Spindrift Racing abandon standby period for North Atlantic Record in Newport to return to home base and prepare for Route du Rhum

From the following press release on the Spindrift Racing website:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2014/08/newport-stand-by-ends-for-spindrift-racing-yann-guichard-to-return-in-preparation-for-route-de-rhum/

The wait is over for Spindrift racing. On stand-by since the beginning of June, Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and the rest of the team will abandon their attempt to break the Crewed North Atlantic Record on August 15th and prepare to sail home to France. Since their arrival in Newport, an unusually powerful anticyclone located at high latitudes has starved them of any opportunity to take on the record. There is no time to relax, however, and Spindrift racing must now focus on the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, which will depart from Saint-Malo on November 2nd. Technical staff in Newport are already hard at work, configuring Spindrift 2 for single-handed racing to ensure that everything is ready for Yann Guichard to set sail alone.

Few records have been attempted more often than the North Atlantic crossing. To sail from New York to Lizard Point in less than 3 days and 15 hours requires both an experienced crew and an exceptional machine such as Spindrift 2, combined with ideal weather conditions. “For a multihull to achieve such a feat on this route, you need a depression that crosses the ocean at the same speed as the record so that you can ride ahead of it on a flat sea,” explains Richard Silvani, a Météo France meteorologist who is Spindrift racing’s onshore route-planner. “This summer’s weather has made any record attempt impossible,” he says. “The anticyclone located at 50 degrees north, directly above our intended route, has prevented depressions from crossing the ocean between America and Europe. Even today’s 10-day forecasts predict no change in the situation.”

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Spindrift Racing update, maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 on standby in Newport for North Atlantic record attempt

From the following press release by the Spindrift Racing team:

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2014/06/spindrift-racing-on-standby-in-newport-for-the-crewed-north-atlantic-record/

-Spindrift 2 arrived in Newport on Tuesday, safely delivered from La Trinité-sur-mer, following eight days at sea
-Standby begins for Spindrift racing and its attempt to break the crewed North Atlantic record and ‘Zenith 24-hour record’
-Currently no suitable weather window for the next 10 days, with icebergs identified along the route

Newport, one of the sailing world’s most renowned destinations, welcomes a new giant. Following eight days of delivery from La Trinité-sur-Mer (France), during which substantial information was obtained, Spindrift 2, the maxi-trimaran, arrived at the famous Rhode Island harbour on Tuesday late afternoon. Co-skippers Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard and their crew now enter the critical phase of meticulously monitoring the weather. They must wait for the best window to launch their attempt to break the crewed North Atlantic record between New York and Lizard Point (England). With 3 days, 15 hours and 25 minutes (at an average of 32.94 knots) to beat, the challenge is daunting and will require optimal sailing conditions. If the weather permits, the team will also go for the ‘Zenith by Spindrift racing 24-hour record’, aiming to improve on the existing record of 908 miles, itself an impressive distance, equivalent to two Marseille-Carthage (Tunisia) crossings in 24 hours.

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Maxi trimaran Spindrift 2 enroute to Newport to go on standby for crewed record attempt on the New York to Lizard record

From the following press release on the Spindrift Racing website:

 

http://www.spindrift-racing.com/2014/05/spindrift-2-en-route-to-newport/

 

After a D35 podium finish this weekend, which put Ladycat top of the Vulcain Trophy 2014 rankings after two rounds, the Spindrift racing team are switching to offshore mode. Spindrift racing’s maxi-trimaran, Spindrift 2, left La Trinité-sur-Mer at 1400hrs (French time) on Monday, heading to Newport, Rhode Island in the United States. They will be on standby from the start of June, waiting for a favourable weather window to attempt to break the crewed North Atlantic record.

 

With eight days at sea in the programme, the team will obviously take advantage of this transatlantic delivery, as skipper Yann Guichard explained. “The shortest route would be upwind, into the wind and the lows, which is not very smart when we’re preparing for a record that will be downwind,” Guichard said. “We will tailor our best route to have the most time downwind and reaching. The aim is to get as close as possible to the sailing conditions we need for the record, so that everyone gets their bearings, especially at the helm. I cannot wait. Although we have had ​​several long voyages from La Trinité, there’s no substitute for ocean mode, both on the technical and human side.”

 

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