Francis Joyon sets new solo 24 hr record on IDEC II

Already several weeks ago Francis Joyon set "silently" a new solo 24 hr record on IDEC II: 666,2 miles or 1234 km/24hr a 27.75 knots!!

"C'était extrêmement périlleux. Le bateau était constamment à la limite. Je ne barrais pas. Je suis demeuré 24 heures debout dans mon cockpit avec l'écoute de grand voile dans une main, et l'écoute de solent dans l'autre. Lorsque le bateau plantait dans la vague, je choquais l'une ou l'autre. Mais il m'est arrivé souvent de choquer toutes les écoutes d'un seul coup."

"It was extremely dangerous. The boat was constantly on the edge. I did not steer. I remained standing 24 hours in my cockpit with mainsheet in one hand, and in the other hand the solent. When the boat crashed into the wave, I eased one or the other. But I've often eased all the sheets at once."

I guess this is what it takes to get such a record, just imagine standing there 24 hours.
Respect!!

http://www.trimaran-idec.com/actualite_article.asp?id=205

Article from Yachting-world with some nice "quotes" like from Jean-Pierre Dick:
"When Francis leaves to go to sea, even around the world, it looks like he's going out to pick strawberries from his garden. He has this animal strength that seems to come from a medieval era."

http://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/elaine-bunting/532328/joyon-world-s-fastest-seaman

 

"When Francis leaves to go to sea, even around the world, it looks like he's going out to pick strawberries from his garden. He has this animal strength that seems to come from a medieval era."

I have met him several times in the 90's before "fame"; very calm, very intelligent, and able to listen, but having his -good- own ideas. He has proved also to be able to recruit a good team, delegate, and motivate. Brief able to understand what's is needed to design a fast boat, and what's needed to keep it fast on water in real life...
He is called "titanium mental strength". Add a formidable physical strength with an incredible stamina. How he does? I do not know, considering that he is not so young -born in may 1956 so he's 56 years old-. A good subject for genetic studies...
Tabarly was also like that; mental strength is the main key. Old fashioned guys.

Very nice and true comments by Elaine Bunting in Yachting world. Joyon is the total opposite of the bling-bling.
To make happy Doug Lord Idec has used curved foils...

 

Is that a new "IDEC", thought there was an original that burned down?
BTW, what is the fast 24hr record with crew?

 

The original IDEC was destroyed by going ashore on rocks in Brittany after setting a new transatlantic record when Francis's Autopilot failed while he was resting. The crewed record is somewhere around 908nm in a 24 hour period set by Banque Populaire V.

Article on IDEC's loss.

http://bb.firetrench.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=1215

 

Just to give a precision

Banque Populaire V. Record set 24 hours in August 2009 907.8 milles that means 37.8 knots, 43.5 mph, 70 km/hour...mean speed!!!!

Only a few big ships are able of such mean speeds;
Crossing of Atlantic Blue Ribband
Catalonia Buq. 06/06/1998 38,88 knots 71,86 km/hour
Cat-Link V Sca. 20/07/1998 2 j 20 h 09 min 41,28 knots 76,45
The two are sister ships ferries wave piercing catamarans 91 meters long with 38000 HP...

That gives a better comparison about the incredible speed of the sailing maxi multihulls.

Fact about the sponsor; Groupe Banque Populaire (Popular Bank Group) is a French group of cooperative banks (loosely explained: banks partly owned by their depositors. In the case of BP; 3,400,000 people) . The group is the union of 18 regional banks, the CASDEN Banque Populaire and the Crédit Coopératif. Cooperative bank is a notion almost unknown in Anglo-saxon countries.
It's funny -euphemism- to see "poor people" banks making sponsoring, and being heavily involved in charity while very rich speculative banks, with stratospheric payed executives are unable to sponsor even a row boat or a leg prothesis...Another conception of life...
Sorry to spoil the thread but I needed to write it down.