Francis Joyon on on the maxi trimaran IDEC II shatters the North Atlantic Record in an amazing  5 days, 2 hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds.  That is 16 hours, 24 minutes and 30 seconds faster than the record previously established by Thomas Coville in 2008!

Records Francis Joyon has previously broken.

2013	Record of Discovery Route 8 days 16 hours 7 minutes and 5 seconds (valid record date)
2012	24 hour record solo 666.2 miles traveled (valid record to date)
2010	2nd in the Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale
2009	Winner of the Tour of the Isle of Wight 4 hours and 24 minutes
2009	Record between France and Mauritius 26 days 4:13 minutes 29 seconds (first reference time) Winner of the Tour de Belle-Ile
2008	Record of Discovery Route 9 days 8:35 p.m. minutes 3 ​​seconds Lap record of absolute world alone 57 days 1:34 p.m. minutes and 6 seconds (valid record to date) 24 hour record solo 616.07 miles traveled (improved by Thomas Coville)
2007	Record run of the inning solo 6 hours 23 minutes and 36 seconds (valid record date)
2005	Record for crossing the Atlantic solo (New York – Lizard) 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 37 seconds 24 hour record solo 542.7 miles traveled
2004	Record of Discovery Route (Cadiz – San Salvador) alone 11 days, 3 hours, 17 minutes and 20 seconds (improved by Thomas Coville) Lap record of absolute world alone 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds (enhanced by Ellen MacArthur)
2001	Winner of the 76th Fastnet sur Eure et Loir Fastest lap of the Isle of Wight 3 hours, 10 minutes and 11 seconds
2000	Winner of the Transat Europe 1 – Newman Star sur Eure et Loir record running into 9 days, 23 hours 21 minutes
1998	Sixth of the Route du Rhum 2nd Route des Phares
1997	4th in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2nd Grand Prix Port of Fecamp 4th Race in Europe
1996	5th Multihull Championship Second Quebec-St Malo
1995	3rd Open UAP Banque Populaire 2nd in the Transat Jacques Vabre
1993	3rd Open UAP Third of the Coffee Route
1992	Third of the Coffee Route
1991	5th Open UAP on BPO
1990	10th Route du Rhum on BPO
1988	Third of the Discovery Route on JB Express

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On Saturday 16th March, Artemis Offshore Academy Mini sailor Nikki Curwen finished her first solo race of her career, the Solo Roma-Solo Race in 7th overall, out of a fleet of 15, and also finished 5th in the Series boat rankings. It was a solid start to the Mini season for Nikki, as she pursues her place in the super competitive Mini Transat later this year. Crossing the finish line of the 120 mile race at around 1300 GMT, the only British and only female competitor in the race, Nikki was pleased with her performance and with her first experience racing on the Class Mini circuit: “It was a great race with varying conditions ranging from 0-28kts throughout, so it was really testing and I learned a lot. It is very different atmosphere when racing compared to training. I was very happy with my speed on the other boats and I am looking forward to the next race in April.”

Read Nikki’s Solo Roma-Solo Race report here.

“To finish top half of the fleet in her first race on the Mini Circuit was a great result for Nikki,” commented Academy Performance Director John Thorn. “As always with the Artemis Offshore Academy’s initial races in the year, the Solo Roma-Solo Race was above all a learning experience. This race was also the first race in the Italian Mini 6.50 Championships and the second in the 2013 Class Mini calendar, and was a great opportunity for Nikki to measure herself against experienced Mini sailors. Nikki’s result was a promising start to her season and one that should help her gain confidence going into her next race.”

Setting off from Fiumicino, Rome on Friday 15th March, the original 190-mile Solo Roma-Solo Race course was shortened due to bad weather and instead ran 120 miles around the local island of Palmarola and back again. The 15 competing Mini sailors started the race downwind at 1200 GMT in around 7 knots of breeze: “Downwind starts are always interesting and it certainly took me back to my dinghy days,” Nikki recalled. “Two or three boats, me included, managed to hoist on the gun and stormed ahead.”

Read Lizzy Foreman’s start line report here.

After propelling her to way to the front of the fleet, Nikki remained within the top five leading boats for the majority of the race, until on the final approach to the finish line, she made one final decision that didn’t quite pay off: “I tacked away from Jeffery McFarlane at the latter stage of the race and he went on to win. In hindsight, he definitely made the better decision but I didn’t think there would be much wind inshore and stayed offshore. My decision resulted in me sitting in a patch of no wind for two hours just sat looking my own reflection, ten miles from the finish line. It was quite painful watching everyone else sail by, but these things happen and I’ll learn from my mistakes.

