Jules Verne Trophy: Maxi Trimaran Spindrift2 ready for a new record

[Skip JayR]

While we enjoyed the 5,400 nm long trans-atlantic race Transat Jacques Vabre since 25th October 2015 and just have seen on Saturday early morning (7th November 2015 / 06:05 am UTC) the arrival of Maxi Trimaran Macif as winner front Brazil coast and couple hours later Trimaran Sodebo crossing the finish line as 2nd another racing team is waiting for it’s uniquely chance to break a new circum-navigation record.


Maxi Trimaran Spindrift 2 is on stand-by for a new world record attempt with a non stop circumnavigation under the flag of the Jules Verne Trophy (with ratification by World Sailing Speed Record Council). It’s crew is officially ready since Monday, October 19th in Brest, a port famous for major record attempts, located just a few miles away from the start line at Créac’h lighthouse on Ushant island. The routing team will analyse weather data several times a day in search of a good opportunity to launch the assault on the legendary course.

More details and videos here

Spindrift 2 maxi-trimaran…

Design: VPLP & Spindrift racing design team
Launch date: July 2008
Deck and mast boatyard: CDK Technologies
Sails: North Sails
Length of main hull: 40 metres
Length of outrigger hulls: 37 metres
Width: 23 metres
Dry weight: 20.5 tonnes
Draft: 5.1 metres
New mast height: 42 metres
Mainsail: 405 m²
Gennaker max: 560 m²
Gennaker medium: 450 m²
Gennaker mini: 360 m²
Reacher : 260 m²
Staysail: 170 m²
ORC : 75 m²

[Skip JayR]

The Spindrift Racing team has organized a completely self marketing with own media centre, live tracker, newsletter services, log book, weather datas, sails plan...

keep yourself updated here: Live from Spindrift 2 | Jules Verne Trophy

[Skip JayR]

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting... weather forecast doesnt promise a slot to start with wind SW...

Good weather datas with animation of wind + waves you get here:
https://www.windyty.com/48.391/-4.486?48.393,-3.466,9

[Skip JayR]

5 1/2 hours ago the Spindrift2 Team passed the start line... and is on the track to hunt the existing world record of Loiyck Peyron on Trimaran Bank Populair V since 2012...


Maxi Trimaran S2 has sailed 140 nm at an average speed of >30 knots... and is behind 42 nm related to ETA of the record holder: 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds.


Lets see if this 40 meter Tri can crack the 45 days mark.... Good luck !

[Skip JayR]

SPindrift2 got concurrence... the refitted Trimaran IDEC SPORT (ex Groupama, built in 2004) HAS SET OFF three hours earlier.



Franis is under way since 02:00 am with some excellent sailors on board, e.g. Bernard Stamm (we know from Twin masted Mega Cat Philips) and Boris Herrman as the navigator whom we have seen on LendingClub and sailing the North West Passage on the 97ft Trimaran Qingdao China (ex IDEC) under Chinese skipper Guo Chuan.

• Francis Joyon (FRA)
• Bernard Stamm (SUI)
• Gwénolé Gahinet (FRA)
• Alex Pella (ESP)
• Clément Surtel (FRA)
• Boris Herrmann (GER)

THE Non-Stop Round the World ADVENTURE HAS BEGUN for the 2nd Maxi tri on 22 November 2015 as for Spindrift 2 at ~05:00 am before dawn.... interesting for us spectators to follow two giant racing mashines on 3 hulls.



Francis Joyon and his crew of five have been through the first few hours of their attempt to smash the Jules Verne Trophy record. IDEC SPORT crossed the start line off Ushant at 02:02:22 on Sunday 22nd November 2015. The first hundred or so miles are now in their wake.

“The main goal for the first few days of racing will be to avoid breaking anything, as the sea is not going to be easy. Caution is the watchword,” Francis Joyon warned us before leaving the pontoon in Brest. In cross seas following two gales in a row, they had to weather out the conditions. They needed to grab this weather opportunity to try to get a record time to the Equator – around five days – but also to ensure there was a favourable situation ahead (rated 50-50 by Joyon) in the South Atlantic. The record for this first stretch between Ushant and the Equator is held by Banque Populaire with a time of 5 days 14 hours and 55 minutes and it may well be beaten…

Acceleration ahead

The tricky, rough conditions to get to the start area are now behind them. The wind has eased off considerably around Ushant (yesterday there were gusts in excess of fifty knots) with speeds now around 17 to 25 knots. These conditions are not going to last: in the coming hours 30-knot winds are forecast in the Bay of Biscay enabling IDEC SPORT to accelerate.

At 0700hrs this morning (Sunday), IDEC SPORT was already stepping up the pace with peak speeds above 30 knots. Francis Joyon and his crew of five are now well out to sea, 200 miles west of the Loire Estuary following a trajectory which is very close to Loïck Peyron’s, as IDEC SPORT speeds towards Cape Finisterre. For the moment, the figures don’t mean a lot, but the most important thing is that the adventure has begun.

To beat the Jules Verne Trophy record, IDEC SPORT will have to return before 15:44:15 on 6th January.

[44'cruisingcat]

Probably won't happen in a RTW attempt, but I wonder how long till someone beats BP's 24 hour record of 908 miles. (!!) A thousand miles in a day sound good.