive blue and green colour-coding for the new livery on the racing stable’s flagship.

“Through the medium of a sport that we love, I invite everyone to climb aboard with us in this human adventure and discover the beauty of nature and join us in our circumnavigation of the globe,” says Dona Bertarelli, on-board reporter for this latest attempt.

Within the context of this fourth attempt, the whole crew is keen to show what is within the realms of possibility during this challenge targeting self-sufficiency in energy. For the first time, the whole journey will be undertaken with no auxiliary engine.

“We’re going to take on an additional challenge, since we’ll be attempting to break the round the world record without using any energy produced using fossil fuels. Our main sources of energy will come from the sun and wind, as well as an on-board bike-powered generator. We are keen to show it’s possible,” explains skipper Yann Guichard.





2021 CREW ON THE MAXI-TRIMARAN SAILS OF CHANGE:
Yann Guichard - Skipper
Dona Bertarelli - On-board reporter
Benjamin Schwartz - Navigator
Jacques Guichard - Watch leader
Xavier Revil - Watch leader
Duncan Späth - Helm / Trimmer
Gregory Gendron - Helm / Trimmer
Julien Villion - Helm / Trimmer
Thierry Chabagny - Helm / Trimmer
Jackson Bouttell - Watch leader, bowman
Yann Jauvin - Watch leader, bowman
Jean-Yves Bernot - Onshore router


JULES VERNE TROPHY IN BRIEF:
Start and finish: line between Créac’h lighthouse (Island of Ushant) and Lizard Point (England)
Crewed round the world via the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin, Horn)
Shortest distance to cover: 21,600 miles (around 40,000 kilometres)
Ratification: World Sailing Speed Record Council, www.sailspeedrecords.com
Current time to beat: 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds
Average speed: 21.96 knots
Date the last record was set: January 2017
Titleholder: IDEC Sport, Francis Joyon and his 5 crewmen



INTERMEDIATE CREWED REFERENCE TIMES:
Ushant-equator: 4d 20h 07’ (Spindrift 2 in 2019)
Equator-Agulhas Cape: 6d 08h 55’ (Banque Populaire V in 2012)
Agulhas Cape-Cape Leeuwin: 4d 09h 32’ (IDEC Sport in 2017)
Cape Leeuwin-Cape Horn: 9d 08h 46’ (IDEC Sport in 2017)
Cape Horn-Equator: 7d 04h 27’ (Banque Populaire V in 2012)
Equator-Ushant: 5d 19h 21’ (IDEC Sport in 2017)
CREWED WSSRC RECORDS:
North Atlantic crossing (Ushant-Equator): 4d 20h 07’ (Spindrift 2 in 2019)
Indian Ocean crossing (Agulhas Cape-South Tasmania): 5d 21h 07’ 45’’ (IDEC Sport in 2017)
Pacific Ocean crossing (South Tasmania-Cape Horn): 7d 21h 13’ 31’’ (IDEC Sport in 2017)
Equator-Equator: 29d 09h 10’ 55’’ (IDEC Sport in 2017)
Round the world (Jules Verne Trophy): 40d 23h 30’ 30’’ (IDEC Sport in 2017)

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Spindrift Remains Tethered In La Trinité-Sur-Mer,



The crew of the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change postpones its departure
Upon further analysis of the weather files, the Spindrift team has decided to postpone its departure for a fourth attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy. Indeed, the weather conditions in the South Atlantic are shaping up to be less appealing than those analysed on Wednesday evening.

This Thursday morning, the whole crew was ready to leave the dock in La Trinité-Sur-Mer, Brittany, to head out to sea and set sail from the Créac’h lighthouse over the course of the day. The latest position of the Azores High remains favourable for a very quick ‘descent’ to the equator thanks to a powerful N to NE’ly breeze. The problem comes further down the racetrack as the low pressure systems rolling off Brazil are no longer shifting across towards the Kerguelen Islands, leaving room for a series of high pressure ‘bubbles’ across the course, which are synonymous with a lack of stable breeze…




Another attempt

The nine crew supporting Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard were all in attendance dockside in La Trinité-Sur-Mer, ready to get going, but they will have to be patient for several more days at least until the weather situation becomes favourable again in both the North and South Atlantic. It’s worth noting that the best WSSRC time (World Sailing Speed Record Council in charge of validating international records) between Ushant and the equator is still held by Spindrift 2 helmed by Yann Guichard and his team in 2019 (4d 20h 7’) while the record for the South Atlantic crossing is still in the hands of Francis Joyon and his crew on IDEC Sport in 2017 (7d 02h 23’)…

