Jules Verne: Hot race against the clock

Ever since Francis Joyon and crew on the 103-foot trimaran IDEC Sport were awarded the Jules Verne Trophy in 2017, there have been many failed attempts to better their record time around the world.

Some efforts were abandoned early when wind conditions proved insufficient, while others conceded to damage. If a team is in the final ascent of the Atlantic Ocean to the finish off western France, they are in a hot race against the clock.

That’s the case for Thomas Coville and his crew on the 105-foot Sodebo Ultim 3 which got underway on December 15. They crossed the equator on January 19 with a 300+ nm lead over Joyon, and will need to complete the final 3000+nm before 20:31 on January 25 to win.

Also on the course is Alexia Barrier and her crew of The Famous Project CIC on the record holder IDEC Sport. While ahead of Coville, their start on November 29 has them over 2000 nm behind record pace. Their goal is to finish and establish a reference time for an all-female team.