trimaran idec sport 17

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Idec Sport, the unbeatable trimaran in the Jules Verne and the Route du Rhum

In 2015, Francis Joyon took over Idec Sport, formerly Groupama 3 and Banque Populaire VII, holder of the Jules Verne Trophy in 2010 and the Route du Rhum in 2010 and 2014. On board, he achieved new records, the Jules Verne Trophy in 2017, which he still holds. The following year, he won the 2018 Route du Rhum with only 7 minutes and 8 seconds ahead of François Gabart, making him a legend. This article is part of a feature on one of the most successful trimarans in history.

Building the multihull for the Jules Verne Trophy

After a record-breaking summer 2015 under the name Lending Club 2, Francis Joyon has recovered his trimaran Idec Sport . Arriving in Vannes in early September 2015, the boat entered the yard at Multiplast . Even though the official handover was on September 15, Ryan Breymaier (the skipper of Lending Club 2) and Francis Joyon got a little bit of a head start.

Once in Vannes, the equipment and sails were dismantled and the Lending Club tickets were removed. The minor work following the use of the boat for the record campaign has been taken care of by Lending Club. Francis Joyon , for his part, has identified the improvements to be made in preparation for the Jules Verne Trophy . "The trimaran has been re-configured for a round-the-world race and the hostile seas of the Deep South.

Protection systems for the helmsman and the crew member who is at the winches watching the sheets have been installed. "I find that these posts are too exposed for the seas of the Deep South where it gets very wet. They need to be better protected for watches in those seas, with facilities to hold on and not be swept away by the waves ." explains Francis Joyon.

Credit: JM Liot/DPPI/IDEC

A watermaker and a system for drying boots and oilskins were installed, in order to carry less equipment and save weight. The small mast was adapted and two new sails were installed.

After three weeks of express refit at Multiplast (it was in this same yard that the trimaran Groupama 3 had been built), Idec-Sport âeuros all dressed in red - was launched on October 2, 2015. Put in the colors of Idec Sport, the boat has undergone a major refit, having accumulated 25,000 miles under the name Lending Club 2.

In addition to the work mentioned above, improvements were made such as a removable propeller shaft and a real navigation station inside. After the installation of the centerboard and the rudders, the boat went to Lorient, to be masted.

A word from the architect

"Spindrift 2 and IDEC SPORT will both enter the Jules Verne Trophy stand-by next autumn. The battle between the two crews will be exciting to follow. On the one hand, there will be an overpowered boat and on the other, a "moped" led by a reduced crew . The hypothesis of a victory for IDEC SPORT is quite possible. Light and maneuverable with its small rig, this boat is at ease in the transition zones. It will be able to do well in the descent and ascent of the Atlantic. IDEC SPORT , on the other hand, will be handicapped below 10 knots, but these are marginal conditions on the scale of a Jules Verne Trophy . In the Southern Ocean , if both boats encounter the same conditions, the differences will be minimal. IDEC SPORT is a safe boat on which we can shoot with complete confidence. That said, Spindrift 2 has been very well optimized and will be a formidable competitor.

Credit: JM Liot / DPPI / IDEC Sport

On paper, it will be faster than when it was in the colors of Banque Populaire V. Beating the 45 days of BP V is possible for IDEC SPORT and Spindrift 2. The bar is high, at a level where the weather is becoming preponderant. At the start of a Jules Verne Trophy , we have a fairly clear vision of the weather situation until we round the Cape of Good Hope and enter the Southern Ocean . After that, it's all unknown. The record is often decided on the way back up the Atlantic, so there is a certain amount of luck involved explains Xavier Guilbaud, architect at VPLP.

The Idec Sport trimaran in 10 essential points

1 âeuros The sails the trimaran has 5 sails : The mainsail , a gennaker which is used downwind and three flat sails of different sizes on the front called J1 J2 and J3. The headsails are mounted on furlers, which means that a roller allows them to be rolled around their stays. This is a wise precaution with a small crew , as it is easier than with sails on halyards that would have to be lowered and/or raised at each change.

