Banque Populaire / Sodebo round the world / Trophee Jules Verne

How much speed would be lost by starting out with bow overhangs to sled over debris versus doing these in the water conversions? My repair suggestions would be to have some thin aluminum sheet in the repair kit to transition over the damaged area to prevent delamination. Goop of choice, screws etc...doesn't have to be watertight because of the crash boxes, just slow the fire hose versus laminate contest.

 

Sodebo-Round the World Singlehanded(100' tri)

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If that is an ama bow then it's probably a good thing it took the hit. If the bow had gone up and over allowing the UFO to slide aft it might have taken out one of the lifting foils....
From what I understand the Hydroptere team has developed or is developing an electronic radar/sonar device that will alert them in time to low floating objects or objects just below the surface. If they make that work then it will be a "must have" on high speed ocean going race boats.

 

Sodebo-Round the World Singlehanded(100' tri)

from-Scuttlebutt tonight:

HE'S BACK
(March 13, 2011; Day 44, 22:00 UTC) -
Thomas Coville (FRA) is sailing a faster boat, so it is conceivable that his 105-foot trimaran Sodebo should
have no problem erasing the solo singlehanded round the world record set by
Francis Joyon (FRA) in 2008 on the 97-foot trimaran IDEC. But like they
say, "that is why they play the game."

After struggling with unfavorable weather patterns during his descent down
the Atlantic Ocean, and holding a deficit of up to 1300 miles behind when
entering the Indian, Coville has finally evened up the score. Now 59.4 nm
ahead of Joyon's pace as he heads north along the coast of Brazil, Coville
notes that "mentally, it was an incredible challenge."

But the challenge is far from over. With 4990 nm remaining to the finish,
the rise of the South Atlantic still seems endless and terribly tactical.
"When you come around there after the Indian and the Pacific, we think it's
nice and warm," commented Coville. "But the pressure is not over. The heat
exchanges are terrible and brutal break weather systems."

Coville must cross the finish line off Ushant, France by March 28, 2011 at
00:40:34 (UTC) to break Joyon's record (57:13:34:06). --http://www.sodebo-voile.com/

 

Sodebo-Round the World Singlehanded(100' tri)

from Scutlebutt tonight:

RIDING THE YOYO
(March 17, 2011; Day 48) - While it too soon to say the wheels have fallen
off the bus, Thomas Coville is in free fall. His track for the last few
days resembles more like the slash of Antonio Banderas in the 'Mask of
Zorro' than the direct course of the man he is chasing. As Coville admits,
"My boat is damaged and it gives me headaches."

Dealing with mainsail repairs, fatigue, and a huge bubble of high pressure
in the middle of the Atlantic, Coville is barely surviving in a narrow
corridor of wind near the coast of Brazil. He expects to cross the equator
by late Saturday, and is hopeful that the yoyo he is on is ready to jump
back up the string. -- http://www.sodebo-voile.com/

Current position as of March 17, 2011 (22:45 UTC):
Ahead/behind record: -259.2 nm
Speed over past 24 hours: 10.2 knots
Distance over past 24 hours: 245.1 nm
Distance remaining: 3911 nm
Tracking: http://sodebo-voile.geovoile.com/tourdumonde/2011

 

Sodebo-Round the World Singlehanded(100' tri)

From Scuttlebutt Europe today:

Sodeb'O Crosses Equator

Frenchman Thomas Coville, who is hoping to break Francis Joyon's record of sailing solo around the world, is back in the North Atlantic. His trimaran Sodebo crossed the equator on Sunday 20 March at 09:20 GMT after 49 days, 22 hours, 12 minutes and 32 seconds at sea - 1 day, 19 hours and 54 minutes behind Francis Joyon's record.

Since his departure from Ushant on 29 January, the trimaran has traveled 23,777 miles (averaging 19.84 knots). During the last stretch, from Cape Horn to the Equator, Coville was faster than his predecessor. Despite being carried primarily upwind and with a damaged starboard bow, Thomas reached the equator in 11 days, 21 hours and 56 minutes - over 16 hours better than Francis in 2008.

This meant that Thomas was 226 miles ahead five days ago. He is now aproximately 484 miles behind, but since yesterday the NE winds have been building, and Thomas Coville's speeds have been increasing from 12 knots to 17 knots.

In order to beat the record, Thomas must cross the finish line before 28 March 2011, 13:40:34 (local time). For the next seven days he must keep his average speed above 18 knots.

During his previous attempt two years ago, Thomas was faster than Francis in the final stretch. This year, the skipper must be two days quicker - a difficult ask.

Timings and Distances

Start Equator (second passage):

IDEC: (10 January 2008) 48 days, 2 hours, 18 minutes - 22,626 miles at 19.6 knots
SODEBO: (20 March 2011) 49 days, 22 hours, 12 minutes - 23,777 miles at 19.84 knots
Difference: 1 day, 19 hours, 54 minutes - 487 miles behind

Cape Horn - Equator:

IDEC: (2008) 12 days, 14 hours

SODEBO: (20 March 2011) 11 days, 21 hours, 56 minutes
Difference: SODEBO 16 hours, 4 minutes quicker than IDEC

www.sodebo-voile.com

 

Sodebo-Round the World Singlehanded(100' tri)

from the SA front page today-interview with Nigel Irens-designer of Sodebo:

SA: Do the lifting foils, added for this second record-breaking attempt, have as much of a performance advantage as they have on a smaller/wider ORMA 60? Do you think they were worth the addition weight?

NI: I think they have been a worthwhile mod and ‘Sodeb’O’ is clearly the faster boat, but it is also true that having an extra quarter-knot of potential speed in your boat is unlikely to make the difference between success and failure - whereas having some decent luck with the weather makes a real difference. What I’m saying is that if you are parked south of the equator with 3-5 knots of wind for a couple of days you might start getting morbid about any potential performance-enhancing devices.

 

Sodebo-Round the World Singlehanded(100' tri)

from Scuttlebutt tonight:

* (March 24, 2011; Day 55; 22:00 UTC) - The solo round the world record
that Thomas Coville and the 105-foot trimaran Sodebo had sought to take
from current holder Francis Joyon is all but out of reach for the
Frenchman. With Coville now 988.6 nm behind the record pace, he remains
2441 nm from the finish in Ushant, France, and would have needed to arrive
by March 28th to establish a new standard. -- http://www.sodebo-voile.com/

 

Or average >46 knots for 2 days!!!