Please select your home edition
Edition
Cyclops Marine 2023 November - LEADERBOARD

Mauritius Route record: Francis Joyon crosses the Canaries

by Agence Mer & Media 24 Oct 2019 01:30 AEDT
Aboard IDEC Sport - Mauritius Route © Francis Joyon / IDEC Sport

It is one of the magical things about modern multihulls. They make the distances covered seem so banal. After four days of racing in his attempt against his own Mauritius Route record, Francis Joyon sped past the Canaries, and is now being pushed along in a lively NE'ly trade wind towards the Cape Verde Islands.

Well positioned in a 25-knot air stream, he is clocking up the miles at high speed heading due south, waiting for that crucial moment this evening when he will gybe again to get around the west of the Cape Verde Islands and aim for a way through the infamous Doldrums, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which have been particularly active over the past few days.

"I think I may lose some time to the south of Cape Verde," admitted Francis without any hint of being worried. His steady progress since the start last Saturday means he now has a lead of more than 330 miles over his own pace set in 2009. This performance leads him to believe that the start time was a wise choice. "The way through was blocked off behind us," he explained. "If we had postponed our start, it may have seriously compromised the schedule for the Asian Tour." Passing around the west of the Canaries offered its usual package of uncertainties and ups and downs.

"The wind shadow of the volcanic peaks on the island could be felt and I was severely slowed down yesterday afternoon for more than an hour." Since then, IDEC SPORT has continued to accelerate and step up the pace. Her average speed has been almost 23 knots since the start and Francis looks like having his best day by this evening.

He is also taking advantage of more pleasant conditions, something which is rare in such attempts. The sun is out and it is warm off Mauritania.

"You get very wet on the boat and I was in waterproofs, but once the sun appeared, the temperature rose aboard IDEC SPORT. The wind is now more regular in direction, with gusts reaching 27-28 knots."

The wind angle and strength are ideal to allow him to get the most out of his maxi trimaran, which has been hovering close to thirty knots since last night.

"I'm spending some time at the helm just to enjoy it. I have been inspecting the boat, but my team did a great job and I intend to bring to them in Mauritius a boat in excellent condition. During the night I crossed paths with a small yacht heading for the Cape Verde Islands. We talked a bit over the VHF and we discovered we had some friends in common..."

So that is the state of play for Francis, the record hunter, who is more than ever in phase with life on the ocean waves, in harmony with his boat, the elements and looking forward to new horizons...

Related Articles

Joyon chasing the Hong Kong - London record
IDEC Sport aiming to better Soldini's 2018 time of 36d 2h 7m. Today is launch day for the Tea Route, or the Clipper Route, if you prefer. Either way, it is Hong Kong (Shek O Rock) to London (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge) via the South China Sea, the Sunda Strait, and the Cape of Good Hope. Posted on 18 Jan 2020
IDEC Sport ahead of forecast
Joyon heading back up north off the coast of Western Australia On a route that they deliberately prolonged by almost 1500 miles in comparison to the Great Circle Route, the IDEC SPORT maxi trimaran IDEC SPORT has managed to get ahead of what was forecast by taking a long route down towards 37 degrees South. Posted on 25 Nov 2019
IDEC Sport's great adventure
A new experience in waters that are rarely visited by ocean racing boats The IDEC SPORT sailed by Francis Joyon, Antoine Blouet, Bertrand Delesne, Christophe Houdet and Corentin Joyon set off on a new adventure yesterday, a new challenge, a new experience in waters that are rarely visited by modern ocean racing boats. Posted on 22 Nov 2019
IDEC Sport heads for Vietnam
Francis Joyon and crew tackle the second Act of the Asian Tour 4000 miles of sailing lie ahead of the bows of the giant IDEC SPORT, as she heads towards Vietnam and its capital Ho Chi Minh City. Posted on 21 Nov 2019
Joyon to tackle Leg 2 of IDEC Sport Asian Tour
This is another record attempt, Mauritius to Vietnam Twelve days after completing the first act in his IDEC Sport Asian Tour, when he smashed the Mauritius Route record by more than six days, Francis Joyon is about to tackle the second leg of the voyage taking him to Asia. Posted on 19 Nov 2019
Joyon beats his own record set ten years ago
An improvement of over six days on the Mauritius Route record The Mauritius Route started from Port Louis in Brittany with part of the round the world route that Francis knows so well having sailed it many times both alone and with a crew. Posted on 8 Nov 2019
Newsflash: Francis Joyon's win in Mauritius
IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran shatters the Mauritius Route record The skipper of the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran shattered the Mauritius Route record between Port Louis (Brittany) and Port Louis (Mauritius) at 0726hrs local time (0326hrs UTC) on Friday 8th November). Posted on 8 Nov 2019
Mauritius Route record: The final stretch
He is now on a straight line almost due north towards the finish in Port Louis IDEC SPORT has changed weather systems, with very different winds and temperatures. He can put away the fleeces and foulies and forget the violent winds and astonishing speeds. Posted on 6 Nov 2019
Mauritius Route record: Joyon continues to speed
The huge improvement has not led Francis Joyon to ease off or modify the pace The huge improvement in the reference time between Port Louis and the Cape of Good Hope (two days and 19 hours) achieved yesterday has not led Francis Joyon to ease off or modify the pace he has set since moving away from the coast of South America. Posted on 4 Nov 2019
Mauritius Route record: Joyon ahead of record pace
Francis Joyon rounds the Cape of Good Hope two days and 19 hours ahead of the record pace He was two days, 19 hours and 51 minutes ahead of the time he set in 2009 on his first attempt at the Mauritius Route, the start of the route to the Indies, between Port Louis (Brittany) and Port Louis (Mauritius). Posted on 3 Nov 2019
Boat Books Australia FOOTERHyde Sails 2024 - One DesignZhik 2024 December