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An obsession to beat the 40-day record
The Jules Verne Trophy record, held by Francis Joyon since 2017 (40 d 23 h 30 min), remains one of the most emblematic in ocean racing. After two aborted attempts in 2020 and 2024, Thomas Coville is relaunching the machine, buoyed by a second-place finish in the Transat Café l'Or. The goal remains the same: to beat the reference time, with a hydrofoil trimaran reconfigured in crew mode.
A short, strategic weather window
The stand-by will start around December 12, and run until January 15, 2026. Ideally, we'd like to reach the Cape of Good Hope in less than 12 days, so that we're in line with the right weather timetable for the south.
The same sailors are on board as for the last attempt: Benjamin Schwartz, Frédéric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, Léonard Legrand, Guillaume Pirouelle, Nicolas Troussel and, of course, Thomas Coville. Routing will be provided by Philippe Legros and Simon Fisher, with onboard weather monitoring piloted by Chris, Coville and Troussel.
A bold approach
it's a story we want to write together," says Thomas Coville. We have to dare to try. We want to beat this record, and to do so, we have to try again. We're giving ourselves the means to go all the way. "
The start can be given at any time until January 15. Then it's on to the southern hemisphere and its large swells, in a race against the world's clock.
