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.

 

 

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Maxi Banque Populaire, the French 140 foot trimaran skippered by Loick Peyron, set a new outright multihull race record for the Rolex Fastnet Race when she reached Plymouth this evening at 19:48:46, for an elapsed time of 1 day, 8 hours, 48 minutes (32 hrs, 48 mins), and an average speed around the course of 18.5 knots.

In the process, skipper Loick Peyron broke the race record of 1 day, 16 hours, 27 minutes he previously set in 1999 aboard his 60 foot trimaran Fujcolor in 1999.

Banque Populaire holds the world record for the most number of miles covered by a sailing boat in one day – 908.2 miles, roughly one and a half times the length of the Rolex Fastnet Race.

 

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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

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It was 11:06:58pm last Friday when the Maxi Banque Populaire V finished the Tour of the British Isles, bringing to 3 days 3 hours 49 minutes and 14 seconds the reference time held until then by Sidney Gavignet, single handed. Less than a month after having shattered the SNSM Record, Loïck Peyron and his men catch a new title to their conquests by improving the Record by more than a third, by 1 day 11 hours 20 minutes and 13 seconds.
On Friday July 1, the Team Banque Populaire set sail for a week at sea to train the Maxi and her men to offshore sailing. Originally planned as a training course to prepare for the next Jules Verne Trophy scheduled for the end of the year, this session quickly became, thanks to good weather, in a record attempt around the British Isles. “We left Lorient for training. We quickly found ourselves as Nelson’s fleet at the time of the Napoleonic wars and we stationed at the entrance of the Channel, on the lookout, between France and England. The Maxi Banque Populaire V is a record hunter and whenever there is a prey to seize, she does not hesitate. The weather gave us a great opportunity …”. Seizing the opportunity offered to them, the thirteen sailors on board then chose to defy the clock and the time set in 2010 by Sidney Gavignet, then alone aboard his trimaran “Oman Air Majan”.

Pachyderms in the North Sea
Tuesday, July 5, in the early evening, the Maxi Banque Populaire V thus cut the imaginary starting line off Lizard Point to begin a cautious night in the Pas de Calais strait :  ” It was a tough night as the traffic is impressive in that area. I opted for a reasonable solution to meet this heavy traffic by standing on the sidelines. We then went for the North Sea under unfriendly conditions but which allowed us to enjoy the amazing show of these large pachyderms that are platforms. It is always fascinating. Something probably masculine with this machine standing in the middle of the sea “.

Relative Calm on the Shetlands
Getting her own pace by deploying her full potential so easily, the maxi trimaran continued her progress towards the Shetlands in the north of England and swallowed the 1 787 milles with an incredible regularity.

Under reduced visibility and with the picture that can be made of navigation in these areas, Loïck Peyron and his crew were forced to slow down “We had a difficult sea passing these islands and the conditions were really tough. It is ultimately the only time we did not push 100% on the boat. “Rare moment of calm quickly erased by a briskly navigation until the end along the Irish coast, around the Fastnet and until the last mile, when the competitive spirit of these enthusiasts sailors, seeking performance, made them easily reach 40 knots.

A “world tour” rythm

Once this UK loop completed at the average speed of 23.34 knots, the skipper from La Baule, obviously pleased with this new experience shared with twelve men on board, gave way to an initial assessment: “It was very nice and very informative and I was able to deepen my knowledge on the boat. We have sailed as if we were sailing around the world in accordance with shifts and with the precise number of people on deck. We have revised the choreography adapted to each maneuver and turned everyone at different positions. Versatility is key aboard this type of boats. Finally, I have discussed a lot with Juan Vila, navigator, of weather and strategy. We worked with Xavier Revil on the food aspects and reviewed plenty little details with Pierre-Yves Moreau. Tomorrow we will all meet at 6:15 on board for a group debriefing “.

The Maxi Banque Populaire V left the Channel to join her Lorient base for a few days before returning at sea, first for training and then for racing, on the Rolex Fastnet Race which departure will be given on August 14 at Cowes. For Loïck Peyron and his men, the opportunity will once again be seized to confront offshore sailing, diverse competition and to gather more miles in the perspective of next winter’s round the world loop.

