Sodebo and IDEC Streak Around the World
Javier de Muns, our man in Brittany with his finger on the pulse of solo around the world racers, filed this report:
"Last Monday’s weather window, with 40 to 50 knots wind, big seas, and an air temperature of 30 degrees seemed to have done the trick for Thomas Coville and his 105-ft trimaran Sodebo, as they are already in the warmer latitudes of the Canary Islands, having averaged 20 knots since the start. As it stands now, Coville is 11 hours ahead of Ellen MacArthur’s current record time — and was even a few miles ahead of Francis Joyon’s pace with IDEC. But light winds have slowed Sodebo, so she’s now about even with where IDEC was.
"However, it wasn’t an easy start for Coville, whose trimaran was hit by lightning at dawn on his first full day at sea. The lightning strike broke the tri’s wind vane wand at the top of the mast, but a circuit breaker prevented any damage to the rest of Sodebo’s electric and electronic systems.
"Coville is praising the design of Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret in similar terms that Joyon has done. ‘Sodebo goes through the seas exceptionally well. When the leeward float disappears in the water, it comes out without brutally accelerating. With the same sea conditions, I feel safer than in a ORMA 60 trimaran. Those designs are airborne more often, more like birds because of their daggerboards. Sodebo is more like a fish. She doesn’t fight the seas, but goes right through the troughs without stopping.’
"Coville says that he’s not fighting against MacArthur’s or Joyon’s times because they all had different weather conditions. But from what we’ve seen so far, Sodebo and Coville have equal potential to that of IDEC and Joyon.
"At the antipodes, sailing already in the Pacific Ocean at 54º south, Joyon continues to push IDEC so as not to be caught by a high that would slow him. Joyon plans to head south close to 57º south to dodge a high. ‘The interesting thing with a fast boat such as IDEC,’ he reports, ‘is that you can play with the elements and situate the boat at the best place in relation with the weather system.’
"Having passed the halfway point in his record attempt, Joyon is only 27 hours behind the crewed record set by the 125-ft Orange II! But with Joyon’s ground team having told him of Coville’s fast start, Joyon will have additional pressure to push even harder.
"Three days ago we had the historic occasion of a man racing solo around the world in a very fast trimaran. Now we have two men who — despite Coville’s words — will be fiercely racing against each other for a new record during the next weeks."