Solo Round-the-World Record

MACARTHUR SAYS HER RECORD WILL GO
Dame Ellen MacArthur believes her solo round-the-world record will be broken by one of two Frenchmen this winter.

Francis Joyon, 51, set sail from Brest last Friday in an attempt to regain the record taken from him by MacArthur in February 2005.

Both Joyon and his compatriot Thomas Colville, who is yet to leave, are sailing longer boats than MacArthur's B&Q, which should ensure greater speed.

"I expect one of them to break it," said the 31-year-old Briton. "I don't know how I will feel about that. I just can't say until it happens."

MacArthur set the record of 71 days 14 hours.

Joyon, the 24-hour solo speed world record holder, should beat it in his 97ft trimaran IDEC II, which is 20 feet longer than the boat MacArthur used.

Colville, who had briefly to postpone his departure on Friday from Les Sables D'Ollones, has a 15ft advantage on MacArthur's B&Q in his boat, Sodebo.

The symbolic mark for the record is 70 days.

Mark Turner, MacArthur's long-time friend and business partner, hinted she would eager to reclaim the record should it be broken.

An attempt could take place after 2010, when her company's new multi-million pound sponsorship deal with BT expires. -- full article in BBC Sport: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/sailing/7112672.stm

* "I have to carry an alarm that warns me as soon as the boat crosses the 31 knots of boat speed mark," explained Francis Joyon this morning. "And all night, the alarm has been going off regularly in the cockpit!"

The first 24 hours for the IDEC skipper has been tough to say the least - 423 miles covered at 17.72 knots average and, with all the usual reservations, theoretically 82 miles ahead of Ellen MacArthur's record. At this pace it will not take long to pass Cape Finisterre...conditions remain excellent with the Azores high established and a depression over Morocco. This provides a wide corridor of wind very well oriented for IDEC. "Now is the time to gain the maximum miles. The wind varies between 34 and 27 knots from the northeast, conditions very attractive to IDEC. The conditions ahead are very favorable, and we should continue to move quickly."

TheDailySail.com

 

Brian,

Thanks for the heads up. Great competition. The return trip "up" the Atlantic in February might be interesting. Controlling a 97' tri at 31 knots in open water, what an experience.

I have no doubt that Dame Ellen will set sail again to reclaim the record. As she has said several times, she's a competitive sailor first, responsible businessperson second.

 

Although Frenchman Francis Joyon only started on November 27, he and his 100-ft trimaran IDEC, thanks to back-to-back 500+ mile days, have put themselves 313 miles ahead of Dame Ellen MacArthur's singlehanded around-the-world record pace. During his best 24 hours, Joyon averaged 24.2 knots. If he can keep up the pace - there is the little problem of the doldrums - Joyon would pass the Barcelona World Race (doublehanded around the world) fleet, which is sailed in the latest and greatest Open 60 monohulls, later this week.

That fleet started from Barcelona 16 days before Joyon left Brest on the Atlantic coast of France. Speaking of the Barcelona World race, the only American, Jonathan McKee of Seattle, who is sailing with Spaniard Fuillermo Altadill aboard Estrella Damm, is 469 miles off the pace, seventh of nine boats. The two leaders, who have now hit the tradewinds in the Atlantic and have thus started to pull away from the pack, are PRB, with Vincent Riou (FRA)/Sébastien Josse (FRA), and Paprec-Virbac 2, with Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA)/Damian Foxall (IRE), who are 34 miles back. There are still more than 21,000 miles to go, so anything can happen.

- latitude / rs

 

...couple of photos

 

1060 miles ahead of Ellen's timings, 24.2 knots current speed, heading 131 in southerly winds of 20 knots and well south of the latitude for Cape of Good Hope http://www.trimaran-idec.com/actualite_article.asp?id=22
The map is useful

Pericles

 

JULES VERNE ATTEMPT by Groupama 3

....not a solo attempt, but a speed trip around the world by another big trimaran


GROUPAMA 3 READY FOR JULES VERNE ATTEMPT

Skippered by Franck Cammas, Groupama 3 team went on standby Thursday,
December 6th for their Jules Verne record attempt. Based in Lorient, NW
France, its home port, the 31.50 m trimaran with four records already under
its belt, will submit itself to waiting for favorable weather conditions to
begin its attempt at the record for a crewed circumnavigation around the
three capes.