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When he brought the giant 31m trimaran Groupama 3 across the finish line off Pointe-a-Piitre, Guadeloupe today (Tuesday)under perfect sunshine and light breezes Franck Cammas (FRA) won the 9th edition of the Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale, the 3542 miles transatlantic race from Saint Malo for solo skippers which takes place every four years. Cammas crossed the finish line at 16..h 16..min 47. Secs (CET paris// 15h 16 mins 47 secs GMT,// 11 hrs 16 mins 47 seconds local time) The elapsed time for the course, after starting Saint Malo at 1302hr (CET/paris) Is. 9 days 3 hours 14 mins 47 seconds The average speed over the course on the water was. 20..39 knots for the actual course sailed of 4471 miles. . The course record of 7 days17 hrs 19 mins 6 seconds was set in 2006 Cammas adds his name to the legend of the ‘Rhum’ as successor to Mike Birch, Marc Pajot, Philippe Poupon, Florence Arthaud, Laurent Bourgnon, Michel Desjoyeaux and Lionel Lemonchois

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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
…

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In an interview with Sam Davies the French skipper explains how his 100ft trimaran Oman Air Majan broke up.

After a long night for the Oman Air Majan team, they are pleased to report that skipper Sidney Gavignet is now safely onboard the bulk carrier Kavo Alexander. The incident which occurred at 16:35 CET yesterday (3 November) was dealt with swiftly by the shore team, race management, rescue teams and crew of the Kavo Alexander who ensured Sidney’s rescue within four hours or his first call. (Read previous story here.)

Kavo Alexander is en route to Turkey, and it is not confirmed if Sidney will be dropped off in Gibraltar or Malta with an approximate ETA between the 6 and 9 November respectively. The Oman Air Majan technical team drove through the night from the base in Lorient to Paris to board a flight to the Azores early this morning (4 November). They are due to arrive in Horta this afternoon. A boat is on standby and ready to leave with the team to take them to Oman Air Majan, which is still being tracked by the team, and is approximately 250 miles north east of the Azores.

The technical team are monitoring the weather, conditions are good and the forecast looks set to improve over the next 24-36 hours.  It will take approx 24-hours for the technical team to reach Oman Air Majan by boat, during that time they will be preparing a plan to recover as much of the boat as possible. At this time the team believe that all parts of the boat are still together and they will aim to tow Oman Air Majan back to the Azores.

Transcribe of an audio call with Sidney onboard bulk carrier Kavo Alexander 22:00 CET (3 November):

Sam Davies: Can you explain the conditions you were in and what happened?

Sidney Gavignet: I was going upwind, at 70 true wind angle and I had two reefs, and a J2.  I was ready with the J3, the wind was increasing and planned to increase a little bit. But I thought it was still safe handling for the boat.

It was daylight, I was well rested, well fed. Everything was fine, I thought nothing was damaged on the boat at that time so far it was a good race on that side. After we jumped over a wave, probably a little  harder than others, I heard a crack and I thought it was the daggerboard even if the top of it was higher than deck level which is quite far up*. Then I came out and looked around and I saw on the front leeward crossbeam probably 1m away from the float the crossbeam was broken. Then it went very very quick, in probably 2 to 3 seconds I was easing the traveller and the float came out of the crossbeam I think it was still linked at that time with the aft crossbeam. But because the front was not linked to the float the boat capsized almost, the mast was horizontal and platform vertical.

I was pretty disorientated at that time but the damage was done so my first concern was to find my survival suit, liferaft and grab bag, which I found very quickly.  I then realized in fact there was no massive panic as I had a feeling very quickly that the boat would stay afloat, and was safe in the boat. Which was my first concern in the beginning. I put the survival suit on and I called Race Director Jean Maurel. I didn’t reach him so left a message and then I called Seb Chernier from Oman Sail to explain the situation, I told him I would put the eprib on.

(*The daggerboard was not fully down. Sidney judges the level of the board by comparing the top of the board with the deck level.)