“It was a great first race, but it was a challenging race demanding the use of all three spinnakers and despite a few minor errors, I enjoyed every minute of it! My strategy for this first race was to just get around the course safely and I managed this and I am happy with my result overall.”

With her first race under her belt and 120 miles in the bank, Nikki now continues with her objective to qualify for the 4020 mile Mini Transat 6.50 starting on 13th October. In order to qualify, Nikki needs to accumulate 1000 race miles (can be double-handed and solo) as well as completing a 1000-mile solo qualifying passage, which she hopes to do at the end of this week – sailing 1300nm from Rome to Genova, Italy. On arriving in Genova, Nikki will be ready for her second scheduled race of her season, the 540-mile double-handed Gran Premio d’Italia starting on the 13th April. Nikki will race with Academy graduate, Ollie Bond, an experienced Mini Transat 6.50 competitor who finished 10th overall in 2009.

For more on the Artemis Offshore Academy Mini 6.50 race programme, click here.

The Solo Roma-Solo Race overall results:
Skipper/Nationality/Boat name/Boat no./Boat type

1. Jeffery McFarlane/FRA/Jeffery McFarlane/716/Proto
2. Andrea Frassinetti/ITA/Moitouseul/721/Nacira
3. Andrea Pendibene/ITA/Marina Militare/520/Ginto
4. Ludovic Méchin/FRA/Paris Texas/5/Proto
5. Piero Platone/ITA/Big Jim/622/Pogo 2
6. Andrea Iacopini/ITA/Umpa Lumpa/682/Pogo 2
7. Nikki Curwen/GBR/Artemis/438/Pogo 2
8. Andrea Farina/ITA/MaVie Phyto Garda/Proto
9. Luca Sabui/ITA/Keylog/538/Pogo 2
10. Davide Lusso/ITA/Monster/600/Zero
11. Tanguy Le Turquais/FRA/Terreal Reve d’Enfance/599/Pogo 2
12. Federico Cuciuc/ITA/Your Sail/556/D1
13. Emanuele Grassi/ITA/Eureka/269/Pogo 1
14. Florian Mausy/FRA/Foksaglisee/633/Pogo 2
RTR Martino Verlato/ITA/Cimbra/798/Proto

The Solo Roma-Solo Race Series results:
Skipper/Nationality/Boat name/Boat no./Boat type

1. Andrea Frassinetti/ITA/Moitouseul/721/Nacira
2. Andrea Pendibene/ITA/Marina Militare/520/Ginto
3. Piero Platone/ITA/Big Jim/622/Pogo 2
4. Andrea Iacopini/ITA/Umpa Lumpa/682/Pogo 2
5. Nikki Curwen/GBR/Artemis/438/Pogo 2
6. Luca Sabui/ITA/Keylog/538/Pogo 2
7. Davide Lusso/ITA/Monster/600/Zero
8. Tanguy Le Turquais/FRA/Terreal Reve d’Enfance/599/Pogo 2
9. Federico Cuciuc/ITA/Your Sail/556/D1
10. Emanuele Grassi/ITA/Eureka/269/Pogo 1
11. Florian Mausy/FRA/Foksaglisee/633/Pogo 2

The Solo Roma-Solo Race Proto results:
Skipper/Nationality/Boat name/Boat no./Boat type

1. Jeffery McFarlane/FRA/Jeffery McFarlane/716/Proto
2. Ludovic Méchin/FRA/Paris Texas/5/Proto
3. Andrea Farina/ITA/MaVie Phyto Garda/Proto
RTR Martino Verlato/ITA/Cimbra/798/Proto

Artemis Offshore Academy
The Artemis Offshore Academy provides a structured UK training programme of excellence for British short-handed sailors, to bring talented sailors up through the ranks with the ultimate goal being to put a British sailor in a strong position to win the Vendée Globe in 2016 or 2020 and beyond. Launched in 2010 the Artemis Offshore Academy offers an annual fully funded Scholarship to the most promising member of the Development Squad to compete on the highly competitive Figaro circuit, including the famous Solitaire du Figaro. In addition, support is also granted to a UK sailor to compete in the Mini Transat.

