Francis Joyon breaks the North Atlantic Sailing Speed Record crossing Lizard Point this morning on IDEC II (Photo © JEAN MARIE LIOT / DPPI / IDEC)

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!

Francis Joyon on IDEC II (Photo by George Bekris)

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

SAILING - NORTH ATLANTIC MULTI SOLO RECORD 2013 - CAP LIZARD (GBR) - 16/06/2013 - PHOTO JEAN-MARIE LIOT / DPPI - FRANCIS JOYON (FRA) ONBOARD IDEC BREAKIN THE SOLO-HANDED NORTH ATLANTIC RECORD

 

Francis Joyon on IDEC (Photo by JEAN MARIE LIOT / DPPI / IDEC)

Francis Joyon is back in business. Aboard his maxi trimaran IDEC, already holder of three prestigious records alone: around the world, road of discovery and Record of 24 hours – from browser has this North Atlantic chrono time in his line of sight and why not improved his timing on the Route de la découverte.

Francis Joyon and IDEC are back for a 2013 campaign that looks rich in emotions. Before thinking of the Route du Rhum 2014 – where the fight in fleet with new applicants as Lionel Lemonchois and Armel Le Cléac ‘ h will be superb and furious – Francis Joyon has for main ambition this year to delight to Thomas Coville North Atlantic Record. That is the only one of four major records currently lacking on its prestigious list.

 

Meanwhile, Thomas Coville has already left on the Route de la Découverte, between Cadiz and San El Salvador. Francis Joyon could heat up on this route (Thomas Coville the bat or not) to try to improve his own time: 9 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes and 03 seconds for 3884 miles on the direct route, time set in November 2008.

 

The only record that is missing its top!
Francis Joyon to this day the distinction of being both the solitary sailor the fastest around the world (57 days and 13 hours…) and the fastest 24-hour, with his astonishing record of the day established last summer 668 nautical miles (average time of 27.83 nodes!) is almost sixty miles more than the previous chrono…
North Atlantic Record will constitute his major objective 2013. In July 2005, Francis Joyon and IDEC had improved a day (6 days and 4 hours) the ‘old’ record of the trimaran Primagaz of Laurent Bourgnon, which dated from 1994. Three years later, in July 2008, Thomas Coville had beaten this same chrono in 5 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds, an average of 20.97 nodes. Spinning at more than 21 knots on the crossing of the Atlantic, this is so the bar for IDEC and Francis Joyon. And Francis was a great revenge to take on this course: in his attempt of 2011, maxi red trimaran capsized shortly after the departure from New York. If the case is anything but a formality

 

Paul Larsen and Sailrocket 2  blasting through another record day (Photo courtesy of Vestas Sailrocket)

Paul Larsen and Sailrocket 2 blasting through another record day (Photo courtesy of Vestas Sailrocket)

Paul Larsen and the VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Team continue to have an amazingly successful run in Walvis Bay, Namimbia. They are smashing records and opening champagne.  Read below an excerpt from Paul’s blog describing the excitement of the team as they dial in Sailrocket 2 for record breaking runs.

Challenge and Adventure’s founder Vikki Penney was a long time supporter of Paul Larsen and his Sailrocket team and we here at Challenge and Adventure know she is up there smiling happily down on you ad the rest of the team Paul.

In Paul’s own words;

