Spindrift Racing, maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 sets a new record on the Discovery Route (Cadiz to San Salvador)

From the following update on the Spindrift Racing website:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2013/11/finish-news-flash-a-new-record-for-spindrift-2/

Spindrift 2, Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard´s maxi trimaran, crossed the finish line at the end of the Discovery Route in San Salvador, Bahamas today, Wednesday November 6, 2013 at 00 hours, 48 minutes and 55 seconds, local time (05 hours, 48 minutes and 55 seconds GMT).

Covering the course in 6 days, 14 hours, 29 minutes and 21 seconds, Spindrift 2 has set a new record* for the 3,885-mile theoretical route at an average 24.5 knots to break the mark set by Frank Cammas on Groupama 3, by 20 hours, 29 minutes and 32 seconds. Spindrift 2 left Cadiz (Spain) last Wedneday, October 30 at 15:19:34 GMT (16:19:34 Local time).The total actual distance sailed by Spindrift 2 was 4,503 miles at an average 28.4 knots.

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Team Australia's new trans tasman record Sydney to Auckland ratified by the WSSRC

From the following entry on Sail-World submitted by John Reed of the WSSRC:

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/WSSR-Council-announces-establishment-of-a-new-World-Record/116413

The World Sailing Speed Record (WSSR) Council has announced the establishment of a new World Record.

Record: Sydney to Auckland
Yacht: 'Team Australia' ORMA 60
Name: Sean Langman AUS and five crew.
Dates: 16th to the 18th October 2013.
Start time: 01;09;58 UTC on 16;10;13
Finish time: 20;12;43 UTC on 18;10;13
Elapsed time: 2 days 19 hours 2 minutes and 45 seconds
Distance: 1265NM
Average speed: 18.87kts

Comments: A Benchmark will have been set during the 1997/8 Volvo Race which certainly will have been slower than this claim. At present we have been unable to establish this crossing time.

WSSR website

by John Reed, WSSR

Extreme Sailing Series, Lars Grael to spearhead Brazillian invitaional team at upcoming Florianopolis event

From the following article on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/lars-grael-to-spearhead-team-brazil-at-extreme-sailing-series-act-8#.Unkt6xV9J8Q

In just two weeks, the Extreme 40 racing machines will line-up on a brand new stadium racecourse in Florianópolis, Brazil where they will be joined by Brazilian sailing royalty Lars Grael at the forefront of the invitational entry, Team Brazil. The team representing the home nation brings together some of the country’s top multihull specialists who will complete the starting grid of eight Extreme 40s for the final Act of the year, from the 14-17 November at Act 8, presented by Land Rover.

Team Principal Lars Grael, a multiple Olympic medal winner and 10-times Tornado national champion, will manage the team alongside his 1988 Olympic bronze medal winning crew and Team Brazil skipper and helmsman Clínio de Freitas. The remaining four crew positions will be chosen after a series of selection trials commencing on the 2 November, where some of Brazil’s finest multihull sailing talent will undertake a rigorous training programme to determine their positions on board.

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Spindrift Racing, Video from day 6 of the Discovery route record attempt on maxi trimaran Spindrift 2

and a press release from Spindrift Racing on Day 6 of the record attempt:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2013/11/francais-jour-6-coup-de-frein-et-tapis-roulant/

Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard’s maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 last night endured the slowest, most complicated and most stressful phase of the Discovery Route record attempt since leaving Cadiz last Thursday, October 31st.

 

In its sixth day of the race, and following the planned course, the world’s largest racing trimaran had to deal with rough seas between the two weather systems. All the crew had a rough ride with often violent storms bringing exhausting wind conditions.  The squalls meant the wind would leave them flying or at a complete standstill. Finding the right sail plan in these brutally changing conditions proved to be a real conundrum that had the entire crew focused and responsive all night. 

 

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Start of the Transat Jacques Vabre delayed till Wednesday or Thursday

The start of the Transat Jacques Vabre has been delayed till Wednesday or Thursday a large and intense low pressure system has caused gales and heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay and prudently the race organisers are postponing the start and waiting for a break in the weather.

Spindrift Racing update, maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 less than a 1000 miles to go on Discovery Route and well ahead of record time

From the following press release on the Spindrift Racing website:

 

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/fr/2013/11/francais-jour-5-spindrift-2-sous-les-1000/

 

On the fifth day of racing, Spindrift 2 has broken the barrier of the final 1,000 miles of what is a theoretical total course of 3,384 miles from Cadiz. The long tacks in the trade winds actually means that Dona and Yann’s Maxi Tri has clocked up 3,350 nm at the breath-taking average speed of 29.9 knots, that is 25.7 knots on the theoretical direct course. Suffice to say that the first two thirds of the route, in an almost ideal scenario of strong north easterly winds, enabled the largest trimaran in the world and its crew of 13 men and 1 woman to unleash its full potential.

 

Dona and her 13 sailors crew have had a pretty good ride so far, but a highly strategic phase will start today in wind conditions that are expected to decrease. It is the end of the fast, 40 knots on the speedometer, reaching conditions. It will come down to positioning ourselves in the right place to get across the area of light pressure, an area of transition between two weather systems, to reach the strong winds along the north American coast.

 

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The position tracker is here

Spindrift Racing, Spindrift 2 maxi trimaran video of Day 5 of the Discovery Route record attempt

Transat Jacques Vabre, Departure from Le Havre set for this Monday

From the following bymnews article:

 

http://bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=124806

 

After a constant and careful analysis of the weather forecasts for Sunday, the directors of the Transat Jacques Vabre double handed race from Le Havre to Itajaí, Brazil have taken the decision to postpone the start until Monday 4th November at 1415hrs (local).