“That’s the nature of Jules Verne Trophy records and what makes them very hard to beat! This is especially true when the American and European weather files are in agreement that it would be necessary to go right around the outside of the Saint Helena High, avoid the ice close to South Georgia and finally reach the longitude of Good Hope in thirteen days… Sails of Change could still cross the equator in under four and a half days. However, despite the configuration in the South Atlantic still being favourable yesterday, that is no longer the case today. On top of that, the low pressure systems in the Southern Ocean are on a very low trajectory instead of tracking eastwards, which would indicate a rather laborious passage across the Indian Ocean,” explained Yann Guichard on Thursday morning, after consulting the latest grib fles with his onshore router (Jean-Yves Bernot) and his on-board navigator (Benjamin Schwartz).





In fact, it’s vital to be more than 90% sure you’ll reach the Cape of Good Hope in a sub-twelve-day time to stand a chance of winning the Jules Verne Trophy… That would not be the case if they were to set sail today as planned as there’s precious little chance of them being able to latch onto a last low pressure system rolling off Brazil after a week at sea! Naturally, the team remains on the alert to take on a round the world without using fossil energy (a first in the racing world!) and defend the colours of Sails of Change, which is flying the flag for the ‘30×30’ campaign (a global call to action to protect at least 30% of the ocean and the earth by 2030). See you soon for a fresh attempt over the coming days…

2021 crew on the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change:

Yann Guichard – Skipper
Dona Bertarelli – On-board reporter
Benjamin Schwartz – Navigator
Jacques Guichard– Watch leader
Xavier Revil– Watch leader
Duncan Späth – Helm / Trimmer
Gregory Gendron – Helm / Trimmer
Julien Villion – Helm / Trimmer
Thierry Chabagny – Helm / Trimmer
Jackson Bouttell – Bowman
Yann Jauvin – Bowman

Jean-Yves Bernot – Onshore router


https://spindrift-racing.com/news/th...its-departure/

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Another Opportunity Arises For Spindrift

The crew of Spindrift are code green and waiting for the next cycle of weather updates to confirm if the
window of opportunity is solid enough to depart. The next update will be 6:00 PM UTC





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.

2021 crew on the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change:

Yann Guichard – Skipper
Dona Bertarelli – On-board reporter
Benjamin Schwartz – Navigator
Jacques Guichard– Watch leader
Xavier Revil– Watch leader
Duncan Späth – Helm / Trimmer
Gregory Gendron – Helm / Trimmer
Julien Villion – Helm / Trimmer
Thierry Chabagny – Helm / Trimmer
Jackson Bouttell – Bowman
Yann Jauvin – Bowman

Jean-Yves Bernot – Onshore router











https://spindrift-racing.com/news/sw...ils-of-change/

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I don't think Phileas Fogg had all these forecast models to assist him!

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And About Those Code Changes....




An insight into ‘green codes’.
The situation in the South Atlantic was not offering the right conditions for Sails of Change to reach the Cape of Good Hope in around a dozen days. Jean-Yves Bernot, onshore router for Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard’s team, discusses these meteorological uncertainties …

Why have there been a succession of postponed starts for the Jules Verne Trophy record campaign?

Sails of Change had favourable conditions to make rapid headway as far as Cape Frio (offshore of Rio de Janeiro). In theory, the timing was right, very favourable in fact, for the maxi-trimaran to cross the equator, but after that, there was so much instability around the Saint Helena High, that the passage time off the Cape of Good Hope was not good …

But there were two scheduled starts in November!

In both instances, there were no low-pressure systems forming off Brazil to propel the boat very quickly towards South Africa. These are minor issues, but there was just a six-hour window for Sails of Change to hook onto a favourable system… Six hours of uncertainty in an eight-day forecast may sound small, but it matters a lot! These two ‘code greens’ are also linked to the volatility of these long-term weather forecasts.





A decision has to be made…

There’s a ‘code green’ when there’s an opportunity to set sail and the whole Spindrift team has to be poised to go! It’s important to point out that weather data is updated every twelve hours and it is provided by both American and European models. If they aren’t showing the same situation over several days, you have to at least wait until they agree on a similar configuration. That’s all part of a record attempt like this: it’s vital not to miss an opportunity and to remain ready to go!