Bruno Peyron, aboard the maxi-catamaran Orange 2, set the current record
March 2005, when his team sailed the course in 50 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes,
and 4 seconds at an average speed of 17.89 knots. Cammas' crew will need to
eclipse that pace for the 21,760 mile track, which begins and ends from a
line that is virtually defined between the island of Ushant and Lizard Point
lighthouse (UK), and leaves the Capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin, and the Horn to
port.The specs for Groupama 3 are:

Length, 31,50 meters
Width, 22,50 meters
Mast height, 39 meters
Mainsail surface, 356 sq meters
Solent Surface, 201 sq meters
Gennaker surface, 472 sq meters
Draft, 5,70 meters
Weight, 18 tons
Architects: Van Peteghem - Lauriot Prévost
Built by: Multiplast and Lorima
Construction beginning: December 2004
Launch: June 7th 2006
Team website: <http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en>

 

The open 60 "Hugo Boss" is in that fleet. They'll be old hands at getting passed by trimarans by now.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=k90uvFENVcY

 

575 Miles, One Day, One Man

Wow! If this is the shape of things to come then the progress of Francis Joyon and his maxi-trimaran IDEC2 through the Southern Ocean will be a fast one. Since the 22:46 sched last night IDEC2 has been averaging 24-25 knots and at the latest update she had covered 575 miles in 24 hours. If we thought 800 miles was an impressive lead over Ellen MacArthur's benchmark time on B&Q Castorama then today finds the burly Frenchman and his 97ft trimaran more than 1300 miles ahead of her!

The last 24 hours has seen IDEC 2 skirt to the north of Tristan da Cunha thereby avoiding the unusual asthma outbreak the 275 inhabitants of this remote island group have been subject to recently. Rather than getting involved with the high pressure system that has been slowing progress for the Barcelona World Race leaders, Joyon is not constrained by having to pass any ice gates and in the early hours of this morning passed the latitude of 40 degrees S, the gateway to the Southern Ocean (at around the same time he crossed the Greenwich meridian).

Typically the transition between the South Atlantic trades and the Southern Ocean can be an awkward one, but Joyon has been fortunate with his timing and has leapt from trades straight into strong northwesterlies being generated by a depression more than 1,000 miles to his southwest.

-- from TheDailySail.com

 

This morning the distance was 592 miles in 24 hours, an average of 24.7 knots. Joyon has blue skies, calm seas and Northerlies over 30 knots as he heads East at 25.6 knots. The 600 mile barrier seems set to fall!

The shortest theoretical route swings South of Kerguelen Island, but Joyon is taking Ellen's route to the North as the wind becomes Easterly and reduced in strength to 15 knots.

http://www.trimaran-idec.com/actualite_article.asp?id=48

Pericles

 

More Records

RECORD TIME FOR JOYON AT CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

Francis Joyon passed the Cape of Good Hope on Saturday and since then has IDEC has continued to fly and is threatening the solo 24 hour distance record.

IDEC passed the longitude of the Cape of Good Hope at 17:21 on Saturday, the first of the three great Capes he will pass on his voyage (the others being Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn). Francis Joyon reached the Cape 15 days, 7 hours and 16 minutes after departing from Brest on his solo round the world record in attempt - 4 days, 2 hours and 30 minutes faster than the current record holder Ellen MacArthur (GBR) (she took 19 days, 9 hours, 46 minutes). The Cape of Good Hope is 6,200 miles on a direct theoretical route from Brest, but Joyon's course had actually taken him over 7,400 miles - giving him an average speed of 20.12 knots for the first 15 days of his circumnavigation.

Not only is Joyon's time over four days faster than the current record, it is also quicker the crewed records set in 2002 and 2003 by the giant multihulls Geronimo and Orange. The only boat to have reached the Cape faster is the current holder of the Jules Verne Trophy, Orange 2, skippered by Bruno Peyron (FRA), who recorded a time of 14 days, 05 hours, 21 minutes in 2005.

Since passing the Cape of Good Hope, IDEC has continued at across the Indian Ocean at a blistering pace, posting a 24 hour run of 595.6nm at the 07:56 UTC poll his morning. The latest polling at 10:58 UTC put his 24 run at 594.7nm and current speed at 25.3 knots. With a favourable weather conditions set to continue for the next couple of days, Joyon looks set to have a genuine chance to better the current solo 24 hour distance record held by Brossard at 610.45nm, an average speed of 25.76 knots.

Although weary of the dangers of the Southern Ocean, as demonstrated by the weekend's action in the Barcelona World Race, and "extremely pleased" with the first part of his voyage, Joyon is still looking to maximize his current advantage (at the moment he's 1,703 nm ahead of the record pace).

www.trimaran-idec.com
Translation by the ISAF, sailing.org

 

Total Budget for Solo round-the-world sail

Does anyone have any idea how much Joyon is spending in this attempt? Or the cost of Ellen MacArthur's circumnavigation in 2005, including the boat, support team, and supplies?