2 âeuros The foils on each side float, port and starboard, there is a foil or "water wing." This profiled surface, whose immersion depth can be adjusted, provides dynamic lift. In other words, it allows the boat to be lifted off the ground at certain speeds This is the great revolution in sailing boats in recent years. The gains in performance are enormous compared to a boat without these load-bearing appendages.

3 âeuros The central drift : Multihulls do not have a keel . So to avoid "skidding" on the water and moving forward like a crab, IDEC SPORT - like all the big multihulls - is equipped with a long central daggerboard which ensures what the architects call the anti-drift plane.

4 âeuros The mast : IDEC SPORT is configured with its "small" mastâeuros¦ which is still its 33.50 mètres high. The big one was 6 meters higher, but it was necessary to take a reef (reduce the mainsail ) as soon as 20 knots of wind. Triple advantage according to Francis Joyon: equal or even better performance, high mainsail , less risk of breakage, and above all two tons saved compared to the big boat.

5 âeuros The winch columns they are also known as "coffee grinders" and allow you to increase the effort (several speeds) and therefore to turn more easily the winches which are used to trim or ease the halyards and sheets. In addition, they can be used by two crew members, face to face, to combine efforts. The system is obviously disengageable. There is a column on each side of the boat .

Credit: Mer & Media / JB Epron / IDEC

6 âeuros The winches for the port and starboard maneuvering areas on each side of the roof cap, there are two huge winches. They are mostly operated by the columns called "coffee mills" because of the enormous forces exerted on them (often several tons of traction). Just in front of them are the pianos or the ropes which are used for everything: hoisting or lowering the sails, reefing, raising, lowering or adjusting the appendages, etc. It should be noted that these four large winches can also be operated by a simple crank for the rare cases where the tension is lower. There is a fifth winch in the center of the cockpit.

7 âeuros The cap of roof it protects the sailor from the spray, allows the man on stand-by to rest and prevents the water from going down inside the central hull of the boat where the minimalist living quarters of the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran are located.

8 âeuros The rudders these three appendages are the "shovels" that allow IDEC SPORT to be steered. There is a large central one, but also one on each side float. This prevents the boat from stalling when it starts to rise on its foils and is more efficient when one float is in direct contact with the water.

9 âeuros The starboard helm : On the previous IDEC trimarans, there was only one steering wheel, in the center. On this larger one, there is one on each side. On the right side of the boat , the starboard helm is the "steering wheel" used to steer the trimaran when it sails on starboard tack, when the wind comes from the right of the boat .

10 âeuros The side bar on the left side of the boat , the helm is used to steer the trimaran when it is sailing on a tack. That is, when the wind comes from the left of the boat . The helmsman thus faces the sail .

Victory in the Jules Verne Trophy

On December 16, 2016, Francis Joyon set off on the Jules Verne Trophy with a crew of 5 sailors: Clément Surtel, Gwénolé Gahinet , Bernard Stamm , Sébastien Audigane and Alex Pella . Slower at the start, they gained miles throughout the course, passing some of the major capes several days ahead. The last short-handed round-the-world race dates back to Bruno Peyron's record in 1993. Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 8:49 a.m. after 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds, Francis Joyon and all his team win this beautiful victory . Although attempted several times by other crews since 2017, this record still belongs to him.

Victory in the Route du Rhum

A legend is born... While François Gabart on Macif is one of the big favorites in this 2018 Route du Rhum, it is Francis Joyon who is entering the legend . The two sailors were neck and neck throughout the crossing of the Atlantic, with François Gabart leading at the finish. But it was a breathtaking 6-hour finish around Guadeloupe that reshuffled the deck. Francis Joyon wins this 11th edition of the Route du Rhum with a race time of 7 days 14 hours 21 minutes and 47 seconds to complete the 3542 mile course at the speed average speed of 19.42 knots. He also set a new reference time by improving the race time of the 2014 edition (won by Loïck Peyron ) of 46 minutes 45 seconds. Aged 62, he finally enters the history of the race as it is his 7th participation.

