Tag: spindrift

TROPHEE JULES VERNE

TWO BIG TRIMARANS HAVE SET OFF TRYIG TO BREAK THE RECORD AROUND THE WORLD.

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS FROM SAILING ANARCHY.

They’re off and the start of the most amazing global match race has begun. In the dead of night this past Sunday morning off the north coast of France two of the fastest and most amazing sailboats on this planet took off to lap the planet in an effort to break the non-stop circumnavigation record currently held by Loick Peyron and his crew aboard Banque Populaire V. The first to go was IDEC Sport skippered by Francis Joyon. At 02:02:22 GMT IDEC Sport crossed an imaginary start line that runs from the Créac’h lighthouse on Ile de Oessant (Ushant Island) to Lizard Point on the southwest corner of England. This imaginary line has served as the start of the Jules Verne Trophy since it’s inception in 1990 and the same line will serve as the finish line. It’s hard to believe but if the crew of IDEC Sport are successful in their mission they will be back just as the new year starts.

Just under two hours after IDEC Sport took off Yann Guichard and his crew on Spindrift 2 crossed the same imaginary line in search of the same record. In order to be successful both boats need to be back by late in the day January 6, 2016. The time to beat is 45 days, 13 hours, 22 minutes, and 53 seconds and was set in 2012. Spindrift 2 is the same boat that holds the record but in new livery and a refit for this almost impossible quest. They will need more than good weather to beat the time; they will need a whole lot of luck. There are so many potential pitfalls on the 25,000 mile course from floating containers to submerged ice to extremes in weather from the heat of the tropics to the bone chilling cold of the Southern Ocean.

The wind was out of the north blowing around 10 knots when both boats set off. “We don’t have much wind at the moment, just 8 to 10 knots,” said Yann Guichard shortly after they started. “The sea conditions are not easy because there is a strong current but the wind will pick up in strength. So it’s a steady start at 15-18 knots.” The breeze is expected to build to around 30 knots and the sea state to even out, a perfect way to get underway.

The first ten days will be critical. Both teams have studied the weather in minute detail to pick the very best time to start. They will need to slingshot out of there across the Bay of Biscay and past the doldrums and equator into the Southern Hemisphere. If they are not ahead of, or at least close to where Banque Populaire V was there may not be any need to continue. It’s hard to make up time and Loick Peyron himself attributed the success of there record attempt to great weather and a lot of good luck.

In under three days both boats have covered over 1,800 miles at an average speed of 30 knots. At last check both IDEC Sport and Spindrift 2 were separated by just a few miles and both boats were just under 200 miles ahead of where Banque Populaire V was at the same time into their journey.

To me it seems as if the record could well be broken. In past attempts the boats have been racing an imaginary ship; these two boats are going to be going head to head pushing each other every inch of the way. There is nothing like a physical boat on the horizon ahead to stir competitive spirit. In any event it’s going to be a clash of titans to wrap up what’s been an amazing year of open ocean racing. Bon chance to both boats. We are looking forward to some spectacular racing. Most of all be safe.

You can track the progress of each boat – Spindrift Racing and  IDEC Sport .

ICE AND WIND

“Spindrift” ex “Banque Populaire” on standby for an Atlantic record.

Spindrift 2: All dressed up but no wind to go

The maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2 left La Trinité-sur-Mer, France on May 26, arriving on June 3 in Newport, Rhode Island where the team has remained on standby to break the crewed 2880 nm North Atlantic record from New York to Lizard Point.

Led by co-skippers Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard, they seek to better the record of 03:15:25:48 set by their 40m (131.23-feet) trimaran in August 2009, known then as Banque Populaire 5. To be successful, their average speed must be in excess of 32.94 knots over the distance.

But now, after seven weeks on standby in Newport, there has still been no suitable weather window for which to launch their assault. As Guichard explains, these accomplished sailors have no choice but to accept the wait, unusual as it may be for an elite sportsman.

“Despite enduring the standby at home, as opposed to on the quayside, we are fully alert and mentally ready to drop everything and jump on a plane as soon as possible,” explains Yann, who sends a message to his teammates every day to keep them informed about the latest conditions.

“Dona and I are obviously following the weather very closely. Together, with team navigator Erwan Israël, we check the two daily American and European forecast updates. The first come in before 5am and, whilst there is still not really a departure window on the horizon, we inevitably check each weather update religiously. We are as ready as we can be with a good technical and sporting potential, but the weather is out of our hands. That is what makes record attempts so frustrating…but also so special. When you are on standby, it can at times be stressful, as any athlete waiting for a big match can understand. In addition, we know that when the day of reckoning comes, once we get out on the ocean, conditions will be extreme.”

Among the obstacles blocking the route has been drift ice in the Labrador Current. A harsh winter has meant that icebergs are lasting longer than normal, and while they are slowly melting, the large ice sheets are only disappearing gradually from satellite photos.

The other obstacle has been the Azores High, an anticyclone centred over the Azores and spread like an insurmountable mountain across the entire North Atlantic.

“To make the crossing in record-breaking conditions you have to leave ahead of a depression on the American coast and ride it up to Newfoundland, where you pick up another and accelerate for the rest of the crossing. You then have to stay in front of the system, which must not catch you up or wane before you reach the finish line,” adds Erwan Israël. “With such a huge, powerful anticyclone at the moment, the depressions are not making any headway, and neither can we!”

The team is prepared to remain on standby through to mid-August if necessary to find a suitable departure window. Updates here: www.spindrift-racing.com/atlantic