Trouble Ahead for IDEC SPORT

(December 24, 2016; Day 9) – Francis Joyon (FRA) and his five crew on the 31.5m VPLP-designed trimaran IDEC SPORT has yet to find the pace needed to break the crewed around the world record. Their latest 24 hour run of 575 nm has cost them 33 nm, and the team is now 150 nm behind the current record pace set in 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 eight days at sea and a constant battle against the clock, the crew of IDEC SPORT is continuing to dive down the South Atlantic off the coast of Brazil between Salvador da Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.

Sailing on a bearing of 180° at 18° latitude S, the team is making the most of a 15-knot easterly wind. With the wind on the beam on the port tack at a constant speed of 25 knots, conditions are allowing good speeds and they have regained around fifty miles in the past 24 hours over their virtual rival, the title-holder.

The team is needed to sail further east to get round the St. Helena high. This zone is not going to make things easy for them with the wind likely to drop off in the next 36 hours. This is due to a ridge of high pressure blocking the way south, meaning it looks like a busy and tricky Christmas.

Status as of 20:00 FR
Distance to Finish: 18225 nm
24 Hour Distance: 575 nm
24 Hour Speed Average: 24 knots
Ahead/Behind: -149.5 nm

IDEC SPORT RACING – Tracker – Facebook

Note: The 24 hour speed record of 908.2 nm (37.84 knot average) was set in 2009 by Banque Populaire 5, a 131-foot trimaran skippered by Pascal Bidegorry (FRA).

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.

After starting on November 16, Francis Joyon (FRA) and his five crew on the 31.5m VPLP-designed trimaran IDEC SPORT need to finish by 22:00:53 UTC on Monday January 30 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.

Francis Joyon (fourth from left) and his crew comprising Clément Surtel, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet and Sébastien Audigane.

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