An incredible gap âeuros the smallest in the history of the race since the 98 seconds of the first edition âeuros that makes this 40th anniversary of the race in the legendâeuros! A remake of the Birch/Malinovski duel in 1978âeuros!

The other records...

After the Route du Rhum, Francis Joyon continues to break records, including a campaign in Asia in 2019 . He comes back to this edition of the Route du Rhum 2022, because he likes adventure and maybe the weather will give him a nice surprise...

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Around the World in 40 Days

• By Sailing World Staff
• Updated: January 26, 2017

The Maxi Trimaran IDEC SPORT sailed by Francis Joyon, Clément Surtel, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet and Sébastien Audigane won the Jules Verne Trophy, the outright round the world sailing record, this morning. They crossed the finish at 0749hrs UTC on Thursday 26th January 2017. Francis Joyon and his crew sailed the 22,461 theoretical miles in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds, at an average speed of 22.84 knots. Out on the water, they actually sailed 26,412 miles at an average speed of 26.85 knots. They shattered the previous record set by Loïck Peyron and the crew of the maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V by 4 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes and 23 seconds. During this round the world voyage, they smashed no fewer than six intermediate records at Cape Leeuwin, off Tasmania, on the International Date Line, at Cape Horn, at the Equator and off Ushant.

Francis Joyon, Sébastien Audigane, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet, Alex Pella et Clément Surtel have become the fastest round the world sailors in history. Aboard the 31.5m long maxi-trimaran IDEC SPORT , they had a remarkable achievement with some incredible daily performances along the way, such as on the fourteenth day, when they clocked up 894 miles averaging 37.3 knots. For eight days, they sailed more than 800 miles and seven over 700 miles. Aboard the muiltihull designed in 2005 for a crew of twelve, Francis, Clément, Alex, Seb, Gwéno and Bernard have made it all look so simple, working perfectly together.

“We set sail on 16th December, uncertain about the outcome, » explained the youngest member of the crew, Gwénolé Gahinet. After aborting their first attempt a few days before because of a hold-up in the Doldrums, Francis Joyon and his men set off again on 16th December, wondering about how the weather systems would evolve in the South Atlantic. Very early on, they showed what they could do and by the fifth day of racing had gained a lead of more than 210 miles over the record. But in the Doldrums, which never seemed to want to help the red and grey maxi trimaran, they suffered in an area of thunderstorms, huge wind shifts and calms. Averaging just 6.4 knots on 21st December, IDEC SPORT was to have their worst day there, sailing just 186 miles in 24 hours. They got further and further behind the pace of their virtual rival, Banque Populaire V and when they entered the roaring forties on the eleventh day, were 755 miles behind.

A huge achievement in the Southern Ocean

IDEC SPORT managed to find her way around the edge of the calms in the St. Helena high, cutting across the South Atlantic to hop onto a Southern low. They moved towards this system from the north-east and Joyon and his men would stay ahead of that system, taking advantage of strong NW’ly winds for eleven days, when the speed would rarely drop below thirty knots. With peak speeds of more than 44 knots, Joyon’s gang sailed straight across the inhospitable Southern Ocean passing the Cape of Good Hope, then Leeuwin with just 4 days and 9 hours between the two capes. By 4th January, they had extended their lead over the title-holder to a day and a half, as they passed to the south of Tasmania. One Australian fan pointed out that they had taken just two days to pass under Australia, “which you can’t even do in a car!” Just over a week later, Alex, Seb, Gwéno, Francis, Bernard and Clément clocked up another record at Cape Horn leaving Banque Populaire V 4 days and 6 hours behind IDEC SPORT .

