Spindrift 2: The Final Hemisphere

(January 1, 2016; Day 41) – It was a double transition for the 14 sailors on the 40m maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2, who changed year and hemisphere in the same evening. There was some dancing and some hugs and kisses, as well as a good plate of pasta with a healthy amount of sauce to see in 2016, which started in the same way that 2015 finished: working flat out on deck, trying to negotiate the squalls in the Doldrums.

The trimaran got out of the infamous area in the second half of night, immediately catching a north-easterly stream of wind and accelerating gradually. Ahead of their bows, the Azores High is spreading itself across the North Atlantic. Its relatively low position and its very flat form are creating a stable and generous trade wind below. Such is its largesse that it will even open up a passage to the sailors on the black and gold trimaran. It is hard to say when, but it is not for right away.

For now, the crew are progressing upwind on a path curving to the west, which is quite close to that of their predecessors and the current holder of the Jules Verne Trophy, Banque Populaire V. With an average of 28 knots over the last four hours, the pace of the challenger is fast and the deficit is still reducing.

As of 2100 UTC
Distance to finish: 2853.1 nm
Distance for 24 hours: 555.3 nm
Distance ahead of record: -294.62 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