IDEC in New York Before Recod Attempt (Photo by George Bekris)
The giant trimaran IDEC skippered by Francis Joyon has overturned this morning around 7:00 (HF) off the coast of New York. He had crossed the start at 00 hours, 08 minutes and 10 seconds GMT (02 hours, 08 minutes and 10 seconds HF) in his attempt against the record for crossing the North Atlantic. Francis Joyon was about twenty miles off when his multihull was taken at night in a violent burst the passage of a storm. The trimaran was then the “web time”, with three reefs in the mainsail taken and CRO in the front, is the ideal combination to manage and some 25 knots of wind blowing from the south in the area. Through the wind, a sea still calm, Joyon was facing the most perilous conditions for a multihull. A violent and sudden squall capsized suddenly has the maxi trimaran IDEC on the side.
Relief was immediately alerted. Francis Joyon is well. He is in contact with the router Jean-Yves Bernot. He will probably remain on board the boat overturned pending the arrival of a tug capable of IDEC back safely.
Francis Joyon’s own words on what happened during the night:
“I was in my seat to watch outside the boat. I began to extricate myself meteorologically disturbed area as close to American shores. I had managed to drive about 90 miles on the road in very irregular and highly unstable, with a poorly established wind direction varied between 10 and 30 knots. I went through some very intense storm episodes, marked by violent gusts but it’s at a time when I thought I extract myself from this area that I received as a true giant mushroom that has catapulted the boat on its side. I was sailing under reefed mainsail with three reefs, with the small CRO in the front. The violence of the gale was such that the bed sensor, alarm anti capsize so did not have time to go off I felt the pressure and I shocked the mainsail, then the cart in style. The wind continued to grow very violently and I felt the boat literally catapulted into the air. Within seconds, I was “on the roof.” I found myself under water, as plated in the nets. I tried to m ‘ guide to see how back in the open air. It was night and chaos. In energy, I found myself near a float. I’m not sure how I joined the forward beam and I was able to climb onto the platform. I then joined inside the boat through the flap survival.
I think Idec has not suffered too much. I have about 10 cm of water inside. I could save my mail. I got my phone from my Iridium to prevent capsizing. I have a “flash light” very powerful and I felt like the boat drift into the path of major shipping to New York, I spent the late night on the threads to report my presence to freighters. The sun rises now and what danger is. I am in contact with hourly Christophe Houdet down. I know that many people are mobilizing to find a tug. I am only fifty miles from Newport (Rhode Island). The boat seems intact and I know that the rig does not bump against the platform. The sea state is calm and air temperature quite bearable. I have something to eat. ” Once a towing vessel arrives, I will be able to dump the rig, and perhaps consider a turning operation to facilitate towing … ”
A rescue boat arrived on area to assess the situation, take part in securing the area of the capsizing, and may lend support to Francis. Patrice Lafargue, Chairman of the IDEC active all her network of contacts in real time and follows the evolution of the situation. Francis Joyon has no plans to leave his boat. Various contacts are underway with U.S. and tugs can be reasonably estimated that the recovery operation of the boat with Francis on board will be set up in the day ….
We are so sorry to hear of this news about IDEC , but very thankful that Francis was uninjured in the capsize.
Francis Joyon on IDEC in New Your prior to record attempt (Photo by George Bekris)
Today the Challenge and Adventure team had the pleasure of visiting Francis Joyon onboard IDEC. The current solo Round the World Record holder and former Transatlantic Record holder is in New York to attempt to set a new Transatlantic Record. He arrived in New York last night to make final preparations on his Maxi Trimaran IDEC. His bright red boat patiently waits at Gateway Marina to loose her lines and take him on another record breaking adventure.
It looks like it’s a green light for Joyon to leave tomorrow (Sunday) night for his Solo Transatlantic record attempt. Joyon wants to take this record back from Thomas Coville who currently holds the record that Francis Joyon owned from 2005-2008. The time to beat is 5 days 19 hours 29 minutes and 20 seconds. Joyon’s weather router-navigator, Jean-Yves Bernot, has spied a window for Sunday evening with a front moving off the East Coast of the USA to push him across the start. Joyon will leave New York and start the clock at the buoy, which recently replaced the legendary Ambrose Light Tower, a few miles off the New York Coast and finish the crossing at The Lizard.