Dealing intelligently with the South Atlantic

While Loïck Peyron and his men had a quick climb back up the South Atlantic, IDEC SPORT had to deal with a series of classic weather patterns. Once past the Falklands, a deep low appeared off Argentina, offering Joyon and his crew a nasty swell hitting them head on and SW’ly winds. They had to find a compromise between pushing hard to make headway north and preserving the boat. There were three possible routes off the south of Brazil with a series of transition zones. They could look for wind out to the east or sail upwind close to Brazil. Joyon with the support of his router, Marcel van Triest, chose a middle route to head north, which meant they had decent weather to pass Cape Frio and pick up the SE’ly trade winds. They then had to face the Doldrums again for the fourth time in two months. Living up to its bad reputation, this slowed the maxi-trimaran IDEC SPORT in a calm patch, where although there was no thundery activity, the wind was very light. Once again, the analysis from Francis and Marcel suggested going around the outside a long way west and north of Fortaleza to enter the Northern Hemisphere. They pulled it off. “we never got entirely stopped,” exclaimed Joyon when he found the trade winds.

A final triumphant sprint

Off the Cape Verde Islands, the wind gradually came around with the trade winds offering IDEC SPORT a good angle and wind strength to approach the south of the Azores. Once again, Joyon and Co hopped onto the train and set off at speed for Brittany. They were back up to high speeds in excess of thirty knots to draw a parabola from NE Brazil to Brittany.

Intermediate times:

Equator: 5 days, 18 hrs, 59 minutes, or 4 hrs and 3 minutes behind Banque Populaire V Good Hope: 12 days, 19 hrs, 28 minutes, or 21 hrs and 40 minutes behind Banque Populaire V Cape Agulhas: 12 days, 21 hrs, 22 minutes, or 21 hrs, 34 minutes behind Banque Populaire V Cape Leeuwin: 17 days, 6 hrs, 59 minutes, or 16 hrs and 58 minutes ahead of Banque Populaire V Tasmania: 18 days, 18 hrs and 31 minutes, or 1 day, 12 hrs and 43 minutes ahead of Banque Populaire V Cape Horn: 26 days, 15 hrs and 45 minutes, or 4 days and 6 hrs ahead of Banque Populaire V Equator: 35 days 4 hrs and 9 minutes, or 2 days, 22 hrs and 36 minutes ahead of Banque Populaire V Equator – Ushant: 5 days, 19 hrs, 21 minutes

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Tea Route ~ IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran

the Tea Route, for which the reference time has been held since 2018 by the Italian, Giovanni Soldini and the crew of the Maserati trimaran, who completed the voyage in 36 days, two hours and 37 minutes.

To beat the record, Joyon and his crew have to finish in London by 11:36:58 on Sunday 23rd February.

The fourth Act of the IDEC SPORT Asian Tour, the Tea Route is without doubt the longest and hardest of the races. A voyage of around 17,500 miles lies ahead of the IDEC SPORT red maxi-trimaran, which won the last Route du Rhum when sailed solo and is still holder of the Jules Verne Trophy for the crewed round the world record.

Moderate conditions for the start

Francis Joyon never likes to hang around on stand-by waiting for the ideal weather opportunity. With countless records under his belt, he has often proved that his intuition was enough to achieve his goal.

Soon after returning to China by plane last week and following on from some pleasant PR operations with the Chinese in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Francis and his crew of four, Antoine Blouet, Christophe Houdet, Bertrand Delesne and his son, Corentin, decided to cast off on Saturday morning and cross the start line for this new adventure in the IDEC Sport Asian Tour, an attempt to beat the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London. The start took place in moderate conditions, with the monsoon generating 15-knot NE’ly winds along the coast of China.

An initial phase that looks interestingly complicated

“The weather opportunity is not that extraordinary, but it suits us.” How many times have we heard Francis say those words as he sets off to tackle a record that he ends up beating? He is off to the open seas again on this return voyage back to Europe in record mode with a crew. On the way out, there were three stages in the trip – Mauritius, Ho Chi Minh City and Shenzhen, but this time, he will be doing the trip in one go with the trade winds cooperating on paper, but that may not be the case.

