Francis Joyon and his men on "Idec Sport" sail uncompromisingly towards a new Jules Verne fabulous time. On Monday beyond the 60th parallel, today on the way between the 57th and 58th parallel, the six-person crew raced towards the last great cape on their circumnavigation. It was significantly less than 1000 nautical miles to the legendary rock on Tuesday afternoon. The lead over the current Jules Verne record set by the French "Banque Populaire V" in 2012 was around 1,800 nautical miles, 300 of which the "Idec Sport" crew earned on Monday alone. At this point, skippers Francis Joyon, Alex Pella, Sébastien Audigane, Gwénolé Gahinet, Clément Surtel and Bernard Stamm still had to cover 7776 nautical miles to the finish.
26th day at sea: the position on the afternoon of January 10th
The video shows the impressive speed with which "Idec Sport" plows through the Southern Ocean
The so far best 24-hour Etmal of 879 nautical miles makes it clear how fast the trimaran can travel. Cape Horn could already be reached tomorrow. For the approach, Joyon can use every nautical mile he has gained in the deep south, because he reckons with waning winds for the Hoorn Passage. That is why the team has worked its way north from beyond the 60th parallel and is continuing these efforts. With a northerly approach to Tierra del Fuego, Joyon hopes for more thrust after consulting his weather router Marcel van Triest.
The camera takes the audience below deck to the bunks of the "Idec Sport" crew. The sailors report on life on board
The team is looking forward to the Hoorn-Passage, whose members have passed the most notorious landmark more than 15 times, for many reasons. "It's always a big moment. And our racing strategy will change in that moment. We will switch from the previous style, sometimes almost as survival mode, to more comfortable and normal sailing," said Joyon on Tuesday. It will be the fifth Hoorn Passage for the "Idec Sport" skipper.