Spindrift 2: Slow Sailing

Published on December 18th, 2015

(December 18, 2015; Day 27) – For the team on the 40m maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2, the need for speed is profound. The anticyclone has taken its calms to the south of the South Pacific, upsetting the usual pattern of depressions. It is a winding road for the team to get out of the clutches of this pocket of weak wind and back on their way.

This has proved to be an exhausting stretch for the sailors, who have needed to constantly manoeuvre to exploit the slightest breath of a very unstable wind. There are still a few hours until they get out of this calm patch, but then the trimaran should find a south-westerly wind of 15-20 knots, enabling them to quickly reach Cape Horn, which Spindrift 2 should round early next week.

The fluctuations against the record pace are common, and with the ascent of the north face of the Pacific, the return to a positive position is coming soon.

As of 2100 UTC
Distance to finish: 9290.6 nm
Distance for 24 hours: 218.9 nm
Distance ahead of record: -401.07 nm

2015-12-19_8-18-35

Source: Spindrift 2

Team websiteTrackerFacebook

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

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