The studies carried out over the past few hours by Christian Dumard, his weather assistant, reveal a number of hurdles, starting with the crossing of the Equator around Singapore, and the passage through the Sunda Strait joining the Sea of China with the Indian Ocean, where there is usually the worrying combination of calms and strong head currents. The start of the race is likely to be slow according to Francis and his men, who believe they will reach the south of the Malaysian Peninsula in just over four days.

A tricky Indian Ocean

In the Indian Ocean in December there were powerful NE’ly trade winds, which forced IDEC SPORT to extend the voyage by almost 1500 miles sailing down close to the coast of Australia, but now there are rough seas with a series of low-pressure systems disturbing the steady flow.

The situation changes quickly and Francis with his enthusiastic crew who understand the secrets of the maxi-trimaran, which has won the Route du Rhum three times and holds the Jules Verne record, hope to reach the Cape of Good Hope within the record time set by Giovanni Soldini. They are going to have to pray to the wind gods that the cyclones off the coast of Mozambique do not upset their plans.

Speed and dealing with transitions are going to be key in the Indian Ocean, which should be fascinating intellectually and physically demanding. They are going to have to watch out for the Agulhas Current at the southern tip of Africa. Combined with the westerly winds, it could force IDEC SPORT to come to a halt, similar to that experienced by Lionel Lemonchois’s maxi-catamaran, Gitana 13 back in 2008, when he successfully completed the record.

There is plenty to keep them busy after that with the South and North Atlantic, where in both cases they will have to get around huge high-pressure systems. “Rounding Saint Helena by the north and east looks like being the best solution for the moment,” explained Christian Dumard. “This means sailing along the coast of Namibia.” Then they face the Doldrums, Azores, the Bay of Biscay, the Engliish Channel and the Thames Estuary… so many episodes to come in the great adventure that lies ahead for Francis and his men.

by Agence Mer & Media

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Published on February 19th, 2020 | by Editor

IDEC SPORT shatters Tea Route Record

Published on February 19th, 2020 by Editor -->

London, England (February 19, 2020) – The 31.5m IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran sailed by Francis Joyon, Bertrand Delesne, Christophe Houdet, Antoine Blouet, and Corentin Joyon completed the Tea Route voyage between Hong Kong and London this morning, crossing the finish under the QE II Bridge which spans the Thames at 07:37:33 hrs UTC.

Their race time, which is the new record over this distance (but must be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council), is 31 days, 23 hours, 36 minutes and 46 seconds. Joyon’s crew have beaten the record previously held by the Italian skipper, Giovanni Soldini (MOD70 Maserati) by 4 days, 3 hours, 0 minutes and 26 seconds.

The maxi trimaran divided by three the time it took the big clippers in the second half of the 19th Century to sail this route, as they fought a trade battle to be the first to bring the leaves for the revered brew back to London. Throughout the 15,873 nautical miles sailed out on the water at an average speed of 20.7 knots, the maxi trimaran went through almost all the wind, sea, sun and temperature conditions imaginable with a series of surprises and unexpected hurdles, as they sailed sometimes smoothly and sometimes in highly uncomfortable conditions.

The China Sea, the Indian Ocean, The South and North Atlantic together represent a voyage halfway around the world. A voyage that the five sailors accomplished in record time, pushing back the boundaries in terms of performance, while at the same time showing tender love and affection to their venerable boat launched back in 2006. This feat for IDEC SPORT is added to her three victories in the Route du Rhum and alongside the Jules Verne Trophy which she holds.

Almost a day and a half ahead at the Cape of Good Hope Living up to their reputation, Francis Joyon and his men did not stay on stand by to await the perfect weather opportunity. On January 18, they decided with the benediction of their weather advisor, Christian Dumard, to cast off and leave the huge urban conurbations of Hong Kong and Shenzhen behind them, as they were clearly eager to be back at sea enjoying the confined living conditions aboard their big trimaran.

