January 15, 2019
Jan Guichard dreams of Jules Verne Trophy
Tonight a 40-meter Spindrift 2 maxi-trimaran with skipper Jan Guichard is to leave the French Brest. The goal of the 44-year-old Frenchman and 11 crew members is to set a world record for a world race and get the Jules Verne Trophy.
Favorable weather window Guichard and Co. waited almost two and a half months – from November 5 last year. All this time, the crew of the trimaran was in full combat readiness on the basis of the Spindrift Racing team in Brest. But only now the “good” from meteorologists arrived, because the weather conditions should allow Spindrift 2 to reach the equator in 5 days.
Jules Verne Trophy – Guichard's old dream. But so far he had no luck. In 2016, Spindrift 2 stopped the race when only 2600 miles remained to the finish line, because of the massive anticyclone that would have to be bypassed around the edge.
The next attempt was originally scheduled for November 2017. But meteorologists constantly postponed the start, which eventually was given only on January 6, 2018. However, already at the very beginning of the way, the mast fell near the trimaran …
And now – another attempt. Recall that the 40-meter trimaran was designed by the French design company VPLP in 2006 and originally bore the name Banque Populaire V. In 2012, the team led by Loik Peyron set a world record for the round-the-world race – 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds
Now the record (and, therefore, Jules Verne Trophy) belongs to Francis Juillon, who on IDEC-SPORT trimaran passed around the world in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds.
309 January 15, 2019 # 8724
Chief Editor
