Joyon Aborts Jules Verne Trophy Attempt

(November 27, 2016; Day 7) – After falling over 400 nm behind the necessary pace to win the Jules Verne Trophy, Francis Joyon, in full agreement with his crew on the maxi-trimaran IDEC SPORT and his router to earth Marcel Van Triest, decided this morning to abort and return to their base in Brest, France and look for a more favourable forecast for another attempt.

The Doldrums were particularly active and moving with the 31.5m IDEC SPORT preventing Francis Joyon and his men from making it to the South Atlantic low and achieving a decent time to the Cape of Good Hope, and in good stead to beat the record held by Banque Populaire V.

IDEC SPORT is heading back to Brest in Brittany, which Francis Joyon hopes to reach next weekend. He will then begin another stand-by phase for another attempt. “With extremely violent squalls and long periods of calm, I thought about it for a long time before asking Marcel van Triest about whether it was worth continuing our attempt,” explained Francis. “It seems that this unforeseen delay in getting to the Equator, means we won’t be able to hop onto the lows forming off Cape Frio in Brazil. If we continued on our route, we would probably reach the Cape of Good Hope too far behind the record.”

“We’re not giving up. The idea of turning back is always part of this challenge and we had talked about it before the start in Brest last weekend. We shall be heading back into the squalls in the Doldrums and hope to reach Brest next Sunday to go on stand by again.”

IDEC SPORT RACING – Tracker – Facebook

Background:
The Jules Verne Trophy is 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.

Francis Joyon (FRA) is skippering the 31.5m VPLP-designed trimaran IDEC SPORT to beat the current record set January 2012 by Loïck Peyron and his crew on the 40 VPLP-designed trimaran Banque Populaire V of 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds. After starting November 21, to beat the record Joyon’s team must return to cross this same line between Brittany and Cornwall by 10:56:38 UTC on January 5, 2017.

IDEC SPORT crew
Francis Joyon (FRA), skipper
Bernard Stamm (CH), helmsman-trimmer
Gwénolé Gahinet (FRA), helmsman-trimmer
Alex Pella (ESP), helmsman-trimmer
Clément Surtel (FRA), helmsman-trimmer
Boris Herrmann (GER), helmsman-trimmer
–
Marcel Van Triest (NLD), on-shore router

Jules Verne Trophy
Record to beat: 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds set by Loïck Peyron and his crew of 13 in January 2012 on the trimaran Banque Populaire V (40 m)
Average speed to beat: 19.75 knots
Course: around the world via the three capes, Good Hope, Leeuwin, Horn.
Great circle distance: 21,600 miles
Start and finish line between Ushant (Créac’h Lighthouse and The Lizard (Cornwall).

IDEC SPORT trimaran
Trimaran with foils
Designers: VPLP
Previous names: Groupama 3, Banque Populaire VII
Initial launch: June 2006
Length: 31.50 m
Beam: 22.50 m
Displacement: 15 t
Draught: 5.70 m
Mast height: 33.50 m
Structure: carbon-nomex

Source: IDEC SPORT