All of the fleet of twenty-six Class 40’s, ten IMOCA monohulls, Multi-50’s will head off for the 5400 miles course direct to Itajaí but the two MOD70’s will contest a coastal course before standing by in Le Havre’s Paul Vatine basin until Wednesday.

 

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Spindrift racing, Day four of the Discovery Route record attempt on maxi Spindrift 2

Multihull Solutions, out of water boat show allows potential multihull buyers to inspect multihulls inside and out. Located at the Boat Works in the Gold Coast Marine precinct

From the following entry on the Multihull Solutions website:

http://www.multihullsolutions.com.au/pre-owned-multihulls/out-of-water-multihull-boat-show

Out-of-Water Boat Show As the name suggests, the Out-of-Water Multihull Boat Show is a display of multihull boats “out of the water” as opposed to them being exhibited in marina berths. Located at The Boat Works in the Gold Coast Marine Precinct, Australia’s leading multihull service boatyard, the Out-Of-Water Boat Show will display a wide range of multihulls from renowned Australian and international brands including Schionning, Catana, Grainger, Fountaine Pajot, Leopard, Lagoon, Seawind and more.

A line-up of premium multihulls will be on display seven days a week. These will be predominantly pre-owned vessels with a selection of new vessels being launched into the market. There is a very select range on display with all boats required to meet a certain criteria: they must be reputable designs, in good condition and realistically priced. This new style of brokerage is set to make the sales process a lot simpler for both buyers and sellers.

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Spindrift Racing, update from Day 3 of the Discovery route record attempt from onboard maxi trimaran Spindrift 2

From the following update from the Spindrift Racing website:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2013/11/day-3-readjustments/

Following three days of exhilarating racing, Spindrift 2 is due to be on the theoretical mid-point of the Discovery Route. The lead over the record time set in 2007 by the maxi trimaran Groupama 3 increased last night to over 280 miles. Today the lead has gone down to under 230 miles due to the extra tacks and manoevuers carried out by Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and the crew of 12. “The aim is to sail as close to the wind as possible, in order to avoid getting too close to the centre of the high-pressure area where the winds are lighter”, Yann Guichard said. Spindrift 2 opts for sailing at a 90 ° angle to the course to plunge into the strong north-easterly flow blowing in the direction of the West Indies. “It’s always a little frustrating not to sail the direct course but that’s part of the game. We have a small lead that allows us this luxury. These readjustments are needed in order to skilfully negotiate the trade winds. After a few hours of sailing a straight course south, we will once again head west. We have made good progress since the Canaries, close to the optimal course, and we will certainly follow this course at least once more after sailing on a starboard tack, which we will be doing shortly. “

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Spindrift Racing, Day 2 of the Discovery route record attempt maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 now sailing in the trade winds well ahead of Groupama3's reference time

From the following report on the Spindrift Racing website:

 

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2013/11/francais-jour-2-lautoroute-des-alizes/

 

Having reached the island of Gran Canaria yesterday at 6pm – a required point of passage to be left to starboard – the Maxi Trimaran 2 Spindrift now races along the tadewind highway, with a strong northeasterly wind to propel them across the West Atlantic. Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and their crew of 12 are swallowing up the miles. A second day of good results and high speeds follows the first 24 hours of rough seas and three highly strategic gybes that produced a 642 miles day. With a good VMG, velocity made good, and average speeds of over 30 knots, Spindrift 2 has covered over a third of the course, 2,880 miles in just 48 hours.

 

Spindrift 2’s theoretical advance on the current record holder of the Discovery Route (Franck Cammas and Groupama 3 in 2007) continues to stretch (232 miles this morning) under the combined effect of greater speed and a more direct route than that chosen by Groupama 3. According to estimates looked at before the start by Spindrift 2’s skippers and crew, assisted by weather router ashore Richard Silvani, the first two days in the Atlantic are conducive to the highest performance and a substantial gain on the record, with the trade winds slightly unstable in direction, but still blowing strong at over 25 knots.

 

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Transat Jacques Vabre, MOD70 crews prepare to go head to head across the Atlantic

From the following article on bymnews:

 

http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=124728

 

Two identical MOD70’s go head to head across the Atlantic in what promises to be a mouth watering match race on this Transat Jacques Vabre. The two duos, Sidney Gavignet and Damian Foxall on Oman Air-Musandam and Sébastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier are all long-time friends, some former crewmates together on different ocean races, occasional sparring and training partners, but from the start gun of this Transat Jacques Vabre, no quarter will be given, they are hard bitten rivals all with the same drive and desire to get to Itajaí first. For the MOD70’s, this time, there is no second place.

The biggest challenge: to sail double handed on the MOD70
The two teams have worked with each other to make small technical changes to make the identical racing machines, which are designed for crewed racing, suitable for double handed racing. These changes include autopilots, anti capsize systems which release the sheets at a certain heel angle and rear ballast tanks. But the teams know only too well that two MOD70’s have already capsized this season on relatively inshore waters, and indeed three of the four skippers have experienced their own flavour of disappointment and disaster on this often cruel Transatlantic race, and so their determined drive will be tempered with ample caution at times.

 

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Day 2 onboard maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 on the Discovery route record attempt

Armel le Cleach on Banque Populaire VII, new solo record Transmed/Marseille to Carthage route ratified by the WSSRC

Record : Marseille to Carthage. Singlehanded

Yacht: Banque Populaire 7. 103 ft Trimaran

Name: Armel Le Cleac’h

Dates:.30th September to the 1st October 2013.

Start time: 05;02;57: 30/09/13

Finish time: 00;01;10: 01/10/13

Elapsed time: 18 hours 58 minutes and 13 seconds

Distance: 455NM

Average speed: 23.98 knots

Comments: Previous record: “Sodebo” Thomas Coville FRA, Sep 12, 1d 1h 38m 36s

John Reed, WSSRC council