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Spindrift 2, the largest racing trimaran in the world, unveiled

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Maxi Spindrift 2, the largest trimaran ever built

Maxi Spindrift 2 is none other than the former maxi Banque Populaire V, bought in 2013 by the Spindrift racing team, founded by Yann Guichard and his partner Dona Bertarelli. In 2012, he won the Jules Verne Trophy after 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds.

A boat with giant dimensions

This giant trimaran and the largest maxi multihull ever built. Designed by Pascal Bidégorry , designed by VPLP Architects and built by CDK Technologies and its suppliers, it is 40 meters long, 23 meters wide, has 800 m2 of sail and can reach a top speed of 90 km/h.

It was launched for the first time in August 2008 in Lorient . The objective of the project was to build a crew multihull to achieve records and therefore a very fast trimaran in very light to medium wind conditions at all speeds.

In 2009, he won the record for crossing the North Atlantic under sail in 3 days, 15 hours, 25 minutes and 48 seconds, beating Franck Camas' record by 12 hours. During the journey, he also beat the record for the number of miles covered in 24 hours with 880 miles the first time and 908.2 miles a few hours later. Spindrif 2 belonged to Pascal Bidégorry then Loïck Peyron in 2011.

It will be the first time that the giant of the seas will be led by a single man, Yann Guichard . On board, nothing will be left to chance since each manoeuvre is exhausting, it takes 30 minutes to drop a reef and one hour to change a headsail. " I won't have the right to the slightest problem, the slightest mistake. I approach this challenge with great humility." confides the skipper.

I let you discover in video this giant of the seas. Fun and playful, she uses metaphors to realize the impressive dimensions of Spindrift 2.

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Spindrift 2 unveiled

• Helen Dormer
• July 2, 2013

The largest racing trimaran in the world shows its new colours

Outlining the plans of the Spindrift racing team, Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard unveiled the new colours, design and program of the maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 today (Tuesday 2 March) at Lorient. The former Banque Populaire V , the boat is the largest racing trimaran in the world and holder of nine world records, including the Jules Verne trophy. Spindrift 2 will start a summer racing program of records and training to allow Bertarelli and Guichard intimate knowledge and control, with a view to rewrite the big records in sailing.   The boat has a new coat of black, white and gold, styled like its stable mates. All the Spindrift racing team has spent time during Route des Princes working on optimising a boat that was tried and tested, but Bertarelli and Guichard want to apply the latest technology to improve performance wherever possible. A new rig is on the way, with a lighter mast suitable for the record campaign. “We will reduce the sail area and are seeking the perfect balance between weight and power in order to make performance gains,” Guichard explained. The new colours “[The design] was the work of the team with conversations between Yann, Christophe Schmid, our graphic artist and Jean-Baptiste Epron,” Bertarelli told us. “The implementation of the design was carried out largely by Léo Lucet, Antoine Carraz and our technical team, who have been actively involved so the result met with my expectations. It was about finding a harmony between three boats in the team, so that at first glance one can recognise their stable. I also wanted a clean design, that was both elegant and unconventional for such a huge boat. The colours black, white and gold were already decided. These colours define us well ; black: competitiveness, determination, commitment, strength, surpassing yourself; white: purity, wisdom, discipline, team spirit, sharing ; and gold: the elegance, femininity, passion, the exceptional, originality, great feats, the colour of victory.”   The summer racing season As well as his Olympic pedigree, Guichard is also one of the undisputed specialists in oceanic trimarans. He learned his trade on the now defunct ORMA-class trimarans, before becoming one of the leaders of the new MOD70 class, with which he won the championship in 2012. “ Spindrift 2 takes us in a whole new dimension,” Guichard said. “We want to take the time to tame this giant of the seas without any shortcuts.”

The team will make its debut at the Rolex Fastnet race. The trimaran knows the way from Cowes to Plymouth via southern Ireland, since it already holds the record for the event. Then the amount of sailing will steadily increase to prepare for the record campaigns in the  coming years.