SD: What was your immediate reaction when this happened?

SG: When your boat breaks you realise it’s very serious, but about my life no, I reacted quickly to look for my survival suit. The safety de-brief we had before leaving in St.Malo was fresh in my mind so that was an important de-brief. I don’t think I was scared for my life. I was in some sort of control and I didn’t have any fear. My first concern was that the boat was totally broken and I needed to find a way to tell the family without making them too scared. They realised quickly it was safe, so that was a good thing.

SD: It is pretty hard to help the boat in that situation, did you attempt to try amd secure anything on the boat?

SG: I thought about it, but at the beginning I didn’t want to go out of the companion way too much, because there were cables moving around the exit, and the shrouds were just in front of the doors I thought it was a bit dangerous and I wanted to look at situation a little more before going outside. I was thinking about cutting the rig to let go of the mast, which was probably a good solution because I don’t think it is composite sandwich and would therefore sink. The problem is that you need to cut many, many cables and some were attached to the free float (which was separate from the float), that was pretty difficult because on the leeward side you have the broken mast and float so I think it was too dangerous to try that.

SD: Can you describe the next part of the rescue?

SG: Not long after a call to Jean Maurel race director, who said he would call the COSS (French organization for safety at sea), they called my iridium phone which was still working. After a few tries I managed to give them a position. Not long after I had a call from the Portuguese rescue organization who asked if I was ready to leave the boat. My first answer was yes, but after they asked me the question I was a bit concerned. I said yes, but then I thought is this really the right thing to do? I thought about it a bit more, I think it was the correct decision as there was nothing more I could on the boat. Before leaving to make sure we could track the boat (Oman Air Majan) I activated a spare tracker and an Argos beacon which is also giving a signal for the boat at the moment. I had to take the rescue beacon off the boat to make sure that the world knows the rescue operation is complete.

SD: What happens next?

SG: The boat is coming from Canada and going to Turkey, they don’t know if we will stop in Gibraltar or Malta in order for them to re-fuel. We are doing 13 knots towards Gibraltar at the moment. But for them it’s a risky situation and the people were great, they risked their life for me, especially when we had to climb in the small rescue boat when they came to pick me up. I’m not feeling very proud to have put them in that situation and I would like to thank them for all their help. Here on the ship I am very welcome but I can see that life continues for them.

SD: Can you briefly described the state of Oman Air Majan when you left her?

SG: Just before I left the boat the platform was vertical and the mast horizontal. Not long after that the mast was still in one piece but not long after the mast broke. As the mast broke the platform came back almost horizontal between 15-20 degrees. In fact it came back completely horizontal just between the port float and main hull, and the reason for that is that starboard float came totally loose, it was still partially attached by the aft cross beam, and then it finally broke. I thought it was a good thing but in fact I don’t think it is because that float came underneath the starboard crossbeam and I think now it is a free float which is hitting the main hull so I don’t know which one will resist but I don’t think it is good that the two pieces are hitting each other, and the mast is still attached of course.

SD: When do think you will arrive?

SG: It is not very clear. They have an ETA of the sixth but I think you can probably see we’re doing 13 knots and we are north of the Azores so you can probably calculate that. For me they still do their watch system and I didn’t have time to speak much with them. I try to be as discreet as possible to make the captain and those people accept me.

SD: How are you, were you injured?

SG: No, not at all. I have no injury from the crash. How do I feel? I don’t know, I feel very weird.
End.

David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail, commented: “Sidney Gavignet is a strong man, a hugely focused racer, a man of the sea who had a phenomenal start to the Route du Rhum 2010. I’m astonished at how well Sidney dealt with this scenario, he did everything right which meant we didn’t have to ask another competitor to divert. Dressed in his survival suit, mast wrecked, starboard float disconnected from the front of the boat, potentially sinking he asked me formally for permission to abandon ship.

