Since setting off on his solo round the world voyage on 4 November 2017, François Gabart has been sailing past Ecuador behind his predecessor Thomas Coville. However, since then, he has been pressing on the accelerator and has made up his deficit, even 836 miles ahead of the round the world record-breaker. Passing the equator on Friday 10th November after 5 days 20 hours and 45 minutes, with a slight deficit of 3 h 34 on Thomas Coville's time one year earlier, he hurled himself down the equator-Cape des Aiguilles section at very high speed.
It thus entered the Indian Ocean this Thursday morning at 8.25 a.m. (it had previously rounded the Cape of Good Hope at 6.15 a.m.) after 11 days 22 hours and 20 minutes, i.e. 2 days 6 hours and 24 minutes ahead of sodebo's transit time in 2016 ...from whom he will have taken back almost two and a half days in the South Atlantic.
However, in addition to beating Thomas Coville, François Gabart set himself the best absolute time, solo and crewed, on this Ushant-Cap des Aiguilles section. Indeed the skipper of Macif is doing better than Banque Populaire V who, in 2011 on the Jules Verne Trophy with 14 crew aboard, took 11 days 23 hours and 49 minutes to enter the Indian Ocean, a differential of 1 hour and 29 minutes in favour of the blue and white trimaran.
In all, François Gabart will have taken 6 days 1 hour and 35 minutes to sail down the South Atlantic, once again a new absolute reference time, since Banque Populaire V, the fastest boat on the equator-Cap des Aiguilles section so far, took 6 days 8 minutes and 54 seconds in 2011, while Thomas Coville's time in 2016 was 8 days 11 hours and 33 minutes!
To reach such speeds, Macif benefited from ideal conditions, with a St. Helena High off to the east and a good low off Argentina to push it along, which enabled it to "cut the cheese" instead of having to go around it along the South American coast. Now in the Indian Ocean, he will have to maintain his lead as Thomas Coville last year signed up for an express and record (solo) crossing of the Indian in 8 days 12 hours and 19 minutes.
