Fastest round the world sailing-world record set by Francis
Joyon
[Jan
20]BREST, France--Francis
Joyon, a 51-year-old Frenchman circled the planet alone
in 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes, 6 seconds in a trimaran and set
a new world record for the fastest around-the-world sailing.
The 51-year-old's maxi-trimaran
crossed the finish line after 57 days 13 hours 34 minutes and 6
seconds following a 21,600 nautical miles (38,900km) journey. (enlarge
photo)
"57 days, I don't dare believe it," said Joyon, adding
that he now hoped to "sleep more than one or two hours a night".
"
Right up to the end, I was worried about damage. In
the night I almost hit a container ship and I had a fishing boat
across from me. It has been a constant struggle." Francis
Joyon, who beat the record set by Briton Ellen MacArthur
in 2005, reached the finish line near Brest in the northwestern
tip of France in his red trimaran IDEC in 57 days, 13 hours, 34
minutes and six seconds. (enlarge
photo)
"I have no vocation for being a hero, my vocation
is for doing my job well as a sailor," Joyon told journalists after
his arrival at Brest. "I'm happy because I came back earlier than
expected and I made the record more difficult to beat," he added.
Francis
Joyon also becomes the only solo sailor in the world to
have grabbed the non-stop single-handed round the world voyage record
aboard a multihull on two occasions after a first record back in
2004. (enlarge
photo)
A feat that was has only been bettered once since
then and that was when Ellen MacArthur successfully completed her
voyage in 2005, which led to her being awarded the title of Dame
by Queen Elizabeth II.
For two months, Joyon skirted the southern reaches
of the globe in his 29-meter, 9-ton trimaran
IDEC, sleeping only in short spells and grappling with fierce
wind and a damaged mast. "He has been in racing form the whole time,"
said Jean-Yves Bernot, Joyon's on-land navigator. (enlarge
photo)
In the Pacific, Joyon detoured as far south as
58 degrees, toward a patch of glaciers, to avoid fierce wind farther
north, Bernot said.
Rough wind and then damage to a girder supporting the
mast forced Joyon to slow down when he got to the Atlantic.
He climbed the 105-foot mast to make repairs
himself, but was worried until the end of the journey that it could
snap again, according to his Web site. (enlarge
photo)
His boat had no standard electrical generators aboard, which
meant he had no heat — but also meant the boat was lighter than
usual. He used wind turbines and solar panels to allow for automatic
piloting and communication equipment.
With weather working largely in his
favor, he broke several intermediary records along the way. He crossed
the Indian Ocean in 9 days, 12 hours. He crossed the Pacific in
just 10 days, 14 hours. His Equator-Equator journey spanned just
41 days, 8:19. (enlarge
photo)
Comments from Francis
Joyon
A radio session enabled a dozen journalists to
question Francis live on the website, www.trimaran-idec.com. Francis
Joyon: "I learnt a lot about the weather during this
round the world voyage; working with Jean-Yves Bernot was very interesting.
It allowed me to judge more finely the weather patterns." (enlarge
photo)
"I’m pleased to have accomplished a great voyage.
I did it because it’s something I like doing. I’m not doing it for
ambitious reasons..." \
"Records are there to be beaten. My time back
in 2003 looked like it couldn’t be smashed. Then, Ellen MacArthur,
with her remarkable performance beat it the following year."
"There were two very worrying moments;
once in the south in the middle of the ice, as the storm started
to blow, and in the Doldrums, when I discovered I could lose my
mast..." (enlarge
photo)
"The breaking up of the pack ice and the
icebergs floating around at unusual latitudes attracted my attention.
The time I spent sailing around the world also proves that the planet
isn’t as big as we imagine and that we need to take much better
care of it..."
The major dates for the record:
Start from Brest: Friday 23rd November 2007 at 11h05’52.
Crossing the Equator (outward): Friday 30th November
at 4h03 in 6 days 17 hours and 58 minutes. 2 days ahead of Ellen
MacArthur. Cape of Good Hope: Saturday 8th December
at 18h21, in 15 days, 7 hours and 16 minutes. 4 days ahead.
24-hour record on Wednesday 12th December 2007: 616.07
miles at an average speed of 25.66 knots. Since improved to 619.3
miles by Thomas Coville.
Cape Leeuwin: Sunday 16th December. 7 days ahead. Indian
Ocean Record (South of Tasmania): Tuesday 18th December in 9 days,
12 hours and 3 minutes. Record improved by three days. Cape
Horn : Saturday 29th December at 23h31 in 35 days, 12 hours and
31 minutes. 9.5 days ahead.
Crossing the Equator (homeward run): Thursday 10th
January at 13h23 in 48 days, 2 hours and 18 minutes. 12 days and
11 hours ahead.
Finish in Brest: Sunday 20th January 2008 at
0h39’58’’, in 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 6 seconds.
Record beaten by 14 days, 44 minutes and 27 seconds.
Around 26,400 miles covered at an average speed of
19.09 knots on the water.
The history of the three non-stop solo multihull records Francis
Joyon. IDEC. 2008. 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 6 seconds.
(enlarge
photo)
Ellen MacArthur. Castorama. 2005. 71 days, 14
hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds
Francis Joyon. IDEC. 2004. 72 days, 22 hours,
54 minutes, 22 seconds.
Previous attempts:
Olivier de Kersauson. Un autre regard.1989. 125
days, 19 hours, 32 minutes. Two stopovers
Philippe Monnet. Kriter. 1988. 129 days. Two
stopovers.
Alain Colas. Manureva. 1974. 169 days. One stopover.
In
his 97ft-long IDEC II, which is 22ft longer than MacArthur's B&Q,
the Breton took a massive 14 days off the Englishwoman's record
and reclaimed the mark he broke in February 2004.
Then Joyon became the first sailor to circumnavigate
the world solo in less than the mythical 80 days of Jules Verne,
finishing in 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds.
But just a year later MacArthur took just over a day
off this mark.
Joyon came back in July 2005 to smash the world
record for the crossing of the North Atlantic by a solo yachtsman
in 6 days 4 hours 1 minute and 37 seconds.
And determined to reclaim the round-the-world
title Joyon sailed out of Brest on November 23, needing to be back
by February 3 (0023 GMT) for the new record.
He set a blistering early pace, reaching the Cape of
Good Hope only 15 days and seven hours after his departure - four
days and two hours faster than MacArthur in 2005 - with an average
speed of 20.12 knots.
The history of the three non-stop solo multihull records