 

Castorama cost £2million to build.

http://www.trimaran-idec.com/icm_presentation.asp probably cost more, but innovation has its price.

Pericles

 

614 NM, One Day, One Man

New World Record For Joyon

Francis Joyon onboard the IDEC trimaran has broken the singlehanded 24 hour distance record, after covering 614nm at an average speed of 25.9 knots.

The record is subject to ratification from the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC). The previous best distance was set last year at 610.45nm by Yvan Bourgnon (FRA) onboard Brossard (average speed of 25.76 knots).

Francis Joyon (FRA) initially broke the record at 01:16 UTC this morning with a distance of 611.2nm, and has extended the record at every hourly poll since. At the 06:18 UTC poll the distance was up to 614.0nm and Joyon was polled at 25.8 knots, so the French skipper may well further extend his record distance later on today.

So far Joyon's passage across the Indian Ocean has been remarkable. As he enters his 19th day at sea this morning, Joyon was 1,960nm ahead of Ellen MacArthur's (GBR) pace for the solo round the world record. He is just about to pass the Kerguelen archipelago, with Cape Leeuwin the next big marker after that. However, Joyon is expecting his incredible pace to drop off somewhat soon, as the weather changes. This at least will offer him an opportunity to try and get some rest and recuperate.

The Record To Beat

Record: Longest Distance Run in 24 Hours, Singlehanded
Yacht: Brossard
Skipper: Yvan Bourgnon (FRA)
Dates: 6-7 August 2006
Distance: 610.45 nm
Average Speed: 25.76 knots

The Record To Beat

Record: Round the World, non-stop, singlehanded
Yacht: B&Q
Skipper: Ellen MacArthur (GBR)
Dates: 28 November 2004-7 February 2005
Elapsed time: 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds
Distance: 21,760 nm
Average Speed: 12.66 knots

Trimaran IDEC - www.trimaran-idec.com
World Sailing Speed Record Council - www.sailspeedrecords.com

 

2775 miles ahead of Ellen's timings

26 days and passing South Island. http://www.trimaran-idec.com/actualite_article.asp?id=22

Imagine how Thomas Coville is feeling.
http://www.sodebo-voile.com/actu/ne...-solo-round-the-world-aboard-a-multihull.html

Pericles

 

"On Sunday, the ground team for Francis Joyon and his magnificent 97-ft trimaran IDEC were hoping to gain another day on Ellen MacArthur's previous record with B&Q Castorama from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Leeuwin," reports Javier de Muns, our man in Brittany, "and they got it. Joyon's improvement to date over MacArthur on the round the world solo attempt now stands at more than seven days.

But what's even more impressive is that Joyon also beat — by 21 minutes — the record for that stretch set by Bruno Peyron and his fully-crewed 121-ft Orange II in '05. Even the modest and even-tempered Joyon was astonished to learn that he'd set another new record. "That's really classy, isn't it?" he joked.

It's also interesting to compare the condition of MacArthur during her great record-setting run, and Joyon during his current attempt. MacArthur was, understandably, in a state of near mental and physical exhaustion for much of her trip. Joyon, despite having dramatically improved on her pace, is being described as "serene."

In fact, being only 700 miles from the Antarctic, Joyon took the opportunity to encourage the world's governments to reach an agreement to combat global warming so, among other things, the ice of the Antarctic and the wildlife living on it could be preserved.

In the big picture, Joyon is now less than 1,000 miles away from the halfway point of the course. If he covers it in two days, as is likely, he'll have covered the distance in 24 days. That means he could sail two days slower on the second half and still beat Orange II's around the world record with a crewed boat!

But Joyon's ground team is being even more cautious than they were a week ago, pointing out that Joyon's challenge is to beat MacArthur's record, not the crewed record. The reason is simple. During MacArthur's record run, she reached Cape Horn four days ahead of Joyon's old record with the previous IDEC and, due to adverse weather conditions, lost almost all of that advantage between the Horn and the equator.

On the other hand, the majority of top French multihull skippers — including Yvan Bourgnon, whose 24-hour solo record Joyon just beat — believe that what Joyon has done so far proves the potential he and his boat have.

Being human, Joyon hasn't succeeded in all his endeavors. Last Friday, for example, in light winds that slowed his average speed to just 17 knots, he said, "I'm feeling kind of weird, not seeing spray and waves constantly over my boat." Seemingly impervious to the cold, the mental stress, and the physical rigors, he decided it would be a perfect time for some recreation. So he built himself a whistle with the goal of "taming" a group of petrels flying above IDEC. Alas, the birds completely ignored him and his whistle.

courtesy of latitude / rs