“So let’s get this down here before I start forgetting stuff…
Last Saturday looked like it was going to be a strong day from the moment it popped onto the long range Windguru forecast. Amongst a bunch of fluctuating average days it barely deviated as it approached. We began to focus on it as being the day when we would go all out. Almost annoyingly, the day before piped up and blew just enough to force us to fully gear up and head towards speed-spot. We stopped just short of launching the boat. It was annoying as it was strong enough to force us to react but we really wanted to focus on the next day. You have to be reactive as for whatever reason, the next day may not deliver. Every opportunity has to be seized this year and we had already had two remarkable days on average forecasts.
That night we had dinner back at the crew house. I was about to raise a glass to the following day and the last day of living in the 50′s… but decided not to tempt fate. We had an early night.
It was already blowing from the SW in the morning. This combined with the strong forecast spoke to us that at long last, after over six weeks, we were going to get some good, old-school, industrial Walvis Bay wind.
Our focus was to smash through a 60 knot average. After our previous record runs there had been a heap of interviews and discussions about what it all represents. people doing articles on Hydroptere, Luderitz and Rob and Alex were all suddenly diverted to that ‘other team’ in Walvis Bay. Everyone wanted to know what we thought she could do. My guess was a little over 62 knots average. Although our 59.38 knot run was obviously hugely satisfying for us, I wasn’t comfortable to leave it at that. I sincerely felt that it was still within striking distance of the kiters. They could have an epic day at one of the venues and now they had all the motivation in the world to pull the stops out. I could just sense that they were buzzing like a hungry bunch of knife fighters whose leader had just been shot. They would want revenge and although they would figure they were on the offensive… we knew that the gun had plenty more bullets. Today we would spend them.
I was nervous about the potential of the day. It could all end a number of ways. There are crash scenarios for this boat that I’m pretty sure would be lethal. If the forward beam stay failed, the failure mode would be pretty worst case. A snap roll of the fuselage to leeward. Considering that it is traveeling sideways at 25 degrees and would be combined with a forward pod nose-dive… it would be violent. We had spent the previous few days pulling the boat apart and checking everything. Alex put dormant safety lines in key areas and serviced the wing. Ben had installed padding around the cockpit edging to protect my head. The crash harness and quick release was all serviced. The boat was good.
As I lay awake in bed that morning I considered writing a little note that I hoped would never be read and stashing it somewhere. Too morbid. Just get it right Larsen.
We had set all the previous records in relatively mild conditions and were yet to sail in average conditions over 26 knots. What would a boat with unlimited stability that is demostrating its ability to sail at around 2.4 X windspeed do in a 30+ knot gust?

Yeah it was going to be a big day alright. There was a sense of definite energy in the wind. I had told a few close friends that this was going to be it. If ever they wanted to see this boat do its stuff… then this was it. We made sure that our good luck team member Wally was on side. I also made sure that our friend and guru RC model plane flyer Bernt was there. He had a plane which could fly at 110kmh with a GoPro2 on it. It was going to be windy so it was going to be interesting to see what he could do with it as he was literally flying against VSR2′s apparent wind. We had more to organise than on most days. I spent the morning fitting a streamlined nose cone to the stub-beam that holds the main foil. Malcolm calculated that it could be good for 0.25 to 0.4 of a knot. That could make the difference (in a way it did). Things like that are free speed. ‘Givens’.
The wind continued to build. The forecast was playing out. I fully believed that it was going to ‘over develop’ and build to a strength beyond what we could safely handle. I also felt that this might be the first and last big day of this record attempt. I knew what I had to do today. As the day built I began to feel that we had to get out there early. It could have built too quick and left us with the horrible realisation that we missed it. With the big crew it took a lot longer to get ready. We had to send over two RIB loads of people to speed-spot. By the time it was our turn to get towed over it was already over 25 knots.

FOCUSED.

 

On the way I sat in the cockpit and pulled my cap low over my eyes. I leaned back against the new side padding that Ben had installed and just relaxed. As we entered the end of the magical mile that is speed spot I began checking the conditions out in detail. I watch the kiters and windsurfers and check out what sails they have up, how easily they waterstart etc etc. Many come past the boat as it is being towed and we swap quick expressions to discuss the wind and such. I got Alex to pull into the timing hut where I ran up and did a quick wind check. Conditions were good…. not great but worth pushing forward with. We already had gusts up to 27 but dips to 22. The direction was good and things were only going to get stronger. I felt pretty edgey. Big things happen on days like this. It was great to see so many friends over on this normally desolate landscape. Close friends who knew what all this meant to us. Malcolm and george were here. Malcolm has never seen either boat go over 50 knots yet! He would have front row seats to see something special today.

FRONT ROW SEAT FOR MALCOLM AS VSR2 HEADS UP THE COURSE.

 

I ran back down to the boat and we quickly took it up to the top of the course. I had a quick chat to the boys to remind them to stay cool if it goes wrong. They would be a long way behind and would arrive well after the crash. I could be anywhere as they approach and in any shape. I don’t wear a life jacket as I don’t want to be stuck inside an upturned hull. Maybe I should. If my drysuit gets torn then it could be a bad thing. I drifted out of the upturned cockpit of VSR1 unconscious once. I’m still not sure how. I sit much deeper in this boat. I reminded them once more of the harness I was wearing and its mechanism… but mostly just to stay calm and turn off any emotion. No drama, just cool heads. I was nervous but in an excited way. I knew what I had to do and I also believed that I was about to have the ride of my life.
The wing went up cleanly and all the little rigging extras were removed. We had a clean ship. Everything was good. I had removed all the comms. to Alex i.e. ripped them off my helmet and thrown them in the piss after getting lost in the French language menu whilst trying to connect! Hand signals work. The release from the RIB went pretty well and I don’t remember too many issues with getting over the initial ‘hump’.