“We have given ourselves four years to mature and establish new record times over the most significant courses,” Bertarelli explained. The objective is to optimise a new sail plan for the Jules Verne Trophy. “The current mast is suitable for particular records such as the 24-hour or the North Atlantic. The Route du Rhum in 2014 is an opportunity that we are studying.” 2013 program   Rolex Fastnet Under the colours of its former owner (Banque Populaire V), the boat is the record holder of the event, with a time of 1 day 8 hours and 48 minutes, at an average speed of 18.1 knots.   The Discovery Route – Cadiz (Spain) to San Salvador (Bahamas) The record time belongs to Groupama 3 (Franck Cammas) and was established in May 2007 in 7 days 10 hours 58 minutes and 53 seconds.   Transatlantic return An attempt for the 24-hour distance record (90 miles, 37.8 knots average) set by Banque Populaire V.   The Channel Record between Cowes (England) and Dinard (France) A record held by Maiden 2 (Brian Thompson) since 2000 in 5 hours 23 minutes and 38 seconds, at an average speed of 25.60 knots.

For more, visit www.spindrift-racing.com

"Spindrift 2" Starts A Record Attempt Around The World

Video: "Spindrift 2" Starts A Record Attempt Around The World

2024 Author : Allison Derrick | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:04

After two months of waiting and an aborted attempt to start about a week ago, the Frenchman Yann Guichard and his crew will make the second attempt for the Jules Verne Trophy this afternoon. The team of Swiss billionaire DonBertarelli and Yann Guichard had been on standby for over two months and will now take the last acceptable chance for a record attempt before the weather in the high latitudes of the southern hemisphere gets too bad.

Yann Guichard

Skipper Guichard said: "The latest weather data confirm a start this afternoon, we will leave Brest at noon. For the start, winds from west-northwest will blow 25 to 30 knots, which will probably increase when we cross the Biscay. We expect high seas of up to five meters. It looks like the first twelve hours will be tough. But after Cap Finisterre we should encounter more moderate trade winds. As far as the Canary Islands we will have to jibe a lot."

The routing models forecast a time of about five days and five hours to the equator, which would give the team about a 13-hour head start on the existing record of Francis Joyon and his team. The time to be undercut is 40 days, 23 hours and 30 minutes. It should be important for the team to have a head start on the record at the Cape of Good Hope, because the time "Idec Sport" sailed in the Indian Ocean at that time was considered sensational.

The team of skipper Guichard is on the road this time without team owner DonBertarelli; on the last attempt she was still on board.

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Record attempt : Update: Maxi-Tri "Spindrift 2" abandons record attempt

 ·  05.12.2019

Update 5.12.2019:

At 8pm UTC yesterday, Yann Guichard, the skipper of "Spindrift 2", made the decision to end the current record attempt in the Jules Verne Trophy.

A sudden loss of control at the helm required two sailors to operate the wheel. The malfunction damaged the steering system, making the boat unsafe in bad weather conditions. All crew members are safe and sound. However, the condition of the multihull does not allow the crew to continue their record attempt. The trimaran is currently returning to La Trinité-sur-Mer in Brittany, France.

Message from 3.12.

The crew of the maxi-trimaran "Spindrift 2" is preparing for a new attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy, the world record that leads non-stop around the world. The start and finish is on an imaginary line between the lighthouse on Ushant off Brest and Lizard Point (England), the three capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin, Hoorn) must be left on the port side. The reference time is the record of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds set by Frenchman Francis Joyon and his crew in 2017. With his optimised maxi-trimaran and his eleven-strong French crew, skipper Yann Guichard intends to start the record attempt on the night of Tuesday (3 December) to Wednesday. The crew has around 21,600 nautical miles ahead of them, measured on the great circle.

Yann Guichard and his crew have already attempted to beat the record twice: in 2015 (47:10:59 days) and in 2018, when the team was forced to abort their attempt due to rowing damage near the Kerguelen Islands. Now, however, there is once again a favourable weather window in the North Atlantic that could allow a passage to the equator in around five days.

"We will start on Tuesday morning in La Trinité and cross the start line of the Jules Verne Trophy in Ushant between Tuesday 18:00 and Wednesday 6:00," says Yann Guichard. "We should be able to leave the eastern sector in the Bay of Biscay with a moderate breeze. And then we will benefit from trade winds, but they will be bad in the north of Portugal. We'll have to make a few gybes to get to Madeira before we get into the doldrums."

