Solo Round-the-World Record

Sodebo and IDEC Streak Around the World

December 21, 2007 – Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Javier de Muns, our man in Brittany with his finger on the pulse of solo around the world racers, filed this report:

"Last Monday's weather window, with 40 to 50 knots wind, big seas, and an air temperature of 30 degrees seemed to have done the trick for Thomas Coville and his 105-ft trimaran Sodebo, as they are already in the warmer latitudes of the Canary Islands, having averaged 20 knots since the start. As it stands now, Coville is 11 hours ahead of Ellen MacArthur's current record time — and was even a few miles ahead of Francis Joyon's pace with IDEC. But light winds have slowed Sodebo, so she's now about even with where IDEC was.

Thomas Coville took advantage of a decent weather window and left France on Monday for his assault on the solo round-the-world record.

"However, it wasn't an easy start for Coville, whose trimaran was hit by lightning at dawn on his first full day at sea. The lightning strike broke the tri's wind vane wand at the top of the mast, but a circuit breaker prevented any damage to the rest of Sodebo's electric and electronic systems.

"Coville is praising the design of Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret in similar terms that Joyon has done. 'Sodebo goes through the seas exceptionally well. When the leeward float disappears in the water, it comes out without brutally accelerating. With the same sea conditions, I feel safer than in a ORMA 60 trimaran. Those designs are airborne more often, more like birds because of their daggerboards. Sodebo is more like a fish. She doesn't fight the seas, but goes right through the troughs without stopping.'

"Coville says that he's not fighting against MacArthur's or Joyon's times because they all had different weather conditions. But from what we've seen so far, Sodebo and Coville have equal potential to that of IDEC and Joyon.

"At the antipodes, sailing already in the Pacific Ocean at 54º south, Joyon continues to push IDEC so as not to be caught by a high that would slow him. Joyon plans to head south close to 57º south to dodge a high. 'The interesting thing with a fast boat such as IDEC,' he reports, 'is that you can play with the elements and situate the boat at the best place in relation with the weather system.'

"Having passed the halfway point in his record attempt, Joyon is only 27 hours behind the crewed record set by the 125-ft Orange II! But with Joyon's ground team having told him of Coville's fast start, Joyon will have additional pressure to push even harder.

"Three days ago we had the historic occasion of a man racing solo around the world in a very fast trimaran. Now we have two men who — despite Coville's words — will be fiercely racing against each other for a new record during the next weeks."

- jdm

 

'The interesting thing with a fast boat such as IDEC,' he reports, 'is that you can play with the elements and situate the boat at the best place in relation with the weather system.'

That single point justifies the essential reason for selecting a 60+ footer catamaran as a cruising boat: to outrun bad weather or be able to stay in the good weather zone. Just what Brian would advocate.

For Joyon, diving south to 57 S, according to the map on his site, will give him southwesterlies ranging from 30 to 40 knots. Could these winds also shift ice into his path?

For Coville, he should be in Joyon's locale in late January. Will Coville have to plot his course to the north of Joyon, because icebergs will have drifted further north? All speculation on my part, but it keeps the grey matter occupied. At the rate he's going, Joyon should be at Cape Horn in 6 days!

Pericles

 

Sailing Video, but in french

http://www.trimaran-idec.com/multimedia_videos_popup.asp?id=7

 

Brian,

Many thanks for the tip. IDEC looks superb and her creators have got her absolutely spot on. The way she moves through the sea; an F1 race car of the oceans. A supreme design for a single task.

Pericles

 

Early maps used for sailing around the world.

The Kangnido 1402 AD map from Korea shows Africa to almost the exact same shape as the Ming Empire Da Ming Hun Yi Tu of 1389 AD

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangnido

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2446907.stm

Zheng He's 1418/1763 AD integrated map.

http://www.1421.tv/pages/maps/1418.htm

Here are answers to criticisms of the Zheng He map by its owner Liu Gang.

http://www.1421.tv/pages/evidence/content.asp?EvidenceID=444

Astonishing achievements!

Pericles

 

Early Maps

Those are astonishing

 

The Around The World Fellows...

...courtesy ScuttlebuttEurope

Francis Joyon and IDEC2 continue their easterly surge across the Pacific section of the Southern Ocean with Cape Horn some 2,350 miles away at the latest sched, or just under five days' sailing at their present pace.

Over the weekend man and boat's progress has continued to be impressively good, around the 500 mile mark and on Friday Joyon's advantage over Ellen MacArthur's benchmark record passed 3,000 miles. In the virtual world, Ellen has since clawed back some miles... Nonetheless this still represents a six to seven day advantage over her record.

Over the course of Saturday Joyon put in a long gybe to the northeast and with the depression he has been riding having finally overtaken him, the wind has backed. Accordingly Joyon has gybed back on to starboard on a heading just south of due east, directly for Cape Horn.

