The 3 challenges, Jacques Riguidel's leitmotiv
Jacques Riguidel is passionate about the sea, inhabited by travel and reflection, and who wishes to demonstrate that it is possible to sail differently, that is to say with a minimum of energy. In 2007, he challenged himself to sail around the world on a boat he built with his own hands and to optimize the energy to reach his goal. This year again, he has set himself a new challenge: to sail around the world but against the wind. To achieve this project, he relies on the principle of the 3 challenges:
- Build your own boat, out of wood;
- Sailing without fossil fuel consumption;
- To go around the world in reverse and achieve the best possible time.
A world tour in 3 challenges sponsored by big names
This world tour is already sponsored by Patrick Poivre d'Arvor and Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, the current record holder. The event has been reported in different media: specialized press, television report but for Jacques Riguidel, this is still not enough. He therefore needs new partners to add funds to this incredible adventure and has established a grid of corporate challenges that allows everyone to choose the desired media coverage.
- Doldrums Challenge : Name of the partner displayed on the site ;
- Trade winds challenge name of the partner displayed on the site and visual the boat ;
- Quarantine Challenge name of the partner displayed on the site, visual the boat and advertising on the Internet;
- Round the World Challenge name of the partner displayed on the site, visual the boat, advertising on the Internet and visual on a sail;
- Around the world upside down challenge the boat will bear the name of the partner, visible on the sails and the hull.
The Solaire 34, a wooden ship designed specifically for the challenge
Jacques Riguidel set out to build a wooden prototype, the Solaire 34, a surprisingly small boat for its intended use. The smallest boat ever to sail around the world was 14 meters long, but the Solaire 34 is only 34 feet long, or a little over 10 meters. The wood was also chosen symbolically, protected by epoxy resin and reinforced with fiberglass.
A course in the headwinds
This upside down round-the-world voyage will cover 30,000 miles, or more than 55,000 kilometers, and will be done against the prevailing winds and favorable currents. He will face storms and depression in a crossing that he himself describes as "Everest solo without oxygen and by the North Face" .
A journey made without any fossil fuel
Jacques Riguidel relies on inexhaustible energies, such as solar energy, to carry out his world tour. For him, the advantages are numerous: saving space and weight, reducing costs, reducing the risk of breakdowns... However, it is also a huge risk to rely only on the sun, the wind and the sea...
