The IDEC SPORT Maxi Trimaran continues to dash across the Southern Ocean and harvest more records. Although the latest is not an officially ratified one, it does reveal the full extent of the feat they are accomplishing in this Jules Verne Trophy. After Leeuwin two days ago, the record to Tasmania was grabbed during the night. Previously held by Yann Guichard and Dona Bertarelli’s Spindrift 2, Joyon, Pella, Surtel, Gahinet, Stamm and Audigane are the new holders with a time of 18 days, 18 hours and 31 minutes, quite an improvement over the 20 days, 4 hours and 37 minutes set last year by the world’s largest racing trimaran and her crew of fourteen.
IDEC SPORT has made a thundering entry into the Pacific with a lead of more than 1060 miles over her virtual rival, Banque Populaire V. This lead should stabilise over the coming hours, as Loïck Peyron and his crew of 13 had a good day in this part of the course. After slowing due to rougher seas, Joyon and his men have stepped up the pace again sailing more than 800 miles a day, with average speeds above 35 knots. Less than a thousand miles from the International Date Line, IDEC SPORT will at her current pace have crossed the halfway point tomorrow evening. They will have caught part of the Vendée Globe fleet which set sail from Les Sables d’Olonne six weeks before they took off from Ushant.
