Jules Verne Trophy

Have followed over last 39 days silently the record attempts of IDEC and Spindrift... and today it seems for both the chances to make it successfully are gone as there are just 5 days left to beat the existing record.

As latest news from IDEC today makes it clear they focus on beating the old record of own boat (citiation):

Spindrift has crossed yesterday at 18 pm 33 ' CET (French time) the equator now sailing in the Northern Hemisphere again. Actually the giant is sailing with 29 knots and 399 nm behind the record holder after sailing 40 days and 9 hours. That means to break the record would needed it to sail with 2 knots higher speed (a plus of ~ 7-8%) compared to Loick Peyron's Bank Populair. This performance seems impossible to guarantee in the remaining 11% of time as there are still some "calmer zones" of higher pressure to sail through.

Anyhow the battles of these two trimarans and their very different concepts will end, it seems both teams still have lots of fun on board at the beginning of the new year (see New Year greetings attached)...

 

Well, as i said before, if they would push their luck and try the hard and stony way against the wind there would be a small chance of beating Spindrift and/or BPV - it is a large detour to the west of the high pressure area... .

 

I suppose both teams can follow different strategies given by the sponsors.

IDEC is a yacht sponsor the skipper and his crew have to fulfill some duties against the marketing CEO, IDEC's product managers and corporate brand targets... while Spindrift has its racing team owner and investor on board. Dona can afford a very different damage level going higher risks as its just a "pleasure project" for satisfying her "personal greatest challenge of life"... beside her social-educational activities she is targeting at with the project (e.g. Spindrift for Schools - http://www.spindrift-racing.com/content/spindrift-schools ).

Who knows... we never will get the details what benchmarks are set (and have been set) behind the closed curtains in the meeting rooms before the start of the race.

Under the aspect of media dramaturgy it would be better that both teams would fail now just coming very closely so Loick Peyron's record can be hunted next years with newly built Trimarans of Ultim Class.

The formula is simple with the given status-quo: More longer the old record exists, more exiting and challenging for new competitors to break it.

One lesson we already learnt from the last 40 days: Maximum Size (of boat and crew) doesn't really matter. Its the total mix of a well balanced boat + rig design and intelligent decisions for weather routing, with the capability of risk taking and some talents of improvisation.

Personally I like to say: Most important for the future of sailing is that both Tris will arrive safely next week. - Lets hope for coming few days that no bigger structural damage or collision with drifting container/wale stops one of them. - It might encourage new sponsors to invest in such kind of global challenges. In times of financial crisis a very relevant aspect for the future of offshore long distance racing.

Both teams deserve it to reach the finish line and overhand their newly experiences and knowledge to future projects.

 

Well said!
I think regarding speed a limit for non foiling boats has been reached and the safe speed, without accumulating structural damage over the time of such a challenge, is about the 30 knots mark. Each boat able to sustain this speed in relative comfort for the crew is a potential record breaker for the Trophy.
The success of the attempt is mainly a question of luck with the weather routing as the progress of the actual competitors show clearly.

 

Looking at the weather situation I think it's still possible for Spindrift 2 to break the record however it's unlikely that IDEC will. It really depends whether the weather situation holds in the North Atlantic long enough in the current pattern. They may be able to take a considerable shortcut on Banque Populaire V's more northerly route.

 

Yes, judging from the rate Spindrift is making good on BPV, they may have the chance of winning the Trophy even with a similar routing.
For Idec IMHO the only chance for this is an all or nothing approach with going straight north and betting on the diminishing of the high at the Canary Islands. If the forecasts are right, there would be a low wind region of about 300 nm to cope with, but the more direct route to the finish could pay off.

 

Keeping always positive.... hm ? Fighting till the last breath... the tension on board must be highly now.

2633 nm in 93 hours to sail = 28.32 knots as average speed... sounds very crazy with the current speed of 28.5 knots Spindrift is monitored. Just 0.63% in reserves, less than 1%.

As France Meteo predicts the low wind zone around 30° Lat N which is crawling and expanding over next 12-24 hours steadily to West (see attachment where I have marked as "red zone" the forecast next 24 hours). That area might become the trap to fall under this minimum speed of 28.32 kn as Spindrift cant circle around.

