Jules Verne Trophy - Long live the trade winds

by IDEC Sport Sailing on 21 Jan 2017 Slowed down for the past 36 hours around the Equator in a large area of calms associated with the Doldrums, the maxi-trimaran IDEC Sport should start to feel the effect of a NE’ly wind in the next few hours.

The trade winds are not far away and speeds should return to those we have come to expect from Joyon and his men over the five weeks since they set off from Ushant.

Sailing close to the wind, IDEC Sport will be leaving the sticky equatorial heat behind as they start the final stretch in their round the world voyage, crossing the North Atlantic from west to east. They have a lot to do in the coming hours as they get ready to tackle the weather systems in the North Atlantic, starting with the Azores high and then the lows sweeping across from Labrador.

Sailing a long way west to avoid the calms of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, IDEC Sport is now moving slightly to the east, while gaining as many miles as possible towards the north. In the trade winds, this should get quicker and Joyon, Surtel, Stamm, Gahinet, Audigane and Pella will be giving it their all to try to cross the Jules Verne Trophy finish line on Thursday morning off Ushant.