"The doldrums seem to be more favourable in the east to make good progress into the southern hemisphere," continues Guichard, "as we have seen in recent races such as Transat Jacques Vabre and Brest Atlantiques. We hope to pass the Cape of Good Hope in less than 13 days to be ahead of Francis Joyon's time."

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Video: Spindrift 2 on standby in Newport for the crewed North Atlantic record

Article published on 05/06/2014

By Jean-Christophe Guillaumin

published in n°Previous issues jan. / feb.

After the delivery from La Trinité-sur-mer to Newport, Spindrift 2 arrived on Tuesday after eight days at sea. The trimaran starts its standby for the crewed North Atlantic record but there is no weather window in the next 10 days and icebergs on the route…

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Newport, one of the capitals of the sailing world, has welcomed a new giant. After eight days of a highly instructive delivery from La Trinité-sur-Mer (France), the maxi-trimaran, Spindrift 2, arrived in the famous harbour in Rhode Island on Tuesday late afternoon. Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard and the crew are now entering the critical phase of weather watching and waiting for the right window to launch their attempt on the crewed North Atlantic record between New York and Lizard Point (England). With a time to beat of 3 days, 15 hours and 25 minutes (at an average of 32.94 knots), the challenge is a daunting one and needs optimal sailing conditions. If weather permits, the team will also go for the ‘Zenith by Spindrift racing 24-hour record’ with the aim of improving the impressive existing record of 908 miles, a distance equivalent to two Marseille-Carthage (Tunisia) crossings in 24 hours. Spindrift 2’s elegant black, white and gold 40-metre hulls are attracting plenty or attention. Newport has been part of the history of sailing for a long time, in particular with the America’s Cup but also for oceanic records. Less than 200 miles from New York and Ambrose Light, the beginning of the startline for the record being attempted by Spindrift racing, Rhode Island is well-placed and is a good base with exceptional infrastructure for the technical preparation. “This start of the standby is a very important for the team; we’ve been anticipating and preparing for this deadline for a long time,” Dona Bertarelli, said. “The North Atlantic record has reached such a level that we are pushing the boundaries of technical and sporting excellence while still dealing with the unpredictability of the weather which can be stressful and frustrating. The crew will return home before the start to remain as relaxed as possible while Yann, Erwan Israël (the navigator) and Richard Silvani (the meteorologist) have a big responsibility to choose the best time to leave. The intensity of these challenges reflects the mindset of the team, our dynamism and expertise.” A delivery from the South Before leaving their French base last Monday, the crew decided to take a southerly route to seek out the downwind conditions that they will need for the record attempt and to test the new configuration of the boat, including the modified rig. “We made the right choice in heading south,” Yann Guichard, the skipper said. “We had to almost shave the Canaries before heading west but it was worth it. We were able to collect valuable data in the same angles and strength of wind that we are hoping for (on the record). On the climb to Newport, we also got involved with a very big depression from the north with 35-40 knots of winds, combined with messy five-metre waves. It was ferocious on the boat, I can tell you, but we negotiated the conditions with much more flexibility than before and achieved higher average speeds, which is very encouraging.” 4000-mile flight and a trimaran in perfect condition Despite a busy sporting season with the D35 circuit, the crewed records and the solo Route du Rhum, the Spindrift racing sailors were able to have their best workout ever on the delivery. “There is nothing better than to go 4,000 miles together, getting to know each other better and learning more about Spindrift 2,” Guichard said. “We were sailing over 30 knots all the time, there was lots of shaking, lots noise, the deck was very windy day and night and by their very nature, there is lots on tension on board these multihulls. But everything went well and we didn’t have any ‘boo boos’ for the crew or the boat. We’ll check the structure, but Spindrift 2 seems to be in perfect condition. If we had to, we could have almost left immediately after arriving.” A configuration pushed to the max For the record, the maxi-trimaran will be a tonne lighter than for the delivery. “We are removing the engine but we are also tailoring the boat in anticipation of a crossing on one ‘starboard’ tack (the wind coming from the right),” Guichard, who has already beaten this record twice; in 2006 on board the Bruno Peyron’s catamaran, Orange II, and in 2007 on Franck Cammas’s trimaran, Groupama 3, added. “This involves leaving the foil that won’t be used, plugging the hole and swinging the mast. This is extreme, but the bar (for the record) is so high that it is necessary to optimise everything that we can.” Icebergs on the road The routine of weather vigil are in place. Morning and evening, with every update of the forecast files, Guichard, Israël and Silvani study the routing software to see if a crossing of under 3 days 15 hours is possible. As already announced a few days ago, Armel Le Cléac’h is on standby in New York for the same record, but solo. At the moment there is ice drifting unusually far south, the result of a particularly harsh winter. “We are taking this very seriously,” Guichard said. “The solo record can still be bettered on a route a little further south, like the one taken by Francis Joyon, the current holder. But the crewed record, is a game we have to play in the north on the most direct route and that is where the ice is right now. The water is warming up and it is getting more and more suitable every day, but for now, there are no start windows in the next 10 days.”

