Thomas Coville's maxi-trimaran launched its world tour this Friday evening and should be followed by François Gabart's giant of the seas, SVR-Lazartigue.
In search of the Jules Verne Trophy, the crew of the maxi-trimaran Sodebo set off on Friday evening for their round-the-world trip off the coast of Ouessant (Finistère), while SVR-Lazartigue was still waiting near the line.
“Here we go!” Sodebo Ultim 3 crossed the starting line of the Jules Verne Trophy at 9:03:46 p.m. (French time), located between the Créac'h lighthouse (Ouessant) and Cape Lizard (south-west of England).”announced the team of sailor Thomas Coville.
To capture the crewed round-the-world record, held since January 26, 2017 by Idec Sport in 40 days 23 hours 30 minutes and 30 seconds, the maxi-trimaran must cross the finish line before Thursday January 9 at 8 p.m. 34min 16s.
The navigators Frédéric Denis, Léonard Legrand, Pierre Leboucher, Guillaume Pirouelle, Benjamin Schwartz and Nicolas Troussel accompany Thomas Coville, who at 56 is setting off on his tenth trip around the world.
“When we build a project like that, it’s to bring together people like them (…) the sine qua non condition for it to work is that we have fun”said Coville, already twice winner of the trophy as a teammate of Olivier de Kersauson in 1997 and Franck Cammas in 2010.
Sodebo had been waiting for an ideal weather window for several weeks. Thomas Coville and his crew hope to arrive at the equator in 5 days and in record time at the Cape of Good Hope, i.e. around twelve days.
Also on stand-by for weeks, the SVR-Lazartigue left its home port in Concarneau on Friday around 2:00 p.m. to go to the line, but the crew was instead considering a departure “in the night”.
“I'm really happy to be able to try it, we have a window which is not easy, but we have a good boat, a great crew, we just have to sail well and have a little luck”explained skipper François Gabart just before setting sail.
The Charentais, holder of the solo round-the-world record (42 days 16 hours 40 minutes and 35 seconds), took on board Tom Laperche, Amélie Grassi, Antoine Gautier, Émilien Lavigne and Pascal Bidégorry to pass, perhaps, under the symbolic bar of 40 days.
The SVR-Lazartigue and the Sodebo Ultim 3 should cross their route with the Vendée Globe IMOCAs, which left Sables-d'Olonne on November 10 and were approaching the Cape of Good Hope on Friday.
Imagined in the 1980s, the Jules-Verne Trophy was to reward the sailor who, imitating the hero Phileas Fogg, would circumnavigate the globe in less than 80 days. Bruno Peyron was the first to win it in 1993 in 79 days.
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