The run was pretty good. It was definitely fast although it is amazing how quickly you become accustomed to the speed. The leeward pod was flying high and I couldn’t get it down as the adjustment was at its limits. It was a good run… but not a great run. When the RIB pulled alongside and escorted me into the beach I quickly lifted the rear hatch and checked the numbers… 63.17 peak and 58. 4 something average. No good. I tried to radio the group of people making the long walk down and tell them not to bother as we were going to turn around and make another run ASAP. The radios weren’t working for some reason. More electronics had bitten the dust. Only the ICOM M-71 radios seem to handle it out there (no we aren’t sponsored… that’s how it is). Ben came down to film and I was pretty sharp with them for not monitoring the radio. ‘Breathe it out and turn it off’ Lars… calm down, make everyone feel cool and move on. This was not the run we wanted… but it did serve to remove any nerves we might have had. VSR2 had sailed beautifully and was handling the day easily. I was confident I could sail her full noise. We were into the day now and focused on simply getting it right. We returned to the top of the course and got set up for Run 2. This one did not start so well. It was messy. The leeward float sunk and the wing extension dug into a wave. I need to fully stall the craft in order to get it to bear away from the wind. I oversheet the wing to windward to force this. Sort of like backwinding a head sail or pulling the mainsheet traveller fully to windward. In this full stalled state the boat rolls hard to leeward like a conventional craft. In strong conditions and the larger waves that accompany them… this becomes a problem. I managed to pop the leeward float up by sheeting the wing out and getting the flow attached, the trouble with this is that it rounds the boat up towards the wind as the drive vector point way aft of the main foil. I had full left lock dialled on with the small rudder in order to stop us going head to wind. This is one of VSR2′s weak points at low speed. She continued to slowly turn into the wind and I sheeted the wing back in to try and prevent it. The boat accelerated onto the plane in this state. She continued to pick up speed heading at a tight angle towards the beach. The rudder was on full lock for a bear away which meant it was fully stalled and hence fully side ventilated. I sheeted on harder to help it come away but it wasn’t happening fast enough. The beach was close and the only thing to do was to ease the wing a little and dial the rudder quickly straight to get flow attached. This had the initial effect of turning us back in towards the beach. we were probably doing around 30-35 knots. The flow attached but we were getting into shallow water. I was strangely calm about it. I sheeted in again and turned hard away down the beach. The turn was too quick and the apparent wind struggled to come around with me i.e. I did not really accelerate into the turn down wind. The wing stalled. I checked the swirling leeward tell-tales. VSR2 began to de-accelerate so I eased the wing again to attach flow. I also turned her a little more in towards the beach. She slowly got hooked in and then BAM… she was off again.

She accelerated straight up to over 61 knots but I knew it was a dud run. Only 54. something average. Everyone commented about how close in I had come at the start. On reflection it was a bit marginal but on the other hand also a sign that I was comfortable with handling the boat in tight situations.
Now I was bloody minded and set to take from this day what we had come for.
We went back up for Run 3. Ben and Alex were their usual fast and efficient selves. The three of us can basically rig and run this boat. Wally was holding the bow and ready to be an extra set of hands if we needed them.
The day felt stronger. I called Helena on the now returned comms and got another wind check. She assured me that the peak gust was still only 31 knots but that the wind was now pegged pretty solid in the middle high 20′s. She called out a long string of numbers off the TACKTICK weather station, 27, 28, 28, 28 , 29, 29 , 29, 28, 28, 27, 28 etc. This was it. The course looked great and things were perfect. I didn’t want to have to do another run.
The release from the RIB was the worst yet. VSR2 stuffed the leeward wing in hard. The whole thing was out of sight underwater. The leeward pod was well under and even the beam end was in the water. I waited for something to break.

 

THE LEEWARD SIDE OF THE BOAT IS WAY DOWN HERE AND I’M SERIOUSLY CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE BLOWN IT. WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO BREAK. IT DIDN’T.”

For more information on Paul Larsen and Sailrocket 2 click HERE

See Video of Paul smashing the record HERE

 

..

.

