Today the Challenge and Adventure team had the pleasure of visiting Francis Joyon onboard IDEC. The current solo Round the World Record holder and former Transatlantic Record holder is in New York to attempt to set a new Transatlantic Record. He arrived in New York last night to make final preparations on his Maxi Trimaran IDEC. His bright red boat patiently waits at Gateway Marina to loose her lines and take him on another record breaking adventure.
It looks like it’s a green light for Joyon to leave tomorrow (Sunday) night for his Solo Transatlantic record attempt. Joyon wants to take this record back from Thomas Coville who currently holds the record that Francis Joyon owned from 2005-2008. The time to beat is 5 days 19 hours 29 minutes and 20 seconds. Joyon’s weather router-navigator, Jean-Yves Bernot, has spied a window for Sunday evening with a front moving off the East Coast of the USA to push him across the start. Joyon will leave New York and start the clock at the buoy, which recently replaced the legendary Ambrose Light Tower, a few miles off the New York Coast and finish the crossing at The Lizard.
A quiet air of confidence is displayed by the the skipper as bounces around the boat doing last minute checks of gear and stores for the crossing. He restocked some fruit and water in addition Freeze-dried food already on board. Her bottom is smooth, he dove on her this morning but he says he may dive again once more just to make sure. Francis Joyon has waited nearly 6 weeks for this window and three years for the opportunity and he is set to make the most out of it. He seems very ready and so does the boat. This new IDEC is about 20 percent faster than the older and that is a plus for shaving off time he needs to take the record.
We spoke about the first IDEC and his Atlantic record that ended with his getting the record, but loosing his beloved boat when after crossing the finish he crashed it on rocks after falling asleep delivering her home. He still misses that boat he said. Joyon said that during the crossing for the record he only had 6 hours sleep in 5 days. He will try to rest before this start he says. He finds it hard to sleep with planes flying overhead he adds. He sleeps best out to sea away from the noises of land and man.
As the current Solo Round the World Sailing Record holder he has set the bar very high for any challengers and it looks like it may be some time before he has to defend that title. But, when asked what he would do if someone did break his record. He said without hesitation he would go around again to take it back. Like I said quietly confident.
Bon Voyage Francis
.
.
.
