After a month on standby in Newport (Rhode Island), there has still been no launch window. Spindrift racing remains on the starting blocks, all set to attack the New York to Lizard Point record of 3d 15h 25m. The weather conditions, however, are delaying the start, forcing the team to be patient, despite their desire to set sail. As Yann Guichard explains, these accomplished sailors have but no choice but to accept the wait, unusual as it may be for an elite sportsman. Imagine a football team entering the locker rooms before a crucial World Cup match…without knowing when they will play. All they can do is wait nervously in anticipation. The experienced crew of the maxi-trimaran Spindrift 2 know only too well that they must sit and wait, but the wait to attempt such a prestigious record as the North Atlantic crossing is a challenge of its own.
“Despite enduring the standby at home, as opposed to on the quayside, we are fully alert and mentally ready to drop everything and jump on a plane as soon as possible,” explains Yann, who sends a message to his teammates every day to keep them informed about the latest conditions. “Dona and I are obviously following the weather very closely. Together, with team navigator Erwan Israël, we check the two daily American and European forecast updates. The first come in before 5am and, whilst there is still not really a departure window on the horizon, we inevitably check each weather update religiously. We are as ready as we can be with a good technical and sporting potential, but the weather is out of our hands. That is what makes record attempts so frustrating…but also so special. When you are on standby, it can at times be stressful, as any athlete waiting for a big match can understand. In addition, we know that when the day of reckoning comes, once we get out on the ocean, conditions will be extreme.”
Three factors blocking the route.
In June, drift ice in the Labrador Current created the first natural barrier – a harsh winter has meant that icebergs are lasting longer than normal. They are melting, slowly but surely, but the large ice sheets are only disappearing gradually from satellite photos.
The other obstacle at the moment is the Azores High, an anticyclone centred over the Azores and spread like an insurmountable mountain across the entire North Atlantic. “To make the crossing in record-breaking conditions you have to leave ahead of a depression on the American coast and ride it up to Newfoundland, where you pick up another and accelerate for the rest of the crossing. You then have to stay in front of the system, which must not catch you up or wane before you reach the finish line,” adds Erwan Israël. “With such a huge (3,000 km wide), powerful (1,036 hPa) anticyclone at the moment, the depressions are not making any headway, and neither can we!”
And then there is Arthur, a highly active cyclone that formed over Miami before moving up the east coast of America. On 4 July, a national holiday, 100 mph (160 km/h) winds hit North Carolina. “Fortunately, the cyclone shifted course, with its centre moving to 150 nautical miles (300 km) from Newport, where Spindrift 2 is currently on standby. However, it is affecting the order of the weather systems in the New York area, where the anticyclone is pushing the depressions north and blocking our path,” adds Yann. “But it is early July and the standby can run through to mid-August if necessary, so we still have plenty of margin to look out for a good departure window!”
Virtual Regatta – your turn to play !
So whilst you wait to follow the real record attempt, why not mount your own challenge – the popular virtual regatta game is sporting the colours of Spindrift racing for the occasion! Starting today and continuing throughout the summer, you can attempt to beat the 12-day record set by the pioneering Charlie Barr and his 50-man crew back in 1905. Furthermore, you can try as many times as you like! Since 1905 some of the world’s greatest skippers have held this legendary record: Marc Pajot, Patrick Morvan, Philippe Poupon, Serge Madec, Steve Fossett, Bruno Peyron, Franck Cammas and the current record-holder Pascal Bidégorry, who set a time of 3 days, 15 hours. So, do you have what it takes to join this elite group? Select your boat and your weather window, and watch out for the best window to attempt this record before 1 September 2014…or set sail at the same time as Spindrift 2 !
In the mean time, keep following us on www.spindrift-racing.com/atlantic/ and www.virtualeregatta.com as well as on our social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube).
IN NUMBERS: the crewed record attempts by Spindrift racing – 2014 season.
Crewed record to beat: 3 days, 15 hours and 25 minutes; 32.94 knots.
Zenith by Spindrift racing 24-hour record: 908 miles; 37.84 knots.
Holder since August 2009: maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V (now Spindrift 2); held by Pascal Bidégorry and his crew.
Route: 2,880 miles (5,333 km) between Ambrose Light in New York and Lizard Point, on the southwest tip of Cornwall, England.
Spindrift 2 : the largest racing trimaran in the world (40 metres), architects VPLP.
Skippers: Yann Guichard (FRA) and Dona Bertarelli (SUI).
Crew : 14 people on board for this record, plus routing onshore (final crew to be confirmed).
Standby dates: June 3 to mid-august, 2014.