At the age of 59, Francis Joyon wants to be the first sailor to achieve a double in ocean racing: solo round-the-world record and crewed round-the-world record. Already holder of the first record, he will set off on board the ex-Groupama 3 of Franck Cammas, holder of the Jules Verne Trophy in 2010 and of the last two editions of the Route du Rhum, now the maxi-multihull Idec Sport.
Beating the record held by Loïck Peyron
In 2012, Loïck Peyron and his crew set the Jules Verne Trophy record on board Banque Populaire V in 45 days, 13 hours, 22 minutes and 53 seconds. The Jules Verne Trophy is a round-the-world voyage around the three capes, crewed, non-stop and without assistance, which is the dream of many sailors. It was Bruno Peyron who set the reference time in 1993 after 79 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes and 46 seconds. Since then, Francis Joyon has been dreaming of completing this round-the-world race, which he knows well since he has already completed it twice single-handed, both times setting the absolute record. " I have closely followed all the attempts since 1993. Each time, I have admired the sailors who set off on this crewed round-the-world voyage. Now it's my turn to tackle this fascinating adventure!" explains the navigator.
In 2008, Francis Joyon set the record in 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 6 seconds, which has not been dethroned for the moment. It is also one of the best times ever achieved around the world, including the crew. The three boats with the best time are Orange II in 2005 (50 days), Groupama 3 in 2010 (48 days) and Banque Populaire V (45 days) in 2012, but they had 10 men on board.
The maxi-trimaran Idec Sport, a record breaker
To achieve this record, Francis Joyon is counting on his new boat, which has many victories to its credit. Ex- Groupama 3 and then Banque Populaire VII the maxi-trimaran is the holder of the Jules Verne Trophy from 2010 to 2012 and the last two Route du Rhum, in the hands of Cammas and then Loïck Peyron. " Challenging the Jules Verne Trophy will be all the more exciting as I'll be discovering a bigger boat than my previous trimaran IDEC (31.50 m as opposed to 29.70 m), with an enormous potential for speed," says Francis. Groupama 3 completed the round the world voyage in 48 days with less than ideal weather. The boat has the potential to gain several days and improve on the current record. It's very promising."
A round-the-world trip with a crewâ?¦ but reduced
On his new trimaran, Francis Joyon has opted for a small rig, usually used for solo sailing. On board, the crew will be composed of 6 people maximum, unlike the 10 crew members of Groupama and the 12 people on board Banque Populaire V . "The small mast is more effective and efficient from 20 knots of wind and allows the boat to be healthier and to pass better in the sea. In addition, the fact that we have a smaller crew makes it easier to operate on board and to play the lightness card. Light, the new IDEC SPORT trimaran is a fighter plane" justifies Joyon.
The reference times of the Round the World crewed race :
- 1993 : Bruno Peyron on Commodore Explorer (Catamaran) : 79d 6h 15min 56s
- 1994: Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston on Enza (Cata): 74d 22h 17min 22s
- 1997 : Olivier de Kersauson on Sport Elec (Trimaran) : 71d 14h 22min 8s
- 2002 : Bruno Peyron on Orange (Catamaran) : 64d 8h 37min 24s
- 2004 : Olivier de Kersauson on Geronimo (Trimaran) : 63d 14h 59 min 46s
- 2004 : Steve Fossett on Cheyenne (Catamaran) : 58d 9h 32 min 45s
- 2005 : Bruno Peyron on Orange 2 (Catamaran) : 50d 16h 20min 4s
- 2010: Franck Cammas on Groupama 3 (Trimaran): 48d 7 h44 min 52s
- 2012: Loïck Peyron on the Maxi Banque Populaire V (Trimaran): 45d 13h 42min 53s
