Spindrift 2: Maintenance Day

(November 28, 2015; Day 7) – Easy going in the mild tropical conditions for Spindrift 2 and its crew, sailing down the Brazilian coastline in a flat sea and around a dozen knots of wind but still allowing the maxi trimaran to make 22 knots.

This period is expected to last at least until tonight, when the arrival of a storm front will create more instability. So, the crew are taking the opportunity to perform the routine checks. The programme for the day: Loic and Antoine will disassemble the helm, Sébastien Marsset will climb the mast and Thierry and François will check the structure of the floats.

Performance-wise, these mild conditions are obviously not ideal. Part of the lead banked in the Northern Hemisphere is expected to be lost. But the crew are biding their time and doing all they can to meet a depression off Argentina within the next 48 hours.

As of 2000 UTC
Distance to finish: 19577.8 nm
Distance for 24 hours: 425.2 nm
Distance ahead of record: 238.92 nm

Source: Spindrift 2

Team website – Tracker – Facebook

Background: On Sunday, November 22nd, 2015 at 4:01:58 GMT, the trimaran Spindrift 2, led by Yann Guichard, crossed the start line that runs from Créac’h lighthouse (Ushant island, France) to Lizard Point (England) for the start of her crewed non-stop circumnavigation. The 40m VPLP-designed Spindrift 2 was originally launched in 2008 as Banque Populaire 5, the boat that Loïck Peyron set the record on in 2012. To beat the record, Spindrift 2 must return to Ushant before 17:43:51 GMT on January 6th, 2016.

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/

Jules Verne Trophy:
Start and finish: a line between Créac’h lighthouse (Ushant island) and Lizard Point (England)
Course: crewed circumnavigation via the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn).
Minimum distance: 21,600 miles (40,000 km)
Ratification: World Sailing Speed Record Council
Time to beat: 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds
Average speed: 19.75 knots on the theoretical 21,600 nautical mile route, but 26.5 knots on the actual 28,965 nautical mile route.
Date of current record: January 2012
Holder: Banque Populaire V, Loïck Peyron and a 13-man crew

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