The southern part of the China Sea and the voyage along the coast of Borneo and Java were particularly inhospitable a few weeks earlier on their way out for the men on IDEC SPORT, with frustrating calms, banks of mist, and countless floating obstacles lying in wait around the hundreds of islands and rocks of Indonesia.

But on this voyage home, the conditions were very different with a NE’ly breeze propelling IDEC SPORT on an efficient route towards the Sunda Strait, which is the gateway to the Indian Ocean between Sumatra and Java. Joyon arrived there with a lead of almost 300 miles over the record after 4 days of magical, fast sailing. The crew were enchanted by the long paradise beaches of white sands in Malaysia.

IDEC SPORT entered the Indian Ocean with a certain apprehension due to the threat far off the coast of Madagascar of the arrival of tropical cyclones. The trade wind, which had been so powerful on the way out a month earlier, had left the Indian Ocean and so they had to dive a long way south to find their salvation. At a latitude of 35 degrees South, Joyon’s team was able once again to enjoy the incomparable light of the Indian Ocean and Corentin was able for the first time to observe with some amazement his first albatrosses.

Roaring across the ocean for eight days at over an average speed of over 25 knots, IDEC SPORT increased her lead over the record to 824 miles, before slowing down to tackle the tricky rounding of the Cape of Good Hope. At 14 days, 17 hours and 29 minutes after setting sail from Hong Kong, and having sailed 7590 miles averaging 21.7 knots, they had a lead over the record of 1 day, 8 hours and 56 minutes.

This margin was pleasing for the crew after two weeks exposed to the moods of the Indian Ocean, which offered them a bumpy ride from start to finish: “The Indian Ocean is full of secrets, and we weren’t able to discover them all,” admitted Joyon. “It had moods, which did not correspond in the slightest to what we had seen on the weather charts. We were sailing against the weather systems.”

With areas of high pressure they had to get around and lows which they coped with often by sailing with the wind on the beam or even upwind, IDEC SPORT bounced from one system to another, shaken up by the violent fronts as they passed over. The short-handed crew were kept busy at all times setting the sails and above all responding quickly but cautiously to the brutal wind changes on seas causing the big trimaran to raise her bows and floats right up.

The South Atlantic unwilling to cooperate Getting back into the Atlantic was a moment of relief. It is true that they had been fast in the Indian Ocean, but they experienced conditions that punished the boat as they headed into the westerly swell. The men on IDEC SPORT were faced with two options. They could choose a route close to the coast of Namibia, as Giovanni Soldini did two years earlier, or try to find a way through the Doldrums close to the coast of Brazil.

Considering the options, Joyon was not happy with the thought of the conditions he would face in the Gulf of Guinea. On February 3 with a comfortable lead of 740 miles, decided to head towards the NW and Saint Helena with her strange volcanic silhouette, which looks like Napoleon’s hat.

The rounding of the High of the same name went without hitch and offered the rare pleasure of speeding along close to the mysterious island. But the South Atlantic had not finished yet with the intrepid sailors. The high stretched out around the Equator in latitude and in longitude. Thanks to the intrinsic speed of his IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran, Joyon took up the challenge and decided to head even further west.

However, that was when a small low developed right in front of their bows as they headed towards Brazil. IDEC SPORT had no other choice but to round it via the east, bringing to an end the initial strategy. That was the start of a period of torture with moments of light airs, occasional squalls and as they approached the Equator, huge areas with absolutely no wind at all.

Their comfortable lead melted away like snow in the sunshine and at dawn on February 12, IDEC SPORT found herself 84 miles behind the pace set by her virtual rival. Although the Doldrums were not that powerful, they had stretched right out at 25 degrees West and the sticky conditions seemed to want to cling on to the giant trimaran.

“In a South Atlantic like this, we would never have beaten the Jules Verne Trophy record!” exclaimed the skipper, unusually disconcerted. But the NE’ly trade winds were there. Joyon and his men were pleased to be back in the North Atlantic and on their way home. IDEC SPORT was off again and immediately stepped up the pace.