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As for their record attempt this time around, skipper Yann Guichard and his crew of 11 aren’t off to a record-setting start, having sailed into light winds across the Bay of Biscay before reaching the stronger northerly breeze associated with the Portuguese Trades. Furthermore, she appears to be sailing directly through the Traffic Separation Scheme off Cape Finisterre as this article is being written. While we won’t claim to be experts on this matter, we do recall several notable incidents in which boats were either protested or fined for very similar infractions. Given the deep pockets of the Bertarelli family, which owns Spindrift 2, we can only speculate that the team is very well aware of their infraction and potential legal fees and simply does not care, as they are attempting to set a record. They can certainly afford any legal fees and fines that may come their way.

A Winner in the Brest Atlantiques

Just a dozen or so hours after Spindrift 2 started their record attempt, another journey was drawing to a close, as Franck Cammas, Charles Caudrelier and media man Yann Riou onboard the 105-ft trimaran  Maxi Edmond de Rothschild were tacking upwind to the finish in light air off Brest to claim victory in the inaugural Brest Atlantiques , a 14,000-mile doublehanded race around the Atlantic that started nearly a month ago . Having pulled well clear of their rivals during their ascent of the Atlantic, the trio of Volvo Ocean Race winners made history not only in claiming victory in this inaugural race, but also in fully realizing the potential of the very first multihull designed from the ground up to fully foil across oceans.

Behind the victorious trio, François Gabart and Gwenole Gahinet’s MACIF holds a narrow advantage over Yves le Blevec and Spaniard Alex Pella’s Actual Leader in the race for second place.

IDEC Sport’s Asian Tour

Half a world away from France, the very boat that holds the Trophée Jules Verne record now currently under attack, Francis Joyon and a crew of four onboard the 105-ft  IDEC Sport have established another new reference time. IDEC Sport has sailed into Vietnam to establish a new record from Mauritius to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, a highly unusual route. On a route of more than 4,000 miles across the Indian Ocean and South China Sea (more than 5,400 miles sailed), the five sailors took 12 days, 20 hours and 37 minutes to sail the course, which included highly complex and challenging light-air sailing through much of Malaysia and Indonesia.

The record attempt was more of a delivery than anything, as the team is on its way to Hong Kong to attempt to break Giovanni Soldini and Maserati’s recently established China Tea Trade record from Hong Kong to London, which stands at just a bit over 36 days.

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Published on April 8th, 2014 | by Editor

Spindrift: World’s largest racing trimaran

Published on April 8th, 2014 by Editor -->

After three months of ambitious boatbuilding, the 40-meter trimaran Spindrift 2 was re-launched this month in Lorient, France. As the largest racing trimaran in the world, it has been optimised for the demanding program that is planned for 2014.

The Spindrift Racing team, led by Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard, will be on standby in the United States from the start of June, waiting in Newport for a good window to tackle two prominent crewed records the boat had previously set (as Banque Populaire V) by Pascal Bidegorry in August 2009.

Spindrift 2 will seek to better the 2880nm Transatlantic Record (New York City to Lizard Point) of 3d 15h 25 min 48s (32.94 knots) and the 24 hour distance record of 908 miles (37.84 knots).