-- TheDailySail.com

* Report from Thomas Coville on December 24:

Despite a far from perfect weather sequence since the start, Sodeb'O is currently sailing at 2 degrees North and is likely to pass the equator tonight, after a little over 7 days racing, that is with a day and a half's lead over Ellen and a few hours extra than Francis Joyon's record time. It has to be said that Thomas Coville has been going flat out since Ushant despite harsh conditions and that it's at the cost of some intense physical effort that he'll pass into the Southern hemisphere this Christmas Eve.

In the coming hours, Sodeb'O will hit the SE'ly tradewinds. The squalls are gradually becoming rarer even though, mid conversation with us at the start of the afternoon, a rather ominous black cloud was climbing quickly towards him. This type of cloud is typical of the doldrums and brings gusts of violent wind. They're forcing the solo sailor to stay on the look out for fear of capsize.

The underperforming weather part of the scenario will become more complicated with the obligatory rounding of the Saint Helena High, which is barring the route in the middle of the Southern Atlantic and is today preventing him from benefiting from the shortest route for joining up with the roaring forties and the big downwind conditions in the West.

www.sodebo-voile.com

* Franck Cammas and his team have gone back to Code Red after there was some hope of a Christmas Eve departure for their Jules Verne Record attempt... Sylvain Mondon, weather expert for Cammas cited poor weather conditions near the equator for the delay. With no chance of a departure for at least 5 days, the team was able to spend Christmas with their families. The team remains on standby until at least early February and expect a weather window to open in the coming weeks.

www.cammas-groupama.com

 

27 Dec GMT

Francis Joyon is this morning less than 1,000nm from Cape Horn. Joyon has been able to maintain his average at nearly 20 knots over the last 24 hours on a direct route to the Horn.

The major problem to maintain this high speed has been the sea state. As soon as the swell grows a bit and especially continually sweeps from both sides together, IDEC lengthens her stride with disconcerting ease. If these conditions could be meet, Joyon will reach the end of his tough crossing of the Pacific as soon as Saturday morning.

At 06:50 UTC - With 7,800nm to go to the finish, Joyon is now 3,164nm ahead of Ellen MacArthur's record and covering over 460nm each 24 hours.

After 33 days at sea Joyon is reporting some fatigue - 'I am only 80% of what I can do!'

Joyon has reduced sail regularly but still IDEC was sailing at 20 knots in the 45knots winds under storm jib only, and he admits that he has almost capsized in the confused seas. Handling the huge mainsail has been a strength sapping job for Joyon and it is this which has made him realise how tired he is. At one point, IDEC2 was under bare poles for eight hours.

But, he is upbeat about his situation now that he is moving away from the ice fields and looking forward to sunnier days to do some work on IDEC - 'The boat is in good condition because I repairs the small damage ...'

At 1,000 miles from Cape Horn, despite the difficult times, Joyon still finds the opportunity to appreciate the magic of the inhospitable lands crossed. One corner of blue skies, a light strongest among the grains, which swell and calms Francis resumes his dream, his unquenchable quest to Wonderland.

...courtesy SailWorld NZ

 

Look at the present positions of IDEC and Sodebo this morning with both vessels moving very slowly in the South Atlantic, Sodebo 3.6 knots heading 149 Latitude : 27 35.71' S
Longitude : 32 39.82' W and IDEC at 6.6 knots heading 7 Latitude : 55 21.48 S Longitude : 65 05.47 W

Once IDEC clears Isla de los Estados (Staten Island) and rounds the east of the Falklands (the most direct route) the winds should favour a quick passage to the Equator, passing Sodebo at Latitude 48 S. Any one else want to make a prediction?

Pericles

 

Around Cape Horn

Joyon is amazing

At 22:31 GMT last night, Francis Joyon and his 97ft trimaran IDEC 2
passed the longitude of Cape Horn, the third and final of the 'great'
Capes he has sailed past on this extraordinary singlehanded non-stop
round the world record attempt.

IDEC 2 passed the Horn 35 days 12 hours and 36 minutes after setting out
from Brest. On the shortest course this represents 14,600 nautical miles
or an average of 17.13 knots. In fact Joyon has sailed closer to 17,900
miles at an average of 21 knots...

In comparison, Ellen MacArthur, the present holder of the solo non-stop
round the world record reached the Horn in 44 days 23 hours 36 minutes.
Thus Joyon has bettered the record by 9 days, 11 hours or around 21%
faster. If Joyon is able to continue this pace up the Atlantic then
he'll be on for a 56.5 day circumnavigation and this will be faster than
every other non-stop round the world record, fully crewed or
singlehanded with the exception of Orange II's present Jules Verne
Trophy time or 50 days 16 hours.

At present Joyon's time non-stop from Brest to the Horn is the second
fastest ever. While he has managed it in 35.5 days, Orange II took 32
days 13.5 hours, while before her Cheyenne fully crewed took 39 days 16
hours in 2004 and Geronimo 40 days 16 hours in 2003. When Bruno Peyron
and the crew of Commodore Explorer set the first Jules Verne Trophy in
1993 they took 53 days 6 hours and 42 minutes to reach Cape Horn from
Brest!

