Setting out from Brest on Sunday 20th November last in an attempt to beat the Jules Verne Trophy record, Francis Joyon and his crew finally gave up. Right from the start, they were more than 200 miles behind the record holder ( Loïck Peyron and thirteen crew members in 45 d 13 h 42 min and 53 in 2012). But they had finally made up the miles.
This Sunday 27th November, Francis Joyon agreed with his team-mates and his shore router Marcel van Triest, to interrupt his attempt. Idec Sport is now making a U-turn to reach Brest and wait for a new, more favourable window for the next start.
A particularly active doldrums, wide and constantly moving along the route of the maxi-trimaran Idec Sport is preventing Francis Joyon and his men from hoping to make an effective connection with the low pressure systems in the South Atlantic, which are favourable for achieving a correct time in Good Hope, and putting them in the best possible position to hope to beat the record of Banque Populaire V .
From now on, Francis Joyon and his 5 crew are heading for the tip of Brittany, which they hope to reach next weekend. As soon as they arrive, the trimaran will enter a new stand-by phase, ready to set off again for a new attempt.
"Between squalls of unheard-of violence and long, totally devented moments, I thought a lot yesterday before asking Marcel van Triest about the opportunity to continue our attempt. It turns out that with this unpredictable delay at the equator, we won't be able to hook on to the lows in formation off Cape Frio, off Brazil. If we continue on our route, we could well run the risk of arriving in Good Hope with an insurmountable delay. We're not giving up. The possibility of turning back is part of this kind of challenge, and we've been talking about it ever since we left Brest last weekend. We're going to cross the doldrums again to reach Brest next Sunday and start a new stand-by" explains Francis.