To appreciate this maxi trimaran, acclaimed sailing writer G. Bruce Knecht joined the team prior to the refit. Here is his report…

Sunrise was still an hour away when I arrived in the port of Lorient. At first, it was difficult to see much of anything. Three 131-foot-long hulls and a towering mast were jet black, as were the uniforms of the crewmen, who moved about with the help of head-mounted flashlights.

“Welcome to the world’s largest racing trimaran,” Bertarelli said as I stepped aboard.

Named for the spray of water launched by the hulls as they charge through the sea at speeds that were, until recently inconceivable for a large sail-powered vessel, Spindrift 2, is as fast as the catamarans that began racing for the America’s Cup the same week I was in Lorient. And it has far greater endurance: In 2012, its previous owner and former namesake, French financial institution Banque Populaire, sailed the boat around the world in an astonishing 45 days, breaking another record set by Franck Cammas, who did it in 48 days in 2010.

Bertarelli–whose fortune came from Serono, the Italian pharmaceutical giant founded by her grandfather–caused a stir when she purchased the boat in January 2013, in part because a female owner and co-skipper would be rarity in the male-dominated world of yacht racing. And there was her familial connection to the sport: Her billionaire brother Ernesto founded and led the Swiss team that won the America’s Cup in 2003 and 2007.

“I ended up getting really excited about competitive sailing,” she told me of her brother’s influence,” and being a spectator wasn’t enough.”

The story also has a romantic dimension. Bertarelli’s co-skipper would be her partner, French yachtsman Yann Guichard. Their relationship began a few years earlier when Bertarelli hired Guichard to serve as coach for a catamaran she raced with an all-female crew on Lake Geneva.

“Yann and I wanted to have a common project,” Bertarelli said in explaining her decision to buy Spindrift 2. “It would take a year and a half to design something like this one and another year and a half to build it. This boat was launched in 2008 and it’s still very competitive. If we can find ways to improve its performance, we believe we have a window of four to five years to break some records.”

The goal for the day was to perfect various techniques and enhance the crew’s cohesiveness. First, though, they had to get the boat away from the dock. With its 75-foot width, Spindrift 2 is an awkward best, something like a sumo wrestler in a teashop, which is why we had to assemble so early. The forecast called for heavy wind later in the day, which would not be a problem except for the need to exit a narrow waterway beforehand.

As a trio of tenders–each powered by an engine with at least 150 horsepower–worked like little tugboats to guide Spindrift 2 away from the dock, Guichard was standing at one of the two large steering wheels. They are positioned at opposite sides of the boat so that the helmsman can always steer from the windward hull, the one that lifts out of the water when the breeze is good.

Once we cleared the harbor, when the wind speed was 12 knots, Guichard asked the 14-person crew to raise the 4,800-square-foot mainsail and a smaller headsail. As the sails filled, the port hull levitated from the water and we accelerated rapidly. We were soon moving at twice the speed of the wind. If that’s a concept that’s difficult to grasp, another fact of super-fast sailing was all too apparent: You do not want to fall off the boat. “After two minutes in the water, it would be impossible to see the person in the water,” Bertarelli told me. “After five, that person wouldn’t be able to see the boat.”

As we sailed away from the coast, we were moving so quickly that seagulls could not begin to keep pace, and before long, we had lost sight of land. When we were 28 miles off the coast, Guichard turned the helm over to me.

I have loved sailing ever since my grandfather launched me in a dinghy in Edgartown Harbor when I was nine years old. Since then, I have sailed relatively small–and slow–boats whenever I got the chance. I have some experience on larger boats. My first book, The Proving Ground, was about the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race, the tragic competition in which several boats sank and six sailors died. When I was researching the book, I sailed on Brindabella, the 75-footer that played a central role in the story, during short races in Sydney Harbor. In 2005, I was aboard the large single-hull sailboat Mari-Cha IV when it broke the 100-year-old transatlantic race record. But most of my sailing is on a 28-foot sloop, which rarely leaves the protected waters of Long Island Sound. Going fast means seven knots.

The basic task of steering Spindrift 2–maintaining a course that took us generally where we wanted to go while taking maximum advantage of the wine–was fundamentally no different than on my boat, but the extraordinary speed meant that I had to rely on a digital readout of the wind’s direction rather than how it felt as it crossed my face. Spindrift 2’s speed was intoxicating–though it inevitably led to a desire for even more. I could not resist making frequent checks of another digital indicator, the one showing our speed. I was able to keep it close to 30 knots, and at one point I got it up to 35.4–or 41 miles per hour–which turned out, to my great surprise, to be our top speed of the day.