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668  nautical miles 1237 kilometers in 24 hours!  The new distance record in 24 hours by boat and sailing solo. The navigator Francis Joyon set a new record last night absolute speed over 24 hours,  on board his giant trimaran IDEC 29 meters, the average hourly a stunning 27.83 knots …

 

Francis Joyon had left Trinidad last Friday on-Sea, heading for the Azores in order to find the ideal conditions to address the reference time been held by Thomas Coville water with 628.5 miles set in 2008 during his second attempt against the lap record in the world, still held by Francis.

“I needed to meet ideal conditions, that I had previously found that in the Indian Ocean, with winds well established in the regular time, preferably in front of a front in order to benefit from a sea (relatively) flat … I went about 800 miles west of Cape Finisterre, on the edge of high pressure near the Azores. I left with a wind from the southwest, but I have faced from the outset an otherwise swell from the north.

I attacked back, and after a time, the swell is ordered and the wind increased to 32 knots. It was extremely dangerous. The boat was constantly on the edge. I do not Barrais. I remained standing 24 hours in my cockpit with mainsheet in one hand, and listening to Solent in the other. When the boat crashed into the wave, I shocked one or the other. But I often listen to shock all at once. No rest. Some granola bars for food only. ”

This is essentially the same words and the incredible Mr. Joyon recipe for iconic record. With peaks of 34 knots, the Marine Locmariaquer adds a new line to his many records. He had already held the record in 2004 aboard the old trimaran IDEC.

He carried this time reference to 613.5 miles (25.56 knots average) record during his World Tour victory in 2007. This is Thomas Coville, who had therefore taken the time reference in the following year by swallowing 619 miles to 25.80 knots average near Kerguelen. This same Thomas Coville on his 32 meter trimaran was then his own record to 628, 5000, to 26.2 knots in December 2008.

“I would have been very pleased to get this record, if only a handful of miles” says Francis. “But nearly 40 miles! I am very happy. My satisfaction comes mostly from the fact that I have sailed since I was little capsize last year when I attempt against the record for crossing the Atlantic. IDEC has undergone a beautiful site this winter. But the mast is the same one that broke in two during the capsize. As for sails, these are the originals, which have good 90,000 miles on the clock. Beyond the numbers, I just offer a truly magical moment. Able to operate such a machine to its full potential is extraordinary. That’s what I thought doubling cargo in showers of foam. ”

* (Under approval by the World Sailing Speed ​​Record

 

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Laura Dekker set a steady foot aboard a dock in St. Maarten on Saturday, ending a yearlong voyage aboard a sailboat named “Guppy” that apparently made her the youngest person ever to sail alone around the globe, though her trip was interrupted at several points.

Dozens of people jumped and cheered as Dekker waved, wept and then walked across the dock accompanied by her mother, father, sister and grandparents, who had greeted her at sea earlier.

Dekker arrived in St. Maarten after struggling against high seas and heavy winds on a final, 41-day leg from Cape Town, South Africa.

“There were moments where I was like, ‘What the hell am I doing out here?,’ but I never wanted to stop,” she told reporters. “It’s a dream, and I wanted to do it.”

Dekker claims she is the youngest sailor to complete a round-the-world voyage, but Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council did not verify the claim, saying they no longer recognize records for youngest sailors to discourage dangerous attempts.

 Dutch authorities tried to block Dekker’s trip, arguing she was too young to risk her life, while school officials complained she should be in a classroom.

Dekker said she was born to parents living on a boat near the coast of New Zealand and said she first sailed solo at 6 years old. At 10, she said, she began dreaming about crossing the globe. She celebrated her 16th birthday during the trip, eating doughnuts for breakfast after spending time at port with her father and friends the night before in Darwin, Australia.

The teenager covered more than 27,000 nautical miles on a trip with stops that sound like a skim through a travel magazine: the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and now, St. Maarten, from which she set out on Jan. 20, 2011.

“Her story is just amazing,” said one of Dekker’s fans, 10-year-old Jody Bell of Connecticut. “I can’t imagine someone her age going out on sea all by herself.”

Bell was in St. Maarten on a work trip with her mother, Deena Merlen, an attorney in Manhattan, who wanted to see Dekker complete her journey. The two wore T-shirts that read: “Guppy rocks my world.”

“My daughter and I have been following Laura’s story, and we think it’s amazing and inspiring,” Merlen said.

