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)
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)
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 Crew ( Photo by PAUCE/BPCE0
Moored at the Port du Chateau in Brest since October 20, the Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire is ready for his big rendezvous: the Jules Verne Trophy.. As of the 1st November, Pascal Bidegorry and his Team have officially entered the stand-by period, during which weather data will be scrutinized very closely to undertake and beat the referenced time of this circumnavigation around the globe.
All set for departure
The Banque Populaire Team is all set. Strong of their experience and victories on the North-Atlantic crossing, the 24 hours record and lately the trans-Mediterranean record, Pascal Bidegorry, the fourteen men on board and the onshore router, Marcel van Triest, peacefully deal with the beginning of the stand-by period : “We are fully prepared since the Maxi Banque Populaire is moored in Brest. We have now been focusing on the weather and stand ready to seize the slightest opportunity. Marcel van Triest and Juan Villa, our embarked navigator, work together regularly as new weather data fall every six hours. For my part, I make two daily meetings with them in order to get a more accurate visibility. To preserve myself, I however try to be more detached from the presence requirement involved by the stand-by period. Jeremie Beyou is thus in charge of taking over the crew. We adapt the organization based on lessons learned from our previous records. ”
Forced to delay their attempt last year due to the absence of a satisfactory weather window, the skipper concedes that: “Ideally I would like it not to last! I was at the start of the Route du Rhum in Saint-Malo last weekend and I can admit that I felt a bit envious. First the show was beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing all those multihulls sailing, but also because they knew they were leaving at 13h02 on Sunday! The issue with records is that you never know when one leaves. We have a vision for a few days only. The objective for us is to try to live this period the best possible way and to have a simple life outside the stand-by, for those working on land and for our families. ”
The international view
Brian Thompson, who won the Jules Verne Trophy abord Cheyenne in 2004, does not hide neither his willingness to depart. “I am really looking forward to it. To me, the Maxi Banque Populaire is clearly the greatest ocean racing multihull ever built. Because it’s the latest, the biggest one and because it has proved itself by getting the transatlantic and the 24 hour records, which are the benchmark for speed !”
However, based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the logistic is not the same for the British sailor. “The plan is that 24 hours before a possible departure, the crew is asked to come to Lorient. Then we monitor the weather, prepare everything and then move to Brest before departure. I think we will be going quite soon, but if there is a possibility that we are not going for a long time, then the Team will regularly gather and spend some time together training in Lorient.”
It can be felt that, while it is now time to wait for a favorable weather system, there is a fierce desire to go from the whole Banque Populaire team. Systems and their evolutions will be thoroughly analyzed to give Pascal and his men the opportunity to depart and beat the referenced time established last winter by Franck Cammas and his crew in 48 days, 7 hours, 44 minutes and 52 seconds
Banque Populaire V (Photo by BPCE/Benoit Stichelbaut)
After more than two months of standby for Trophée Jules Verne attempt. Today at 1200 the multihull Max Banque Populaire V and her crew went to code orange. A departure for the record is likely in the next 48 to 72 hours.
Pascal Bidégorry: “it is possible that we have an opportunity to leave Friday in the day, but the situation is quite unstable.” This is several days that we look carefully at this possible window, but it does not move much, we monitor so very closely and we will see much if things are moving in our favour. There are other opportunities next week, we are therefore very vigilant. What is most likely it is that things indicate that at the last moment. ”
Marcel van Triest, router of Banque Populaire V Max returns him also to this code change and weather window that profile: “today we decided to switch to code orange because there are certainly a weather window, but that we are not safe to enter both uncertain is.” If it evolves, it might be a good opportunity to try this Jules Verne trophy record. What may be complicated with weather analysis, is that this is only a matter of probability and visibilities are sometimes very limited. Today, I am more visibility into the South Atlantic in a week than on Brest on Friday. Thus we expect to see if this is accurate. “We shall, I hope a better idea by tonight or tomorrow.”
The team which has been held on standby, are carefully assessing all opportunities.