The rest fell into place in text book style. Joyon and his sailors were aiming to pass by the Western Azores and managed to cross the high at its narrowest point to be able to hop onto the strong NW’ly air stream racing towards Europe. The gains came as quickly as the losses had wiped out their lead.

In five days, they regained their 800-mile lead, which they had lost near Ascension Island. After just over a month of sailing, IDEC SPORT sped past the Lizard and tackled the final stretch of her epic voyage which involved sailing up the English Channel and entering the Thames.

Tough to the end Nothing ever comes easy to Francis Joyon in spite of appearances, and his greatest achievements always feature unforeseen moments, where things start to look impossible. In those final, crucial hours of sailing in the English Channel and the Thames Estuary, where there were so many traps lying in wait, IDEC SPORT had to sail as if blind.

Having run out of diesel and with no sunshine to charge up the solar panels, the men aboard the boat had to do without power. They could no longer use the radar, computer, and had no access to the AIS system. The final night of this incredible record as they neared the Eastern coast of England, was full of dangers. Joyon slowed down preferring to wait for the first light of day to tackle the final, tricky miles.

Campaign details – Tracker – Facebook

After starting from Hong Kong on January 18, to beat the Tea Route record of 36:02:37:00 set in 2018 by the Italian Giovanni Soldini and the crew of the MOD70 Maserati trimaran, Joyon’s team of Christophe Houdet, Antoine Blouet, Bertrand Delesne, and Corentin Joyon had to finish in London before 1036hrs UTC on February 23 to set a new record.

IDEC SPORT Specifications Architects: VPLP team (Van Péteghem-Lauriot Prévost) Previous names: Groupama 3, Banque Populaire VII Length: 31.50 m Beam: 22.50 m Displacement: 18,000 kg Draught: 5.70 m Mast height: 33.50 m Structure: carbon-Nomex Upwind sail surface: 411 m2 Downwind sail surface: 678 m2 Initial launch date: June 2006

IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR Act 1: Port Louis, Lorient – Port Louis, Mauritius (8800 nm) – 19:18:14:45 Act 2: Mauritius – Ho Chi Minh (3975 nm) – 12:20:37:56 Act 3: Ho Chi Minh – Hong Kong (870 nm) Act 4: Clipper Route between Hong Kong and London (13,000 nm) – 31:23:36:46

Source: IDEC press

Tags: Francis Joyon , IDEC SPORT , IDEC SPORT Asian Tour , records , Tea Route , World Sailing Speed Record Council

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IDEC Sport: Francis Joyon and crew prepare for Hong Kong to London record attempt

• Offshore racing

Francis Joyon’s IDEC Sport maxi-trimaran is in Hong Kong ahead the start of a fully crewed attempt at the record for the Tea Route between Hong Kong and London at the end of this week.

After her recent record attempt and new reference time set between Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Hong Kong, the crew of the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran took advantage of the festive season to get some well-deserved rest.

After arriving back in Hong Kong late last week, the crew headed for Shenzhen, where the boat is currently taking part in promotional operations organised by the IDEC Group. The maxi-trimaran will be heading for Hong Kong on Thursday morning to go on stand-by for her attempt at the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London, the fourth and final Act of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, which may well start late this week.

After a tour of the boat and a presentation of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, Patrice Lafargue, CEO of the IDEC Group, presented to 150 professionals the reasons why the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran was present in China, the connection with the international development of the IDEC GROUP and the projects currently being developed in several business parks around the country.

Start of the Tea Route record late this week

The fourth and final Act of the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, the Tea Route record between Hong Kong and London is the most important in terms of racing and is due to start late this week. The crew of IDEC SPORT includes her skipper Francis Joyon and four crewmen, Bertrand Delesne, Christophe Houdet, Corentin Joyon and Antoine Blouet, who will set sail from Hong Kong where the boat will be moored off the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

Ahead of them a long voyage of 15,000 miles (around 28,000 km) starting with a crossing of the China Sea, a passage through the Sunda Strait, a crossing of the Indian Ocean, the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope and the climb back up the South and North Atlantic, before they enter the English Channel and sail up the Thames to finish under the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in London.