60 Plus run 2 (Photo courtesy of VESTAS Sailrocket 2)

60 Plus run 2 (Photo courtesy of VESTAS Sailrocket 2)

Paul Larsen and the VESTAS Sailrocket 2 Team have pulled off the the amazing.  On Saturday in Walvis Bay, Namibia they broke their own record.

He is an excerpt from Paul’s blog in his own words and photos the team reaction.

 

Fresh off the TRIMBLE… 68.01 over 1 second, 65.45 over 500 meters.

I’ll let the pictures tell the story. The triple rum and cokes are already hitting the mark.

MALCOLM AND GEORGE WATCHING THE BEAST DO ITS STUFF.

POD HIGH AND SMOKING…60+ RUN 2

BERNT WITH HIS GOPRO PLANE. THE FOOTAGE IS AMAZING. THIS GUY HAS SKILLS. BLOODY WELL DONE IN 30 KNOTS OF WIND.

I SAVED THE BIG REVEAL UNTIL I GOT THE BOAT BACK UP TO THE TIMING HUT. WALKING BACK UP WITH THE NUMBERS AND MALC.

I WROTE THE NUMBERS BACKWARDS IN THE SAND. THIS WAS THE MOMENT.

MALCOLM AND I. WE STARTED THIS GIG 11 YEARS EARLIER.

YEAH… PRETTY HAPPY WITH THAT.

GEORGIE BOY IS PRETTY HAPPY TOO.

SELF EXPLANATORY REALLY…

 

BRINGING THE BEAST BACK HOME IN ONE PIECE.

 

We are absolutely over the moon with todays performance. I’ll leave it at that. Tomorrow is already written off. So cool, so damned cool.

THANKYOU VESTAS FOR BACKING US ALL THE WAY.

That’s it. Job done!”

 

A job very well done! Congratulations to Paul Larsen and the VESTAS Sailrocket team for once again stretching the envelope.

Vlad with SpeedDream 27 at Newport Shipyard (Photo by George Bekris)

Vlad Murnikov and the SpeedDream Team showcased the new Lyman-Morse built  SpeedDream 27 in Newport yesterday.  A big first step to Vlad seeing his dream of designing world’s fastest monohull has  come to fruition in the first carbon fiber working version of his radical hull design.

They took a break from their in-the-water testing to bring the boat to Newport Shipyard for a look see by the local sailing community.  What was to be a one off prototype is now going to be a new boat class for those who crave speed.

 

SpeedDream by George Bekris

SpeedDream 27 (Photo by George Bekris)

The SpeedDream27 is one of the most advanced and innovative yacht design concepts in sailing today.

Some of the main characteristics of the boat are:

1. A delta-shaped hull, almost triangular in plan view, with a very narrow,
wave-piercing bow to reduce resistance and improve seaworthiness.

2. A moderately wide beam for enhanced planing ability at high speeds.

3. Reduced hull volume and buoyancy to lower drag and save weight.

4. Very high stability and sail carrying capacity due to an innovative
Flying Keel that ultimately comes out of the water to provide maximum
righting moment while completely eliminating drag.

5. The use of a telescoping keel that retracts to reduce draft while in
harbor, and extends while sailing to maximize righting moment
and sail carrying capability.

6. An innovative Stepped Hull that separates speed robbing drag into
two smaller regions.

7. The resulting stability is far superior to current keel boats while
requiring only fraction of the ballast thereby significantly reducing
the total boat displacement.

8. The use of high-aspect, high-performance
sails that allow SpeedDream27 to sail at very close wind angles and
through a broad range of wind conditions.

 

Stern view of SpeedDream by George Bekris

Stern view of SpeedDream (Photo by George Bekris)

.

Bow of SpeedDream (Photo by George Bekris)

Keel of SpeedDream 27 by George Bekris

The keel  mechanism is push button controlled from the helmsman’s station and allows minor adjustments to the keel angle as well as a single button push for a complete side-to-side cant through a tack or gybe.

Brian Hancock and SpeedDream 27 by George Bekris

Brian Hancock and SpeedDream 27 (Photo by George Bekris)

 

For more information on the SpeedDream 27 Design go to:  SpeedDream.org

 

 

SpeedDream ready to go (Photo by George Bekris)

Banque Populaire V Crew 2012 Jules Verne Trophy Winners (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Banque Populaire V Crew 2012 Jules Verne Trophy Winners (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

The fourteen sailors aboard the Maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V just entered history of offshore racing by becoming the fastest men around the globe with crew, after 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds of sailing*. Loïck Peyron and his crew improved the reference time of the Jules Verne Trophy held by Groupama 3 since March 2010 by 2 days 18 hours 1 minute and 59 seconds.
Historical record for Banque Populaire !