Unlike other young sailors who recently crossed the globe, Dekker repeatedly anchored at ports along the way to sleep, study and repair her 38-foot (11.5-meter) sailboat.

During her trip, she went surfing, scuba diving, cliff diving and discovered a new hobby: playing the flute, which she said in her weblog was easier to play than a guitar in bad weather.

Dekker also complained about custom clearings, boat inspections, ripped sails, heavy squalls, a wet and salty bed, a near-collision with two cargo ships and the presence of some persistent stowaways: cockroaches.

“I became good friends with my boat,” she said. “I learned a lot about myself.”

Highlights of her trip include 47 days of sailing the Indian Ocean, which left her with unsteady legs when she docked in Durban, South Africa, where she walked up and down the pier several times for practice.

While in South Africa, she also saw her first whale.

“It dove right in front of my boat and got all this water on my boat, and that wasn’t really nice,” she said.

Dekker launched her trip two months after Abby Sunderland, a 16-year-old U.S. sailor, was rescued in the middle of the Indian Ocean during a similar attempt. Jessica Watson of Australia completed a 210-day solo voyage at age 16, a few months older than Dekker.

Dekker had said she planned to move to New Zealand after her voyage, but she said Saturday that she wants to finish school first. If she goes to New Zealand, she said, she’d like to sail there.

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Solo teen sailor Jessica Watson says she’s not a hero, but just ‘‘an ordinary girl who had a dream’’.

The 16-year-old was welcomed by thousands of cheering people at the Opera House and on a flotilla of boats crowding Sydney Harbour just before 3pm this afternoon after a 210-day round-the-world voyage.

‘‘It’s completely overwhelming right now,’’ she said as thousands whistled and clapped while others chanted ‘‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie … Oi, oi, oi!’’.

‘‘There was nothing out there … and there’s absolutely everything now.’’

The harbour was turned into a spectacular reception area, as hundreds of boats crammed into the narrow waters to greet the young adventurer on her small, pink yacht.

She had left Sydney in October, sailing in sometimes difficult conditions through the Pacific, across the equator, past Cape Horn in South America, across the Atlantic, past the Cape of Good Hope, through the Indian Ocean before returning to Australian waters.

Fellow solo sailors West Australian Jesse Martin and English teen Mike Perham helped Watson take her yacht in after she crossed the finish line, as an aeroplane wrote her name ‘‘Jessica’’ in white smoke in the sky.

Fears that Watson would struggle to walk after such a long time at sea were unfounded, as she made her way up a pink carpet to the Opera House forecourt with her family, wearing a broad grin and looking none the worse for her epic voyage.

She was met by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who hailed her as “Australia’s newest hero”.

“You do our nation proud,” he said. “You are a hero for young Australians … and young Australian women.”

But Watson said she had to disagree with Mr Rudd as “I don’t consider myself a hero”.

“I’m an ordinary girl who had a dream. You just have to have a dream and set your mind to it.’’

Confident and relaxed, Watson was even able to throw in a joke or two.  ‘‘It was tough,’’ she said when asked how it felt to leave her yacht.

‘‘Stepping off was so strange, because for the last seven months, I was doing everything to stay on board,’’ she said as the crowd laughed. ‘You can achieve anything’

The Queenslander was quick to emphasise how young people – especially girls – could achieve anything ‘‘if you want it enough’’. ‘‘People don’t realise … what girls are made of,’’ she said.

‘‘When you take away those expectations, it’s amazing what you can achieve.’’

She added at a press conference later that people ‘‘just need the passion to want something bad enough and a way to make it happen’’.

Thanks to Martin Pryor for waiting hours for Jessica’s arrival to get these photos.

 

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See Video Of Jessica Here

 She’s  been at sea for seven months, but Jessica Watson’s incredible journey has just a little longer to go.

After 210 days at sea, Jessica Watson’s boat Ella’s Pink Lady is almost at Sydney Heads, where she will be greeted by thousands of people on the city’s harbour, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the NSW Premier and her family and friends.

 

 

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Tens of thousands of fans waving pink flags are expected to line Sydney Harbour’s foreshore on Saturday to welcome back round-the-world sailor Jessica Watson.

The 16-year-old’s homecoming is expected to rank among the biggest events in Sydney as the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority prepares for a huge crowd.

It has classified Watson’s arrival as a Class One event – the same rating it gives to New Year’s Eve celebrations and the Mardi Gras.