The speed produced a cacophony of sound. The shrouds were not just whistling but also were causing sections of the boat’s carbon-fiber structure to vibrate. The deck on which I was standing made an audible thumbing noise every few seconds, which I also felt through the soles of my shoes. A particularly arresting sound came from the rudder mounted on the back of the hull nearest to me. When I was doing my job well, this hull and the entire length of the rudder flew above the water. When I slipped up, the hull dropped down a bit and the rudder pierced the surface of the water to produce a loud hiss that sounded like that of an angry cat. It was a sound I enjoyed–more dramatically than the speed indicator, it gave proof to our remarkable pace–but it also seemed a bit like chastisement, or perhaps a warning.

There is no getting around the fact that Spindrift 2’s speed carries risks. Things could go wrong, in seconds. Structural elements could break. Was that thumping at my feet an indication of trouble? And then there is the ultimate fear: The boat could capsize.

Last June, Guichard was racing another boat owned by Bertarelli, a MOD70 trimaran, off the coast of Ireland when a sudden gust caused it to overturn. The mast crumbled and a member of the crew, Guichard’s brother Jacques, suffered a broken pelvis.

We had a close call as we sped off the coast of France. It came after the wind gusted from 18 knots to 33, which caused the windward hull to rise much too far out of the water. The crewman who should have released the headsail was slow in doing so, so the boat tipped further and further until the mast was 21 degrees beyond vertical. By then, Guichard, who was at the wheel, was unable to steer. Turning the wheel had no effect. Spindrift 2 was out of control. Guichard has a reputation for never losing his cool, but he was clearly worried as he shouted instructions and pulled at the wheel in a futile attempt to turn toward the source of the wind.

Eventually, when the headsail was eased, the hulls fell back toward the water, averting catastrophe. Nobody talked about the incident until later, when we were back at the dock and Guichard spoke about the day’s lessons learned, but it was a haunting moment.

It was impossible not to think about how the dangers would compound with even stronger gusts and at night during an ocean crossing. As we headed back to shore, I asked Bertarelli, who has three children with her former husband, plus a multibillion-dollar fortune, why she chose to risk it all rather than spending her time on a luxurious yacht or at her home in Gstaad, the gilded Swiss mountain village where she owns the elegant Grand Hotel Park. Her answer, predictably, was all about speed.

“On this boat, you can actually feel the acceleration–there’s a kind of kick–and that’s something you just don’t get on a traditional monohull sailboat,” she said. “When you’re on a multihull, you actually have the sense of flight.”

Republished from Rhapsody , the United Airlines inflight magazine

Editor’s note: Following Bruce’s excursion with the team, Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard led the maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 to beat the 3885-mile Discovery Route record, setting a new time of 6 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes and 21 seconds at an average speed of 24.5 knots. The route extends from Cadiz, Spain to San Salvador in the Bahamas, but must pass through the Canary Islands. Full report .

Tags: Bruce Knecht , Dona Bertarelli , records , Spindrift 2 , Yann Guichard

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

Discussion in ' Multihulls ' started by Skip JayR , Nov 8, 2015 .

Skip JayR Tri Enthusiast

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  

Follow the event via live tracker, newsletter... 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: http://www.spindrift-racing.com/jules-verne/en/live  

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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  

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The clock is ticking... 5 1/2 hours ago the Spindrift2 Team passed the start line early morning on Sunday 22nd Nov... 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 !  

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IDEC: Spindrift2's direct concurrent 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.  

Spindrift team Jules Verne Trophy record attempt

Francis joyon and the idec team depart in their attempt to claim jules verne trophy, jules verne trophy.

Jules Verne Trophy: history costs money!

Sodebo and Gitana 17 set off on Jules Verne Record attempt

Trophée Jules Vernes 2020

Francis joyon to attempt to better crewed jules verne record onboard the former g3, spindrift racing to challenge jules verne record in 2015, banque populaire v-jules verne record attempt- 11/21/11, banque populaire / sodebo round the world / trophee jules verne.

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