Spindrift: Looking forward to tomorrow

(December 27, 2015; Day 36) – The 40m maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2 is still heading upwind, on a difficult trajectory, in a South Atlantic complicated by lots of transitions. The speedometer is witness to this difficult phase of weather for the sailors on board, who are now registering a 357mile deficit on the record time in their quest for the Jules Verne Trophy.

So, there is total concentration at the chart table by the weather group composed of Yann Guichard and Erwan Israel (on board) and Jean Yves Bernot (on land). They are plotting the exit of the black and gold trimaran from this area, and trying to get further north as soon as possible to be ready for the shift which should enable them to finally reach the trade winds by the end of the day tomorrow.

The team continues to attack the north face: upwind in 25 knots from the North/North East and pounded by the windswept choppy seas. Short and steep waves of 2.5 m make life difficult onboard: on deck it is wet and below the crew do not know where to put themselves or what to hang on to.

The punishing conditions should abate tomorrow, Monday, during the day. Spindrift 2 should then reach the depression and the shift northeast that will allow them to finally make headway north and reach the South Atlantic trade winds.

These could not come too soon.

As of 2100 UTC
Distance to finish: 4940.6 nm
Distance for 24 hours: 340.6 nm
Distance ahead of record: -397.11 nm

Source: Spindrift 2

Team website – Tracker – Facebook

Background: Spindrift 2 has entered to claim the Jules Verne Trophy, a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew, starting and finishing between the Le Créac’h Lighthouse off the tip of Brittany and the Lizard Point in Cornwall.

Yann Guichard (FRA), skippering the 40 VPLP-designed trimaran, crossed the start line on November 22 at 04:01:58 GMT, and his 14-man team must return by 17:43:51 UTC on January 6, 2016 to beat the current record set January 2012 by Loïck Peyron and his crew on Banque Populaire 5 of 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds.

Spindrift 2 was originally launched in 2008 as Banque Populaire 5.

MORE: Also starting on November 22 (at 02:02:22 GMT) for an attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy was Francis Joyon (FRA), skippering the 31.5m VPLP-designed trimaran IDEC SPORT. The 6-person team must return by 15:44:15 GMT on January 6, 2016 to beat the record. Here’s a tracker showing both teams: http://volodiaja.net/Tracking/

SPINDRIFT 2 CREW:
Yann Guichard, skipper
Dona Bertarelli, helmsman-trimmer
Sébastien Audigane, helmsman-trimmer
Antoine Carraz, helmsman-trimmer
Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, helmsman-trimmer
Christophe Espagnon, helmsman-bowman
Jacques Guichard, helmsman-trimmer
Erwan Israël, navigator
Loïc Le Mignon, helmsman-trimmer
Sébastien Marsset, bowman
François Morvan, helmsman-trimmer
Xavier Revil, helmsman-trimmer
Yann Riou, media reporter
Thomas Rouxel, helmsman-bowman
Jean-Yves Bernot, onshore router