Francis Joyon and his 5 crew set off from Brest on 20th November last year in an attempt to win the Jules Verne Trophy. Unfortunately, bad weather conditions had forced the crew of Idec Sport to turn back. Back in Brest on 3rd December, everyone was on the lookout for favourable conditions to set off around the world with a crew.
The routing indicated a weather window during the night of Thursday 15th to Friday 16th December and it was therefore this window that the crew chose to set off from Brest. There are therefore six crew members who have set off around the world, but it is now Sébastien Audigane, an eclectic sailor, renowned for his exceptional qualities as a helmsman and with several round the world voyages under his belt, who is replacing the German Boris Herrmann. Indeed, the latter is concentrating on his 2020 Vendée Globe project.
"Sebastian Audigane to replace Boris Herrmann. He's a local of the stage, since he's from Brest. He has already sailed around the world several times, he knows these big boats well, especially IDEC SPORT on which he has already sailed. He doesn't arrive in unknown territory" explains Francis Joyon.
Sébastien Audigane
The crew is therefore composed of the following sailors: Francis Joyon, Clément Surtel, Gwénolé Gahinet, Bernard Stamm, Sébastien Audigane and Alex Pella.
Francis Joyon and his crew crossed the start line at 9:19 am on the morning of 16th December and must return before 30th January 2017 at 11:00 pm and 53sec to beat the record, which is currently 45 d 13:42 min and 53sec, set in 2012 by Loïck Peyron's crew. The 31 metre trimaran has set off at over 20 knots on the line off Ushant.
"This morning's forecast is a little bit better than last night's. We're likely to reach the favourable northerly wind with less risk of calms. The situation is more comfortable. In terms of weather visibility, we can see clear as far as around 6,000 miles off Uruguay. We're stubborn, the goal remains the same: to be back in less than 45 days. We're not mathematicians, it's always difficult to speak in percentages for this kind of adventure. But we've got a chance, it's already a big one, and we're here to take it! " said Francis Joyon on the pontoons.
