IDEC Sport ready for Tea Route Record

After last month setting the new reference time between between Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Shenzhen (China) of 02:20:28:51, the 31.5m IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran skippered by Francis Joyon is going on stand-by for an attempt at the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London.

As the fourth and final Act of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, the 12948 nm route is the most important in terms of racing and is due to start late this week. The crew of IDEC SPORT includes Joyon and four crewmen: Bertrand Delesne, Christophe Houdet, Corentin Joyon, and Antoine Blouet.

The course begins with a crossing of the China Sea, followed by a passage through the Sunda Strait, a crossing of the Indian Ocean, the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope and the climb back up the South and North Atlantic, before they enter the English Channel and sail up the Thames to finish under the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in London.

The time they will be aiming to beat of 36:02:37 has been held since it was set on February 23 2018 by the Multi70 Maserati skippered by the Italian Giovanni Soldini who covered the distance at an average speed of 17.4 knots.

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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