36 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes – that is the time they will be aiming to beat in this Tea Route record has been held since 23rd February 2018 by the Multi70, Maserati skippered by the Italian, Giovanni Soldini with a time of 36 days, 2 hours and 37 minutes, sailing at an average speed of 17.4 knots.

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Huge IDEC Sport Trimaran storms into HCMC, Vietnam

December 10, 2019

She is the current holder of both the round-the-world Jules Verne Trophy and the Route du Rhum transatlantic single-handed yacht race.

She is 103′ of lean, mean sailing muscle.

She is the amazing IDEC Sport Trimaran and last week (5 December 2019), she sailed into HCMC, Vietnam which is where we build Rapido Trimarans.

Rapido was lucky enough to have an informal tour of this incredible trimaran (see the Skipper’s Facebook page, Francis Joyon IDEC Trimaran ) and above is a short video prepared by Rapido (Note, Rapido Trimarans does not have any official or unofficial relationship with IDEC Sport Trimaran).

Wow! Three knives with a massive sail carving up the world’s oceans! What a weapon!! What a thrill!

Official IDEC Sport video: IDEC Sport Trimaran arrives in Vietnam

• Watch the video below and imagine sailing your new Rapido from our shipyard down the same river before entering the oceans to the world.

Arrivée d'IDEC SPORT à Ho Chi Minh – Acte 2 de l'IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR C'est dans un sublime décor qu'IDEC SPORT a fait son entrée hier matin dans le Mékong avant d'atteindre Ho Chi Minh après plus de 12 jours de course ! 🏁Revivez l'arrivée de Francis et son équipage sur les douces notes vietnamiennes de l'artiste Lê Cát Trọng Lý 🎶 🇻🇳 Posted by Francis Joyon – Trimaran IDEC on Thursday, December 5, 2019

• For a taste of the exhilarating speed of this trimaran, click here .

Related items

• IDEC Sport Trimaran (Video) – Arriving in Vietnam from Mauritius
• Track the IDEC Sport Asian Tour :
• View the official video of IDEC Trimaran entering Vietnam
• Like these racing horses? Go to the 36th America’s Cup in New Zealand and watch all the action up close from the trampoline nets of your new Rapido Trimaran. Click here for details !
• Photo album of Rapido Trimarans touring IDEC Sport Trimaran on 12 December 2019.

Rapido Trimarans thanks IDEC Sport Trimaran for the opportunity to join their trimaran tour.

• Photo of fishing boat: Scott Murdoch, Burst.
• Music: https://www.purple-planet.com/

Video footage at wharf in HCMC: 7 December 2019, HCMC, Vietnam (by Rapido Trimarans).

Video of trimaran at wharf in HCMC prepared by Rapido Trimarans, 10 December 2019.

Below – IDEC SPORT Trimaran in action!

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300 MILES AHEAD AT THE AZORES…

This morning (Sunday), Francis Joyon and the crew of IDEC SPORT reached the Portuguese islands of the Azores. They are passing through the middle of the islands between Flores and Faial. Since yesterday, the maxi-trimaran has been back in conditions enabling her to get back up to high speeds. In a 20-knot NW’ly wind, the red and white maxi-trimaran is advancing at 32 knots towards the Channel approaches, which are still some 1200 miles ahead of her bows and which the crew expect to reach by Tuesday morning.

The strong NW’ly air stream that is accompanying IDEC SPORT and her crew should enable them to be propelled at around thirty knots to the Channel approaches. They will then have to sail up the English Channel before making their way into the Thames Estuary and heading to the finish line for the Tea Route under the QE II Bridge. The crew are getting an idea now of their ETA and can hardly wait to get back ashore after their long voyage from Hong Kong and a month of sailing. If IDEC SPORT maintains this pace, they could well finish in London late on Tuesday.

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Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty

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