The Horn this evening, four days ahead of the record pace

by IDEC Sport Sailing on 12 Jan 2017 Francis Joyon, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm, Sébastien Audigane, Gwénolé Gahinet and Clément Surtel are about to achieve one of the finest stories in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy.

By late today (UTC) they should be able to see the lights of Cape Horn, marking the way out of the Pacific and the entrance into the Atlantic. After shattering the Indian record (4 days, 9 hours and 37 minutes) IDEC Sport should be rounding the Horn after just 26 days and a few hours. The holder of the Jules Verne Trophy, Banque Populaire V with her crew of fourteen took 30 days 22 hours and 18 minutes to get to the tip of South America.

IDEC Sport is advancing with the wind from astern and is having to carry out a series of gybes to find the best angle in strong winds, in order to maintain their high speeds. They will be taking a northerly route to avoid the calms, which are appearing in Drake Passage. A final difficulty before leaving the Southern Ocean and returning to the more hospitable waters of the Atlantic and the climb back up to Ushant.