Joyon also set a number of other intermediate reference times:

Cape Leeuwin-Cape Horn: 12 days, 20 hours, 58 minutes
(previously Ellen MacArthur on Castorama in 2004: 15 days, 09 hours, 31
minutes)

Record of the Pacific Ocean between the south of Tasmania and Cape Horn
(pending ratification by the WSSRC): 10 days, 14 hours and 25 minutes,
Ellen MacArthur on Castorama in 2004: 12 days, 13 hours and 39 minutes.

...courtesy the Daily Sail

 

Well, I got that very wrong in previous post. I figured IDEC and Sodebo would cross courses at 48 S, but IDEC was 46 18.18 S at 10-20 UTC and Sodebo at 36 16.35 S at 11-45 UTC 1st January. I'm going for 41 S today.

Pericles

 

IDEC 41 45.30 S at 10 30 UTC and Sodebo 41 47.95 S at 10 45 UTC.

I'm quite pleased with myself.

Sodebo is in Force 8 North Easterlies and making 25.30 knots, so is going well, but is 5 days 12 hours behind IDEC's timings.

IDEC is climbing the South Atlantic at 22 knots in 25 knot S. S. Westerlies.


Pericles

 

With less than 6000 miles to go before he finishes his solo round the world journey, Francis Joyon has the potential to take an incredible seven days from Ellen MarArthur's record, set just under two years ago.

He is on his 39th day of the journey, well into the Atlantic and heading north east, and almost 3500 miles ahead of the time set by Ellen MacArthur at this stage.

According to reports today from Joyon, he has even been able to get some rest in the last few hours, and is expecting favourable conditions in the next 24 hours.

Thomas Coville, a fellow Frenchman, who set out just 24 days after Joyon to perform the same solo circumnavigation, is ahead of MacArthur's record at his current position, but well behind Joyon.

The question is, Ellen MacArthur set out, and succeeded in breaking Joyon's previous record for the solo circumnavigation – now, unless something goes radically wrong, it seems as though Joyon will break her record. Will Ellen MacArthur try again?

To recap:

February 2004: Francis Joyon became the fastest world solo yachtsman, setting a time over 20 days faster than the previous record for a circumnavigation of 72 days 22 hours and 54 minutes and 22 seconds of covering more than 28,000 nautical miles (51,900 km) at an average speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) on the 90 foot(27.4m) trimaran IDEC. IDEC, formerly known as Sport Electric, had previously taken 71 days to win the Jules Verne Trophy. Joyon took only an extra day on his own with a boat not designed for single-handed sailing, original (over 10 year old) sails and no weather router.

February 2005: Ellen MacArthur beat Francis Joyon's existing world record for a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation. MacArthur in the trimaran B&Q/Castorama sailed 27,354 nautical miles (50,660 km) at an average speed of 15.9 knots. Her time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds beat Joyon's then world record time by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds. This record granted her a world fame never seen for a female sailor.

November 23rd 2007: Francis Joyon set off in IDEC II in an attempt to beat Ellen MacArthur's current world record for a single handed circumnavigation, and therefore putting his name at the top of the list again.

December 17th 2007: Thomas Coville set off in Sodeb'O, while Joyon's attempt is still in action, trying to obtain the same record.

by Nancy Knudsen of Sail World

 

The trimaran Sodeb' O spent this afternoon in a field of icebergs whereas nobody really expected any this latitude 48 40 S. Bergs in all the directions, marking the beginning of the long run East for Thomas and for now it's impossible to know if it is an ancient and large insulated iceberg or if there are others of them, which makes navigation rather dangerous. The skipper of the maximum trimaran was serene when we joined her a few minutes ago, she currently sails in a rather strong swell in winds of almost 30 knots average and the temperature of the water has fallen to 6 °C. Impressed but happy, he has just sent photographs and video to us. http://www.sodebo-voile.com/actu/news/157-Thomas-Coville-au-rayon-frais.html

Pericles

 

Sodebo takes 24 hour record and hits growler.

Translated from Sodebo website.

Exactly 5 minutes after having beaten the record of distance over 12 midnight and whereas it sailed with the latitude of the Kerguelen Islands, Thomas goes up on the bridge to reduce and discovers that it lost the crash landing box of the float starboard. Even if it is too early for saying if it is following a shock or not, Thomas which had seen yesterday two icebergs of several hundred meters length, noted that there were growlers - pieces of drift ice between two water - around the boat. Left avoid-shock, the crash landing box is there to avoid breaking all the boat in the event of shock and must guarantee the sealing of the float. The trimaran is currently diverted towards Capetown (South Africa) distant of 1300 miles. One imagines the disappointment of the skipper which had just beaten - with 0H45 UTC is 1H45 French hour - the 24 hour old record as a recluse. Thomas traversed 619,3 miles with the average of 25,8 n?uds. He thus beats of three miles the record held by Francis Joyon (616,03). The record is currently on standby of homologation at the WSSRC. It should be noted that Thomas beat the record at the time from his 20 2nd day of navigation, just like Francis Joyon, and in the same zone of the Indian Ocean, with which more is a rather similar diagram weather, in front of a depression.

Very disappointing for Thomas.

Pericles