Let see... it seems mainly in the hands of Neptun and "weather god"

 

The "calm wind zone" (see orange area in the attachment with wind speeds of only 4-8 knots) has moved faster to West over last 9 hours than expected... the average speed already has fallen more than 10% from 28kn to 25kn and the distance behind the record holder Bank Populair increased from -150 to -250 nm.

As the predition of France Meteo for next 12 hours shows Spindrift latest on Sunday evening has to sail through a distance of ~180-240 nm (3-4°) with low winds.

 

Since both contestants clearly opted for the west around the high the only chance I see is to gain way over BPV in squeezing between the Canary high and the developing Middle Atlantic High and heading east to the Azores. From there, the direct route to the finish should be possible... .
But I think, they will stay conservative, double the route BPV took and arrive with about the same gaps as today.

 

The team on Spindrift2 has conceded they wont improve the record and are now sailing conservatively on their return to base.

http://www.sail-world.com/Jules-Ver...t-2-runs-out-of-time-with-storms-ahead/141275

 

Game over....

Corley, for me that sounds like the boat might have bigger damages than they communicated in the past as IDEC is still trying to set at least a new speed record.

Spindrift officially gave up this Sunday morning (Source: http://www.spindrift-racing.com/jules-verne/drupal/en/log-book/jour-43-en )

Further stated by the skipper...

They want bring back home the boat in one piece...

Insteaad IDEC still seems very ambitiously looking for its chance to set the 3rd speed record during this circumnavigation as stated this morning (Source: http://www.idecsport-sailing.com/the-gap-widens-again/?lang=en&lang-eng ):

I must say, IDEC is doing a good PR job. I like their news services under the aspect, that they use a "normal language" which can be understood by non-sailors, too. They do it in a kind of "short story telling". Helpfully to attract such a record attempt to people who arent deeply involved into offshore sailing.

The complexe techie nerd oriented web site of Spindrift by sure has some good intentions with all the datas they are delivering, maybe its over ambitiously filled with too many details a non sailor might have been lost too quickly over last 44 days... and still is missing some little details. E.g. the Cartography on IDEC's website delivers easily weather datas and geographical position (longitude/latitude) just by "mouse over" which gives a quicker orientation about the weather conditions on every coordinate. I havent found such feature on Spindrift's website. I suppose it requires to overlay it with "google earth" I am too lazy to install on the computer.

 

After the Record attempt is before the record attempt...

Lucky man this Yann Guichard. Not the worst to have a billionair on board who lets him state such future perspective already today before the arrival in couple of days:

(Source: http://www.spindrift-racing.com/jules-verne/drupal/en/log-book/jour-43-en )

Not many of the sailing legionnairs doing their paid jobs on board of such extra ordinary racing mashines around the globe can have the guarantee for a safely future to earn bread and butter feeding a family at home. Most of them jump from regatta to regatta living on the edge of poorness not knowing where they will be hired for a racing job in couple of months. Under this aspect, its good to know that some few racing teams, e.g. Gitana follow strategies which are setup for at least 1/2 decade the team members can work quietly on progressing and optimizing new mashines from year to year.

Will Spindrift 2 be used again for the next JVT attempt or will Dona and her team decide soon to let design and build a new Ultim Trimaran ?????

 

Dancing the last Walz...

Great sportsmanship comes suddenly to a stop after 42 days. It is really sad to notice the disappointment on board of SD2 having lost the record attempt... predicting that they will loose in totally ~1,000 nm distance to the record holder because of the extending Azores high pressure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SiMEcqyZsk

 

Well, Idec can't go into cruising mode - they have only food for 45 days on board (at least was this the information given in one of their videos...) and so their stomachs will push them to the finish line... .
I think, they will circle the high on a narrow line and try to stay on the border of the violent depression north of them. Maybe they head to the Azores... .

 

haha... difficult to catch a fish at that speed for filling their stomachs. Only some few have the speed power, e.g. Mako Shark, Marlin and Tuna can go faster than 30 knots