Departed on November 22nd at 09:31:42 Paris time (08:31:42 GMT), after having crossed the imaginary line between Ushant (Finistère-France) and Lizard Point (southern tip of England), the Maxi Banque Populaire V crossed the finish line of the Jules Verne Trophy at 23:14:35 Paris time (22:14:35  GMT) this Friday. She undertook this sailing around the world in 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds days at an average speed of 26.51 knots, covering a total distance of 29 002 miles.

Launched in August 2008 in Lorient (Morbihan-France),the giant trimaran holding the colours of Banque Populaire has also established several referenced time on various partials officially listed by the WSSRC for her first world tour:

Equator / Equator record in 32 days, 11 hours, 51 minutes and 30 seconds

Indian Ocean crossing record (Cape Agulhas / South of Tasmania) in 8 days 7 hours 22 minutes and 15 seconds

Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire V ( Photo © B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire V ( Photo © B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

Under the leadership of the skipper Loïck Peyron, Thierry Chabagny, Florent Chastel, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, Kevin Escoffier, Emmanuel Le Borgne, Frédéric Le Peutrec, Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, Ronan Lucas, Pierre-Yves Moreau, Yvan Ravussin, Xavier Revil, Brian Thompson, Juan Vila and onshore router Marcel van Triest, are the new holders of the Jules Verne Trophy*.

Loïck Peyron, skipper of the Maxi Banque Populaire V : The feeling from the guys onboard : Emotion and Happiness ! We have filled a good part of the contract! We will now appreciate our victory between us and will return in Brest tomorrow morning to share this beautiful story with everyone. Our memories are full of wonderful images: the departure, icebergs, albatrosses, the Kerguelen Islands… When you sail around the world in 45 days, you see many things. The only one we did not get is Cape Horn but this frustration is quickly forgotten with the record we now have in hands. We are very proud !

Brian Thompson :  “Everyone is really excited on board and we are looking forward to seeing everybody tomorrow morning. This has been an incredible trip around the planet, almost a dream ride. And that is because of the quality of the boat, of the preparation and most of all to the incredible crew on board. I am very fortunate to have sailed with Loïck, the best all round multihull sailor there is, and the rest of the team that are so talented, industrious, dedicated, fun and welcoming to an English guy with schoolboy French! It feels absolutely fantastic. At the same time, to become the first Briton to sail around the world non-stop 4 times, is just amazing and feels very special”

Banque Populaire V Crew Celebrate Winning The Jules Verne Trophee (Photo curtesy of BPCE)

Banque Populaire V Crew Celebrate Winning The Jules Verne Trophee (Photo curtesy of BPCE)

JULES VERNE TROPHY

Start date and time : November 22nd 2011 at 09:31:42 Paris time (08:31:42 GMT)
Arrival date and time at Ushant: January 6th 2012 at 23:14:35 Paris time (22:14:35  GMT)
Distance: 29 002 miles
Average speed : 26.51 knots
New reference time on the Jules Verne Trophy* : 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds
Time difference with Groupama 3’s record in 2010: 2 days 18 hours 1 minute and 59 seconds
* Under the WSSRC approval (World Sailing Speed ??Record Council).

Loïck Peyron and his crew are expected at the Marina du Château, quai Jean-Francois La Perouse in Brest (France) at around 10:30am this Saturday, January 7th.