A quiet air of confidence is displayed by the the skipper as bounces around the boat doing last minute checks of gear and stores for the crossing. He restocked some fruit and water in addition Freeze-dried food already on board. Her bottom is smooth, he dove on her this morning but he says he may dive again once more just to make sure. Francis Joyon has waited nearly 6 weeks for this window and three years for the opportunity and he is set to make the most out of it. He seems very ready and so does the boat. This new IDEC is about 20 percent faster than the older and that is a plus for shaving off time he needs to take the record.
We spoke about the first IDEC and his Atlantic record that ended with his getting the record, but loosing his beloved boat when after crossing the finish he crashed it on rocks after falling asleep delivering her home. He still misses that boat he said. Joyon said that during the crossing for the record he only had 6 hours sleep in 5 days. He will try to rest before this start he says. He finds it hard to sleep with planes flying overhead he adds. He sleeps best out to sea away from the noises of land and man.
As the current Solo Round the World Sailing Record holder he has set the bar very high for any challengers and it looks like it may be some time before he has to defend that title. But, when asked what he would do if someone did break his record. He said without hesitation he would go around again to take it back. Like I said quietly confident.
Bon Voyage Francis
.
.
.
Groupama 3 ( Photo by Yvan Zedda)
Normally, during this time of year, the tradewinds are generally nice and steady, yet it has to be said that this doesn’t appear to be the case for the competitors in the Ultimate Class competing in the Route du Rhum La Banque Postale.
Positioned 300 miles to the North of Groupama 3, Thomas Coville’s Sodebo is enjoying stronger wind from a better direction to maintain a high average speed. In this way, the skipper has been able to make up 86 miles on the leader over the past 24 hours.
Similarly, Francis Joyon, who is positioned to the East of Groupama 3, has made up 60 miles of his deficit, whilst Yann Guichard has lost around a hundred miles.
On the Atlantic race zone then, things aren’t exactly sticking to the usual routine. Variable both in terms of strength and direction, the wind is imposing a fast physical rhythm on the sailors, who not only have to keep watch for sudden surges of breeze to avoid capsizing, but also wind holes, so as they don’t lose ground on their rivals by keeping an unsuitable sail configuration up for too long.
To spice things up a bit, you have no prior warning about how long this phase will last: you think it’s going to last a good while so you manoeuvre by hoisting or reducing the sail area. Lots of physical effort is involved at that point, as well as a drop in speed as you perform the manoeuvres. If your forecast proves to be right then it’s BINGO. There you are carrying the correct sail configuration, happy with the efforts you’ve made to get where you are. Where the opposite is true, it’s hell. You’re stuck fast or forced to go up on deck to avoid the risk of capsizing.
Such is the life of the multihull skipper, who only sleeps in 20 minute chunks.
Suffice to say that as the skippers begin to tackle the sixth day at sea, just 1,338 miles from the finish, the fatigue must be seriously beginning to make its presence felt. There’s no question of easing off the pace though: you have to earn a Rhum!
Positions at 1500 hours on Friday 5th November
1/ Groupama 3 some 1,338 miles from the finish
2/ Sodebo 260.6 miles from the leader
3/ Idec 309.4 miles astern
4/ Gitana 11 some 453 miles astern
5/ La Boite à Pizza 905.2 miles astern
…
Bruno Peyron (Photo by George Bekris)
The Race: Created by the French sailor Bruno Peyron, The Race started on 31st December 2000, as a way to celebrate our arrival in the third millennium with a global ocean race. The Race was the first race around the world without limits, in other words it was open to boats without any size restrictions. The total freedom that was given to designers led to the birth of a new generation of sailboats, maxi-multihulls, now known as the G-Class.
For the first edition of The Race, the first giant multihulls ever built set out from the start in Barcelona to sail around the world via the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and the Horn) before crossing the finish line in Marseilles.
The reference time for the race was set by the New Zealander Grant Dalton aboard the maxi-catamaran Club Med, which completed the voyage in 62 days, 56 minutes and 33 seconds.
Three times holder of the Jules Verne Trophy and creator of The Race, the non-stop crewed race around the world without outside assistance and without limits, Bruno Peyron has officially announced that he has decided to relaunch The Race. After several months of studies and some careful thinking and after consulting the main potential competitors, a second edition of the race around the world for the giant G-class boats is therefore planned for 2013-2014, starting from a port in Southern Europe.
