Two Boats – Two Laps – No Trophy

(January 8, 2015) – Two maxi-trimarans started November 22 in an attempt to claim the Jules Verne Trophy, a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world. Today they both finished… defeated.

The combatants were the 40m maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2, led by Yann Guichard and Dona Bertarelli, and Francis Joyon’s 31.5m maxi-trimaran IDEC SPORT. They sought to grab the trophy held since January 2012 by Loïck Peyron and his crew on Banque Populaire V (which is now Spindrift 2).

The time to beat was 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds. Neither made it.

The Jules Verne Trophy has an official start-finish line between the Le Créac’h Lighthouse off the tip of Brittany and the Lizard Point in Cornwall. IDEC SPORT had originally started at 02:02:22 UTC with Spindrift 2 starting nearly two hours later at 04:01:58 UTC.

They finished in reverse order.

Spindrift 2 crossed the line at 15:01 UTC after 47 days 10 hours 59 minutes and 02 seconds at sea. This was the second best time in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy.

IDEC SPORT crossed the line at 16:50 UTC after 47 days 14 hours and 47 minutes at sea. This was the third best time in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy.

IDEC SPORT – Spindrift 2 – Tracker

IDEC SPORT CREW:
Francis Joyon (FRA)
Bernard Stamm (SUI)
Gwénolé Gahinet (FRA)
Alex Pella (ESP)
Clément Surtel (FRA)
Boris Herrmann (GER)

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