Jules Vernes Trophy Contestants Headed for the Finish

Two 100-ft French trimarans departed the French coast last year in an attempt to break the approximately 40-day circumnavigation record set by IDEC in 2017. The all-female crew of The Famous Project (aboard the maxi trimaran IDEC SPORT) left first, and Thomas Coville aboard Sodebo left about 17 days later. They’re both back in the North Atlantic and heading home. Sodebo has been burning up the planet and catching up to The Famous Project. If Sodebo can cross the finish line in the next five days, they’ll set a new record for the fastest time sailing nonstop around the planet. Sodebo has been out 35 days and The Famous Project is closing in on home after 52 days.

They’re using different tracking and weather maps, so it’s a bit hard to compare exactly where they are and assess the weather conditions, but currently Sodebo is rocketing north while The Famous Project is attempting to find their way around the big blue blob of light air between them and the finish line. If the weather gods smile on Sodebo, the conditions will change for them between their current position and the finish. The red boat in the graphic above is the location of Francis Joyon in his record-setting run in 2017. Sodebo will need to finish within five days to beat the record.

While The Famous Project is out of contention for setting the all-time Jules Verne Trophy record, if all goes well, they’ll set the record time for an all-female, nonstop race around the world. However, both boats face challenging North Atlantic weather systems in the days ahead. You can follow The Famous Project here and Sodebo here.

What have you been up to for the last 40 days?