Banque Populaire Equator (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Banque Populaire Equator (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Banque Populaire Crew celebrate breaking the equator to equator record (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Banque Populaire Crew celebrate breaking the equator to equator record (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Since 12 :17 :30 (French time) this Friday, Loïck Peyron and his men are back in the Northern Hemisphere, 38 days 2 hours 45 minutes and 48 seconds * after leaving Ushant. With this outstanding performance, the Maxi Banque Populaire V not only writes a new distinction to his logbook, but also improves the partial Equator to Equator with a lead of 3 days 18 hours 24 minutes over Groupama 3 in 2010 but above all, faster than any other sailing boat on this race. A good sign for the fourteen sailors entering their final week at sea.
With this new partial shattered, the Maxi Banque Populaire V carries on falling records on her attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy. 32 days 11 hours 51 minutes and 30 seconds * after entering the southern hemisphere, the fourteen record’s hunters shattered the time set in 2005 by Bruno Peyron aboard Orange II, improving it by more than one day. Still enjoying mild conditions, the crew of the Maxi Banque Populaire V, by the voice of his skipper, savors the moment of the crossing: “We crossed the equator at high speed. We are sailing at 35 knots, on a sea almost flat, it’s really fun !  The boat does not suffer, and men even less. Everyone is excited, especially the fresh Cape Horners. Hello northern hemisphere, that’s not bad at all this record! It will now be increasingly difficult to beat it but still feasible and that’s the good news …”. A natural enthusiasm shared by Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, helmsman / trimmer on board, who joined today’s radio vacation :  “We are in the northern hemisphere for a few minutes and it already seems like being on our usual playground. It’s been thirty-two days since we left the Northern Hemisphere, which roughly accounts for three quarters of the time in the South and one quarter in the North. It brings us closer to home, which is good. The sailing conditions are beautiful, the sea is completely flat and it is almost straight on the road. There are very little squalls, the nights are quiet, starry … we really encounter exceptional conditions and we could not ask for more, including the boat. The weather conditions enable us to break the record but our anxiety is coming from the technique. We have sailed 20,000 miles without making any pit stop, we must keep the equipment in good shape.”

 

Loick Peyron smiles as Banque Populaire crosses the equator setting a new record (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Loick Peyron smiles as Banque Populaire crosses the equator setting a new record (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

For Brian Thompson, this passage to the North was even more particular: “I was lucky enough to be on the helm doing 35 knots as we counted down 0.02S, 0.01S, 0.01N!! The 3rd small bottle of Champagne we have carried was opened, and some of the bubbly nectar is first given to Neptune, to thank him for a safe passage through the Southern Seas..Then comes the saucisson and the Toblerone, all being shared between the crew and that God of the Sea.”
24,063 miles already in the wake

This return in the North is not the finish line and on board, we specifically know that even after 24 063 miles undergone smoothly, nothing is settled yet. Vigilance is still more than ever a must, as the final conditions for the final stretch ahead appears nicely. With a lead of 1 432 miles and three days advance on Groupama 3 around the same time, a certain serenity sets in, especially as the inter-tropical convergence zone is seen as particularly friendly as recalled Thierry Duprey du Vorsent “The Doldrums are not very active, and thanks to our western position, it should be easy to get through. This will be one of the first times I pass them without a transition zone of dead calm on a single board. Again, we are lucky. We will have to get dressed again in two or three days and get the fleeces and foul weather gears out again. But we will accept it more easily as the finish line won’t be far !”
A fighter named Banque Populaire V

With an average of 26.31 knots since leaving Ushant on November 21st, Loïck Peyron and his men have significantly reduced the time and distance, leaving their fans admiring. Rarely a boat will have scrolled through that amount of miles and still demonstrating such reliability. Qualities that the skipper did not fail to mention this afternoon: “Last night, around 6pm, we were off the coast of Recife in Brazil while we were still off Cape Horn less than a week ago. The Maxi Banque Populaire V is a unique fighter on the planet. We should return to Brest in a week and oddly, it promises to be the most week-long of this round the world course.” But before seeing the end of this last week, the fourteen men still have to compose with the North Atlantic sea before entering the great history of offshore sailing.

* subject to approval and ratification by the WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Record Council)

Maxi Banque Populaire V crew

Hors quart
Loïck Peyron Skipper
Juan Vila Navigateur, Responsable électronique et informatique

Quart n°1
Yvan Ravussin Chef de quart, responsable composite
Brian Thompson Barreur/ Régleur
Pierre Yves Moreau Régleur, Responsable mécanique et hydraulique
Thierry Chabagny N°1/ Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable accastillage et voiles

Quart n°2
Frédéric Le Peutrec Chef de quart
Emmanuel Le Borgne Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable médical
Thierry Duprey Du Vorsent Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable mécanique
Ronan Lucas N°1/ Régleur, Responsable sécurité

Quart n°3
Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant Chef de Quart, responsable voile
Kevin Escoffier Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable vidéo et structure
Xavier Revil Barreur/ Régleur, Responsable avitaillement à bord
Florent Chastel N°1/ Régleur, Responsable médical

Marcel Van Triest Routeur à terre

To follow Maxi Banque Populaire V’s Trophy

Cliquez ici pour visionner la projection sphérique de la cartographie

Cliquez ici pour visionner la cartographie  (mises à jour toutes les heures) 

 

The record figures

Reference time of the Jules Verne Trophy
Groupama 3 (Franck Cammas) – 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds

Record to beat
To become the new record holder, the Maxi Banque Populaire V has to be back no later than Monday, January 9th 2012 at 16:15:34 GMT.

