Fast and furious for maxi trimaran Sodeb’O

by Kate Jennings on 22 Nov 2008
Thomas Coville onboard Sodeb’O has travelled from Brest to the Canaries in three days.

It’s gone quickly, very quickly for Sodeb’O, which has left over 1,400 miles in her wake since setting out from Brest last Tuesday (1354 GMT). The week isn’t yet over but already the maxi trimaran is sailing along the latitude of the Canaries and since 0430 hrs this morning, her average speed over 24 hours has exceeded 23 knots, which perfectly demonstrates the gigantic tradewind glide Thomas Coville is currently performing.

The skipper of Sodeb’O has had to readapt to what is a very special daily routine sailing his multihull single-handed: getting used to the boat’s motion, its speed and the noises, as well as seeking to handle the permanent physical exercise combined with the nagging stress. 'It’s gone very quickly! It took me some time to get into a rhythm after the start. The first nights were difficult in the Bay of Biscay. I couldn’t get it into my head that 'that’s it, we’re off on the round the world'. It was a strange feeling. I was preoccupied with the shipping and the sea state, with the added concern of damaging the boat. I have no technical issues though and everything’s going to plan perfectly. When you’re going so fast and everything’s going so well, you tackle things very calmly'.

Since shifting across to the west in three gybes over the first two days, Thomas is now plunging southwards at over 25 knots. 'It’s a pure glide in an atmosphere where the ambient temperature regularly increases beneath the very low, grey clouds. There have been a lot of squalls since last night with gusts of over 35 knots'. Sodeb’O is currently sailing under large gennaker and full mainsail; the maximum sail area she can carry, namely 620 m2.

'We’re going fast and the conditions are very demanding. The slightest error would be fatal and my vigilance must be flawless. I haven’t had any scares and I’m remaining totally in phase with both the boat and the weather' explains Thomas, who has managed to get six hours of shut-eye over the past three days. 'It’s the sleep I’ve missed the most since the start and I’m only just beginning to take care of myself now' admitted the skipper, not forgetting that his challenge is not just a technical one. Indeed he must also be able to handle this pace for nearly two months.

The pace isn’t proving very gentle for the sailor but this is the rhythm he has to maintain to stand a chance of competing with Francis Joyon’s performance, who set a blistering pace during this section of the course. Indeed the skipper of IDEC had his foot to the floor and shattered all the speedos with a time of 6 days, 16 hours and 58 minutes to the equator. Today, Friday, Sodeb’O has an 88 mile lead over the record holder but rather than staying focused on Francis’ performance, Thomas has opted, along with his team, to set himself an objective of miles to cover the next day and for the time being he’s fulfilled his contract! 'It’s a way of taking things as they come and to concentrate on getting the boat making headway above all else.'

Sodeb’O’s routers are still watching the small low level with the Cape Verde archipelago. The wind and the pace are set to ease but this is in no way a real concern.

www.sodebo-voile.com