So what was the situation yesterday, 30 November 2021 ?

It’s still not entirely done and dusted. There are conditions for a rapid descent to Brazil, but it’s what comes next… There may be a small low-pressure system forming and, with luck on our side, we can hook onto it, but after that…? It’s worth noting that the weather models must be in agreement, and, in any case, the whole team has to be prepared to snap up an opportunity. The American forecasts were more optimistic than those of the Europeans, then the configuration deteriorated further for both models.

But weather simulations have evolved in leaps and bounds over recent years…

Absolutely! We no longer route the boats in the same way either. During the initial attempts from 1990-2000, the objective was the passage of the equator, as it wasn’t possible to predict the weather beyond five days. Now, the boats are even faster and reliable data runs for up to ten days and more! We now have to target the Cape of Good Hope in a maximum of twelve days: it’s a whole different ball game. We can clearly see what’s going to happen in the South Atlantic eight days in advance.




Is there a relationship between the position of the Azores High (northern hemisphere) and that of the Saint Helena High (southern hemisphere)?

I get what you’re saying: a favourable weather situation in the northern hemisphere and hence an unfavourable one in the southern hemisphere! No. There is no correlation between these two parts of the Earth, at least not in terms of the timeframe we’re working with. There may be if you were to average it out over a year, but I don’t have that information.

So regardless of whether the Azores High is high or low in latitude, it doesn’t have an influence on the situation in the South Atlantic?

I don’t believe it does: there is no correlation between the north and south; not in terms of the time frame we work with for routing the Jules Verne Trophy. No compensation would come into play over such a short time.

Sails of Change is back on standby in La Trinité-sur-Mer through until 15 January.

It may sound late, but when you look at the previous records, you notice that Groupama 3 set sail on 31 January! Equally IDEC Sport set off in the middle of the winter in the northern hemisphere… It’s only early December for us here, the team still has time






But there’s a good conjunction with the full moon on 19 December and the summer solstice of the southern hemisphere on 21 December…

That’s true, but it’s not enough to cross the equator in under five days; you have to be able to connect onto something beyond that! The current Jules Verne Trophy record is so low (40 days 23 hours and 30 minutes) that you need to be at Good Hope with a lead of at least a day… Francis Joyon and his men crossed the Indian Ocean really very quickly: as a result, you need some room for manœuvre on exiting the Atlantic Ocean. On top of that, they took less than six days to sail from the equator back to Ushant! As such, you need to steal a march at the start of the record attempt…

Logically, there are around ten weather ‘windows’ each winter?

You can’t look at it like that: it’s totally dependent on the year and there are no statistics about that! There are winters with lots of opportunities and others where you have to stay on land. Furthermore, the opportunities are not the same from one year to the next, plus it depends what you want to do and where you want to go. Here for example, there was an opportunity to improve on the reference time between Ushant and the equator, but it didn’t extend to the round the world record… Sails of Change could probably beat its own WSSRC record to the equator (Spindrift 2 in 2019: 4 days 20 hours and 13 minutes) but Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and their team are chasing the Jules Verne Trophy!

Is the situation looking favourable for the coming days?

There are no longer any openings for the next few days: we’re going to have to wait a bit… That doesn’t stop us routers from looking at what would have happened had Sails of Change set sail though: the weather window on 25 November would have gone very light after Cape Frio (offshore of Rio de Janeiro). The one on 30 November doesn’t look favourable either in the southern hemisphere, with very bad weather at the Cape of Good Hope, but we’ll look into the situation in more detail over the next few days. The idea of setting off and then coming back is only valid if the return journey is quick as there may be a favourable ‘window’ on returning to Ushant…

2021 crew on the maxi-trimaran Sails of Change:

Yann Guichard – skipper
Dona Bertarelli – on-board reporter
Benjamin Schwartz – navigator
Jacques Guichard – Watch leader
Xavier Revil – Watch leader
Jackson Bouttell – Watch leader, bowman
Duncan Späth – sailor
Thierry Chabagny – sailor
Gregory Gendron – sailor
Julien Villion – sailor
Yann Jauvin – sailor, bowman

Jean-Yves Bernot – onshore router