Lead / Delay at 4pm
1436.2 miles lead on the reference time

Sailing time since departure :
38 days 07 hours 47 minutes 26 seconds or 3 days 18 hours 24 minutes less than Groupama 3 in 2010.

 

Maxi Banque Populaire V’s table hunting on her record attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy

Distance Ushant-Equator:  crossed on the 28/11/2011 at 00:26:52 am, French time.
In 5d 14h 55mn 10s of navigation, Loïck Peyron and his 13 teammates realize the fastest time on the distance from Ushant.

Distance Ouessant-Equateur 
: le 28/11/2011 à 00h 26mn 52 sec, heure française. 
En 5j 14h 55mn 10s de navigation, Loïck Peyron et ses 13 équipiers réalisent le meilleur temps sur la distance depuis Ouessant.

Distance Ushant – Cape of Good Hope:  crossed on the 4/12/20 at 07:20 am, French time.
In 11 days 21 hours 48 minutes and 18 seconds, Loïck Peyron and his 13 teammates realize the fastest time over the distance established between Ushant and Cape of Good Hope, until then hold by Groupama 3 in 2008 in 13 days 06 hours 1 minute.

In 2010, Groupama took 14 days 13 hours 31 minutes and 43 seconds to reach the Cape of Good Hope, Banque Populaire V thus improves this time of 2 days 15 hours 43 minutes and 25 seconds.

Ushant – Cape Leeuwin: crossed on the 10/12/2011 at 9:29 am, French time.
In 17 days 23 hours 57 minutes and 18 seconds, Loïck Peyron and his 13 teammates realize the record for the distance established between Ushant and Cape Leeuwin, which was previously of 21 days 14 hours and 43 seconds in 2008 hold by Groupama on her first attempt.

In 2010, Groupama took 21 days 14 hours 21 minutes and 54 seconds to reach the Cape Leeuwin

Ushant – Cape Horn: crossed on the 23/12/2011 at 7:50:30, French time
The Maxi Banque Populaire V took 30 days, 22 hours, 18 minutes, 48 ​​seconds since crossing the start line off Ushant to achieve this transition, a lead of more than one day on the reference time on the Jules Verne Trophy.

Pacific crossing time of the Maxi Banque Populaire V: 10 days 15 hours 7 minutes 15 seconds, or 1 day 20 hours 59 minutes 15 seconds longer than Orange II, who holds the record of this stretch in 8 days 18 hours 8 minutes.

Banque Populaire V enters the North Atlantic (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Banque Populaire V enters the North Atlantic (Photo courtesy of BPCE)

Banque Populaire Mediterranean Record (Photo by B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

Banque Populaire Mediterranean Record (Photo by B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

 

The maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V has set a new TransMed record from Marseille to Carthage, Tunisia taking 2 hours 47 minutes and 47 seconds off Groupama 3′s previous record.

The new record time is now 14 hours 20 minutes and 34 seconds, subject to confirmation by the WSSRC.

The 40m trimaran sailed from Marseille at 03:56:56 GMT Saturday morning and finished at Carthage, Tunisa at 18:17:30 GMT for an average speed of 33.24 knots over the 477 mile course. She hit a peak speed of 43.1 knots.

Banque Populaire Crew (Photo by B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

Banque Populaire Crew (Photo by B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

Subject to ratification of the WSSRC

Banque Populaire (Photo by B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

Banque Populaire (Photo by B.STICHELBAUT/BPCE)

Cheer with the crew of the record of the Mediterranean

Pascal Bidégorry – skipper
Thierry Chabagny – coxswain/ruler
Florent Chastel – number one
Kévin Escoffier – coxswain/ruler
Emmanuel the One-eyed one – coxswain/ruler
Ewen Clech – number one
Jean-Baptiste the Valiant one – coxswain/ruler
Ronan Lucas – number one
Pierre-Yves Moreau – ruler/number one
Yvan Ravussin – coxswain/ruler
Xavier Revil – coxswain
Erwan Tabarly – coxswain

Marcel Van Triest – router with ground