When Australian Kay Cottee, the first woman to complete a solo nonstop circumnavigation of the globe, returned to Sydney Harbour in 1988 she was greeted by a crowd of 100,000 people.

The crowd on Saturday could be even bigger, taking into account the popularity of Watson’s journey blog.

Watson is expected to complete her solo, nonstop voyage on Saturday, sailing through the official finish line at Sydney Heads about 11.30am (AEST).

One hour later, after her passport has been checked by Customs onboard her yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady, she will step on to land for the first time in almost seven months into the arms of her parents at the Opera House.

Watson’s managers are hoping Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally will also be there to welcome her.

Special event clearways will be in place in the Sydney central business district, Double Bay, Mosman and Watsons Bay from 9am to 4pm and roads may be closed by police if required.

NSW Transport Minister David Campbell said it was difficult to predict the size of Saturday’s crowd.

“It is not something that we have experience of,” he told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

“New Year’s Eve, Mardi Gras, we know what to expect … What we do know is that a lot of people are in awe of the achievement of this young woman.

“We’re planning for a very large event.”

Mr Campbell would not specify what the event was costing the state government and Events NSW, or whether Watson’s management, 5 Oceans Media, was paying some of the costs.

He said the cost to taxpayers would be evaluated “at the end of the process”.

“It’s part of governing. It’s part of providing services to our community and it’s one of the challenges that comes along from time to time,” Mr Campbell said.

The public relations company managing Saturday’s event, Janet Glover PR & Events, said it believed the recent controversy surrounding Watson’s voyage had galvanised local support for the young sailor.

Sail-world.com magazine claimed last week the teen’s route had cut corners, saying that she was more than 2000 nautical miles (about 3700 kilometres) short of a world record and has not travelled far enough north of the equator.

But Watson’s management said that wasn’t true.

“Jessica has adhered to every component of her chosen route and as of 3pm on Sunday, she had sailed a total of 22,808 nautical miles,” the teen’s project manager, Bruce Arms, wrote on Watson’s website.

In order to claim a World Sailing Speed Record Council record, a sailor must be aged over 18, must cover 21,600 nautical miles and fulfil a series of technical requirements.

Watson, who will be three days shy of her 17th birthday when she arrives in Sydney, may have not travelled far enough above the equator to meet those requirements as the record is not just about distance – it’s also about the route.

But Watson’s management said it’s a moot point as there’s no official body to recognise the under-18 sailor’s feat and, therefore, no official rules for the voyage.

Check out Jessica’s Arrival At http://www.jessicawatson.com.au/

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Jessica Watson has started her world record attempt after being bid farewell by family, friends and many spectators when she sailed out from Sydney Heads on Sunday morning.

Her spokesman Andrew Fraser said Jessica got off to a good start and many people came out in boats and lined the headland to cheer her on when she took off aboard her yacht, Ella’s Pink Lady, from the Spit in Middle Harbour.

‘There is probably about 100 boats out here (seeing her off),’ he said.

Mr Fraser said the weather conditions were good and that winds should pick up once she got past the heads.

NSW Maritime boats escorted Jessica out of the Heads.

The teenager from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and her team spent Saturday ‘fine-tuning’ their preparations and planned to get a good night’s sleep.

Mr Fraser said she was relieved and upbeat to be finally beginning her voyage, after being delayed in Sydney by gusty winds last week.

‘I said: How are you feeling?’,’ Andrew Fraser told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.

‘She said: I wake up tomorrow and sail around the world’.’

Jessica is setting off on her quest despite calls for her to abandon the voyage from the likes of the Queensland government and some of Australia’s most experienced sailors.

Concerns were heightened when her yacht collided with a 63,000-tonne cargo vessel off North Stradbroke Island during an aborted journey to Sydney last month.

But Mr Fraser dismissed the doubters.

‘Let’s have this conversation in eight months,’ he said, referring to the time Jessica is expected to take to sail around the world.

‘It (the collision) may have been a blessing in disguise, to be honest,’ Mr Fraser said.

‘I think we’ve learnt a lot from that experience, (and) Jessica has learnt a lot.’

After leaving Sydney the 16-year-old will head towards northern New Zealand, then to Fiji, Samoa, South America and South Africa, then sail the final leg of 4,000 nautical miles back to Australia.

Her route will be similar to that taken by Australian Kay Cottee, who became the first woman to sail solo, unassisted and non-stop around the world in 1988.

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