Like Formula 1 it is a mechanical sport, Sidney was totally focused in racing mode. We have no idea what caused the failure, our capable team are on the way to the boat as we speak, and we hope that they will be able to recover the boat. Yes, of course we’re hugely disappointed about the breakage. Oman Sail and Oman Air worked incredibly hard with this part of the project, however Sidney is unhurt and safe and this is what really matters. We are inspiring the Omani nation to sail and with that come inherent risks – ones we will also make in the future.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Oman Air our fully supportive sponsor, Jean Maurel the race director and his team at Pen Duick for thier assistance. The captain of KAVO Alexander and his crew, my extremely capable response team, and of course Sidney for his phenomenal performance.”

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 A clean race without any mistakes… a race that finishes for Yves Le Blévec and his crew with a win that they fought hard for showing both determination and intelligence. It offers Yves Le Blévec revenge in two ways: a revenge for the first leg, when they lost out by some 75 seconds, but above all revenge too after fate forced Actual to retire shortly after the start of the last Transat Jacques Vabre.

Right up to the finish, the pressure was on Yves Le Blévec. Even if, since the 0600 hrs rankings from this morning, the crew of Actual knew they were almost certainly heading for victory, the red and green trimaran had to cross the line before the skipper could express all his emotion.
Immediately, friends and family went on board, accompanied by Eric Loizeau, who raced with them in the first leg. An achievement that simply had to be celebrated by the four men, who were behind this success: Eric, Yves, but also Ronan Deshayes, who prepared the boat and sailed this time too, and finally, Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, who brought along his skills as a trimmer and his experience of ocean racing on three-hulled machines.
A win achieved in several stages
Over the final miles, the trimaran flying the number 53, could be seen zooming along at more than twenty knots under gennaker with one reef in the mainsail. A few gybes later, Actual crossed the finishing line at 13 hrs 29 mins 25 secs GMT, after racing for 5 days 21 hours 10 minutes and 25 seconds.  In fact, Actual’s win has its origins back in the North Sea, before they made their way through the Dover Straits, as Yves and his crew made gains thanks to a small tactical option further west than Franck Yves Escoffier’s Crêpes Whaou ! 3. As they made their way into the English Channel, the two leaders were twenty-five miles apart, and hoping to close the gap, Franck-Yves Escoffier attempted an option close to the coast of Brittany, while Actual sought out the north-westerly wind that was forecast. The result of their respective strategies was that Franck-Yves’s red trimaran was some fifty miles behind by daybreak. Maintaining his sense of fair play, the skipper of Crêpes Whaou ! 3 admitted this was a do or die option, as he knew that it could worsen his situation… “It will either work out or be a disaster,” racers often say, as they make one last ditch attempt to regain control.
Franck-Yves Escoffier is due to cross the finishing line at around 1630 hrs GMT. Whatever happens, both crews will have contributed to making this race what it was and it should mark a new beginning in the development and promotion of the Multi50 class.
From the boats
Yves Le Blévec (Actual):  It’s difficult to describe. Obviously we’re very pleased. It was a really exciting race. On the outward leg as well as on the return leg. We overtook, got overtaken and overtook again. I’m just so pleased to be the first back to Saint Gilles. It was all really down to some small tactical choices. In the North Sea, we gained a slight advantage. We decided to continue with our option in the English Channel and it certainly paid off.
The crew really worked well together: Jean-Bapt (Le Vaillant), whenever he talked about us, called us the young ones. In fact, we’re really a crew of old-timers. It’s true that I sometimes am not in a good mood, but that livens things up for the others…”
Positions in the 1400 hrs rankings
- 1 Actual (Y Le Blévec) finished on 6th June at 13hrs 29mins 25secs
- 2 Crêpes Whaou ! 3 (FY Escoffier) 67.3 miles from the finish
- 3 Crêpes Whaou ! 2 (L Féquet) 211.2 miles from the leader
- 4 Région Aquitaine Port-Médoc (L Roucayrol) 349.3 miles from the leader
- 5 Naviguez Anne Caseneuve (A Caseneuve) 355.1 miles from the leader
- 6 FenêtréA-Cardinal (E Le Roux) 410.9 miles from the leader
- 7 La mer révèle nos sens (P Hingant) 452.2 miles from the leader
- 8 CLM (H Cléris) 525.3 miles from the leader

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