Orange II In Newport, RI (Photo by George Bekris)
Around ten giants
After talks with leading maxi-multihull G-class skippers, it transpires that out of the dozen giants that have so far been built, between eight and ten of them may be lining up for the start of The Race, and that is without counting any new boats, which may be built by then, in particular using moulds from the latest multihulls from the most recent generation.
The ultimate goal remains the same as when the first edition was launched: Bringing together “the ten fastest teams around the world.”
All lights are green
Bruno Peyron, who took some time to think about this before coming to a decision explains: “As I’ve been able to stand back and gain some perspective since I last took part in the Jules VerneTrophy, there are several things I noticed that led me to take this decision to relaunch The Race. First, since the recent America’s Cup that we have just seen, we can conclude that we French are no longer alone in the world of multihulls and that is excellent news. We are entering a new era.
We can see too that since The Race, 12 giant multihulls have been built, including four in the past three years. So today there are certainly enough boats of sufficient quality for us to propose this event relaunch to their skippers and partners, without counting any new multihulls, which may be built following on from this by 2013 or 2014.
I have noticed that some major brands have been looking at the possibilities offered by the Volvo Ocean Race, which I can fully understand, but this does indicate that there is simply no alternative international race for multihulls. And just to conclude, others around me have become aware of this and share this feeling and my discussions with the leading G-class skippers have led me to move things forward in this direction.
The new 100-foot class (of which three are already up and running and a fourth is about to be made ready) has shown what these innovative boats can do sailing around the world via the three legendary capes while budgets remain limited. So, in this respect, it is now much easier to be able to take part in The Race.
Why 2013 or 2014? To place the event in between two editions of the Volvo Ocean Race and to offer the main international challengers the possibility of taking part in the event. This time frame will enable teams to draw up their project and get things moving by attracting a group of ambitious and enthusiastic partners.”
The organising team is being formed
After talks with various agencies specialising in sports marketing, Bruno Peyron has decided to award the overall management of The Race event to Thierry Reboul. Former Head of Advertising for Air France and Head of Communications at Alcatel, Thierry Reboul was the founder of the Ubi bene agency, which specialises in promoting events.
He will in particular be in charge of organising and negotiating with the main partners and the official event sites.
A call for tender will be launched to complete the arrangements with an international team, which will be appointed as executive producers.
Comments:
Grant Dalton, Winner of The Race: “When Bruno Peyron announced he was launching The Race, with my experience of round the world sailing, it immediately interested me. Although the Jules Verne Trophy was fascinating, what really attracted me here was the idea of a real race with other boats. Thanks to Bruno’s vision, I was able to experience the finest moment of my professional career. The maxi-catamaran Club Med was the first of her kind, measuring 108 feet and able to cover more than 600 miles day after day. She was a marvel and I was privileged to be on board. The Race opened the way to more extreme sailing. It pushed back the limits and allowed us to do what had previously been thought impossible. This race remains by far the highlight of my 25 years of professional sailing. The idea of relaunching The Race will move the world of sailing another step forward.”
Pascal Bidégorry, Skipper of the maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V, holder of the North Atlantic record: “Since Banque Populaire V was built, taking part in The Race has seemed obvious to me. I experienced the first edition as a spectator and I can still remember the enthusiasm that surrounded this race. After a few years of sailing multihulls and when you are lucky enough to sail on a maxi-multihull like Banque Populaire, I can’t imagine taking part in all these record attempts without entering an event like The Race. These are fabulous boats and battling it out around the world in real time is incredible. I admire what they do in the Volvo Ocean Race, but from a race and sailing perspective, there’s nothing like The Race.”
Francis Joyon, the single-handed round the world record holder: “I think that any project, which gets our giant multihulls racing is something that needs to be looked at, particularly when the idea comes from Bruno, who has so much experience in this field.”
Lionel Lemonchois, winner of the last Route du Rhum and who was on board Team Adventure in the first edition of The Race: “It’s great to hear that Bruno is relaunching The Race. He is finally giving us an opportunity to race around the world aboard these incredible maxi-multihulls. Personally, this race led me to discover these fantastic machines and I have some great memories of it. With another challenge ahead, I hope to be there….”
