Joyon sets reference time to Shenzhen

(December 17, 2019) – The 31.5m IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran skippered by Francis Joyon and his crew crossed the finish line to establish a reference time between Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Shenzhen (China) last night at 2324hrs UTC. They sailed the 844 miles of the theoretical course in 2 days, 20 hours, 28 minutes and 51 seconds, averaging 12.3 knots.

After the Mauritius Route record set between Brittany and Mauritius, then the record between Mauritius and Vietnam, this latest route was the third Act in the program of records referred to as the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, which the winner of the last Route du Rhum has been engaged in since October 19.

The team will now be giving themselves a break before tackling the Hong Kong – London record in mid-January 2020 on the famous Clipper Route, which will bring them back to Europe.

“If we add together the times for the first three Acts of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, with 20 days for the Mauritius Route, 13 to reach Ho Chi Minh City, and 3 days to get to Shenzhen, we reach a total of 36 days of racing altogether, or in other words the record time set by Giovanni Soldini in 2018 on the route between Hong Kong-London, which is our next challenge!” reports Joyon.

“The boat has been through some harsh conditions, but for 36 hours, she was punished like never before,” admitted Francis. “With headwinds in excess of 35 knots on nasty seas, she kept slamming violently in the steep waves. We were well and truly shaken up and the finish near the many little islands blocking the way to Shenzhen was a huge relief for all the crew.

“Fortunately, the sea gradually calmed as we made headway and the wind veered to our right a little to offer us a more comfortable finish with the wind on the beam from the East-North-East. Thousands of fishing boats, a bit like off Vietnam, were busy in these waters with their long fishing lines spread right out. It was an amazing sight!

“We are pleased to have finished. For almost two months now, we have been focusing on the boat and a little break will do us the world of good, before we tackle the Clipper Route and the record held by Giovanni Soldini in January.”

After a quick visit ashore and a decent meal, Francis and his crew of four immediately got back to work. “The aim is to carry out as thorough a check-up of the boat as possible,” explained Joyon.

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IDEC SPORT Specifications
Architects: VPLP team (Van Péteghem-Lauriot Prévost)
Previous names: Groupama 3, Banque Populaire VII
Length: 31.50 m
Beam: 22.50 m
Displacement: 18,000 kg
Draught: 5.70 m
Mast height: 33.50 m
Structure: carbon-Nomex
Upwind sail surface: 411 m2
Downwind sail surface: 678 m2
Initial launch date: June 2006

IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR
Act 1: Port Louis, Lorient – Port Louis, Mauritius (8800 nm) – 19:18:14:45
Act 2: Mauritius – Ho Chi Minh (3975 nm) – 12:20:37:56
Act 3: Ho Chi Minh – Hong Kong (870 nm) – 02:20:28:51
Act 4: Clipper Route between Hong Kong and London (13,000 nm).

Source: IDEC press