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Jules Verne Trophy: Thomas Coville and Sodebo Ultim 3 are back on the hunt for the record
It's a game of patience that's coming to an end. After scrutinizing the weather models for several days, Thomas Coville and his crew received the green light to leave the Lorient pontoon this Monday, December 15, 2025. Their new round-the-world sailing record attempt, part of the Jules Verne Trophy, will set sail overnight from Ushant.
Departure on the night of December 15-16
The timing is precise. This Monday at 11 a.m, Sodebo Ultim 3 has left its base in Lorient. The trimaran will now head for Ushant Island, the starting and finishing point of this legendary round-the-world race. The line, located between the Créac'h lighthouse and Lizard Point, will be crossed during the night. This trajectory is designed to take advantage of a narrow but promising weather window.
The green code issued this morning means that the conditions expected in the North Atlantic, followed by the trade winds and the descent to the Cape of Good Hope, offer realistic potential for beating the reference time. You can follow the record attempt live, via the crew-powered interface.
Goal: beat Francis Joyon's 40-day record
The record to beat is clear: 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds. A time set by Francis Joyon and his crew on IDEC Sport in January 2017. Note that Idec Sport, skippered by Alexia Barrier, is currently trying to complete the same course, but with an all-female crew.
Thomas Coville is no stranger to the exercise. This will be a new attempt for him, after a failure last year, when rudder damage forced the boat's premature retirement. The skipper of Sodebo has never hidden his fascination with this total record, which requires a near-perfect combination of speed, strategy, technical reliability and weather luck.
A well-trained team for an extreme challenge
For this new round-the-world voyage, Thomas Coville is taking on a solid crew. Alongside him is Benjamin Schwartz, co-skipper with whom he finished second in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2025 (Café L'Or). The rest of the crew includes Frédéric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, Léonard Legrand, Guillaume Pirouelle and Nicolas Troussel.
Each of the sailors on board has a solid background in ocean racing, whether in Figaro, IMOCA or multihulls. The challenge is not just to keep up the pace, but to do it 24 hours a day, over three oceans, for more than 40 days, non-stop and with no assistance.
An attempt before a major project
Whatever happens, this Jules Verne Trophy attempt will mark the end of a cycle. At the end of this round-the-world voyage (whether record-breaking or not), Sodebo Ultim 3 will be under construction for the Route du Rhum 2026, Thomas Coville's next major solo race.
The platform, launched in 2019, has since been extensively modified and made more reliable, notably in terms of appendages and flight systems. This Jules Verne Trophy is also a full-scale test of its durability over time. See you in 40 days... or perhaps less.
