Spindrift 2: Icebergs are Obstacles

(December 5, 2015; Day 14) – The temperature outside has dropped and the water is now 3 degrees. There is no doubt that the 14 sailors on the 40m maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2 are well and truly in the southern seas.

For the 24 hours they have been sailing in the Indian Ocean, Yann Guichard, the skipper, and Erwan Israel, the navigator, (helped by Jean-Yves Bernot, their onshore router) have had to adjust their route to take into account the presence of icebergs reported in the area. They are as captivating as they are dangerous for anyone venturing here at these speeds on a carbon boat. But fortunately the bows of the trimaran have not crossed their path.

At 16:00 GMT, Spindrift 2, stuck between the high-pressure system and the icebergs, was gybing downwind in a westerly wind of 15-20 knots and registering a lead of 26 miles on its virtual opponent. Tomorrow the wind is expected to strengthen.

As of 2100 UTC
Distance to finish: 15344.6 nm
Distance for 24 hours: 444.1 nm
Distance ahead of record: -89.9 nm

Source: Spindrift 2

Team website – Tracker – Facebook

Background: Spindrift 2 is seeking to claim the Jules Verne Trophy, a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew, starting and finishing between the Le Créac’h Lighthouse off the tip of Brittany and the Lizard Point in Cornwall.

Yann Guichard (FRA), skippering the 40 VPLP-designed trimaran, crossed the start line on November 22 at 04:01:58 GMT, and his 14-man team must return by 17:43:51 UTC on January 6, 2016 to beat the current record set January 2012 by Loïck Peyron and his crew on Banque Populaire 5 of 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds.

Spindrift 2 was originally launched in 2008 as Banque Populaire 5.

MORE: Also starting on November 22 (at 02:02:22 GMT) for an attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy was Francis Joyon (FRA), skippering the 31.5m VPLP-designed trimaran IDEC SPORT. The 6-person team must return by 15:44:15 GMT on January 6, 2016 to beat the record. Here’s a tracker showing both teams: http://volodiaja.net/Tracking/

SPINDRIFT 2 CREW:
Yann Guichard, skipper
Dona Bertarelli, helmsman-trimmer
Sébastien Audigane, helmsman-trimmer
Antoine Carraz, helmsman-trimmer
Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, helmsman-trimmer
Christophe Espagnon, helmsman-bowman
Jacques Guichard, helmsman-trimmer
Erwan Israël, navigator
Loïc Le Mignon, helmsman-trimmer
Sébastien Marsset, bowman
François Morvan, helmsman-trimmer
Xavier Revil, helmsman-trimmer
Yann Riou, media reporter
Thomas Rouxel, helmsman-bowman
Jean-Yves Bernot, onshore router