Photo: Mark LLoyd/DPPI pour Sodeb'O

French skipper Thomas COVILLE has set a new multihull solo nonstop North Atlantic crossing record on board the trimaran Sodeb'O, crossing Atlantic ocean from Ambrose Light to Cape Lizard in 5 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds, beating the existing record held by Francis JOYON and IDEC of 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 37 seconds.
Click here for more info

Trimaran Sodeb’O - www.sodebo-voile.com
World Sailing Speed Record Council - www.sailspeedrecords.com

We've already spoken about Thomas Coville not long ago during his attempt to make another record. Click here to know more.


Photo: Francois Van Malleghen/DPPI pour Sodeb'O

Photo: Francois Van Malleghen/DPPI pour Sodeb'O

Ok, I have to admit that this image I've prepared maybe is a little bit Hollywoodian but the more I think about this story, the more it seems to me an incredible and riveting plot.
Right know Joyon is back in the Atlantic Ocean and is going to to crash down the McArthur world record by many days. So it's time to have an update.
If you don't know what I'm speaking about, maybe you would like to read our previous posts about Francis Joyon and Thomas Coville distinct world single-handed no-stop globe circumnavigtion record attempts.

Let's go chronologically and have some clarity:

February 2004: Francis Joyon became the fastest world solo yachtsman, setting a time over 20 days faster than the previous record for a circumnavigation of 72 days 22 hours and 54 minutes and 22 seconds of covering more than 28,000 nautical miles (51,900 km) at an average speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h) on the 90 foot(27.4m) trimaran IDEC. IDEC, formerly known as Sport Electric, had previously taken 71 days to win the Jules Verne Trophy. Joyon took only an extra day on his own with a boat not designed for single-handed sailing, original (over 10 year old) sails and no weather router.

February 2005: Ellen MacArthur beat Francis Joyon's existing world record for a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation. MacArthur in the trimaran B&Q/Castorama sailed 27,354 nautical miles (50,660 km) at an average speed of 15.9 knots. Her time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds beat Joyon's then world record time by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds. This record granted her a world fame never seen for a female sailor.

November 23rd 2007: Francis Joyon set off in IDEC II in an attempt to beat Ellen MacArthur's current world record for a single handed circumnavigation, and therefore putting his name at the top of the list again.

December 17th 2007: Thomas Coville set off in Sodeb'O, while Joyon's attempt is still in action, trying to obtain the same record. The godmather of this attempt is just Ellen MacArthur, the same sailor which record Joyon is going to destroy right now

The actual situation: On December 28th Francis Joyon has rounded Cape Horn and right now he is back in the Atlantic with an advantage of 3400 miles (almost 10 days) on Ellen MacArthur's record.
Thomas Coville has gone through severe problems of lack of wind along the brazilian coasts but right now he has find it again and he also is in advantage in comparison to Ellen MacArthur's record but 4 days behind Francis Joyon.
In the following map you can see the actual position of Coville (red arrow) compared to the virtual positions of MacArthur (yellow arrow) and Joyon (blue arrow) after the same race time (16 days from the start).

Photo: Jacques Vapillon/DPPI pour Sodebo

We have already spoken about the Francis Joyon's attempt to beat the Ellen MacArthur record for a single-handed no stop world circumnavigation. Joyon is sailing really fast and in the Indian Ocean has got already one week advantage on MacArthur's 2005 timetable. But if Joyon's attempt will be crowned with success, its record risks to become one of the briefest in sailing history because another pretender has already started his attempt. I'm speaking about the french sailor Thomas Coville with his MaxiTrimaran "Sodeb'O" that started two days ago from La Trinitè sur mer. It's interesting that the godmother of this project is Ellen MacArthur, the same girl that beated old Joyon's record in 2005, that right now he is trying to take back on board of Idec II. An incredible plot in this story about world records. If you want to know everything about Coville and Sodeb'O attempt, including his constantly updated position, check the official site



Photo: Jacques Vapillon/DPPI pour Sodebo

©Liot-Vapillon / DPPI / Idec

This post is the final part of a long and intriguing story that has taken place in the last two months around the world (literally!)
To read what's happened before click the following chapters:
That strange menage a trois
A record at a record's heels
The absolute adventure

Despite a technical problem that had occured to his Trimaran in the last part of his adventure, Francis Joyon had crushed the previous record of Ellen MacArthur for the single handed no stop world circumnavigation arriving this Sunday in Brest after 57 jours, 13 heures, 34 minutes and 6 secondes, almost two weeks less than MacArthur's time 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds.

And what has happened to Thomas Coville? The other challenger had been forced to abandon his attempt because of a severe damage of his trimaran. His cold comfort is having achieved the world record for distance in 24 hours with 619,3 miles!