Spindrift 2: Crossing the Record Route

(December 11, 2015; Day 20) – The 40m maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2’s crew is spending its last night in the Indian Ocean. As the sun sets over Europe, it will soon rise under Australia, where the trimaran is currently sailing. Soon to pass under Tasmania in 15 hours, geographers have defined the boundaries of the Indian Ocean as Cape Agulhas to the west (South Africa, longitude 20° East) and the South-east tip of Tasmania (Australia) to the East.

The 90,000-square metre island, with half a million inhabitants, signifies to those hunting records that they have finished with the Indian and that they are now in the Pacific Ocean, which, in these latitudes, is the largest marine desert in the world.

For now, Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard’s crew is continuously tuning the sails to best exploit a wind that is regularly running out of breath as soon as the boat enters this ridge of high pressure, that has decided to keep moving forward, also due East, at 25 knots, but no more. Patience, then, and precision in manoeuvring to enable Spindrift 2 to keep up the most consistent speed possible…around 30 knots.

As of 2100 UTC
Distance to finish: 11985.7 nm
Distance for 24 hours: 698.5 nm
Distance ahead of record: 34.7 nm

Source: Spindrift 2

Team website – Tracker – Facebook

Background: Spindrift 2 is seeking 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