Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard will not get the chance this year to break the North Atlantic Record. Mother Nature would not play ball . With no weather in sight to propel the Maxi-Trimaran Spindrift 2 and give it a chance to break the North Atlantic Record the team plans to leave their dock at Newport Shipyard on Monday, August 18th or Tuesday the 19th.
It’s a shame they never got the opportunity to give the record a decent go. They were all set to attack the New York to Lizard Point record of 3d 15h 25m record if the winds could only have cooperated. They did not.
The team has stayed busy all summer with other Spindrift programs, projects and events, but it still must be a disappointment to them not having a chance to break the record. Hopefully they will bring this Maxi Trimaran back to the east coast of America again in the near future to give the North Atlantic Record a run.
Yann Guichard said it well back in the early summer as he spoke of their preparations “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.”
Best wishes and Bon Voyage to the team and we wish them a safe journey back over. Yann Guichard will now prepare the boat for his solo attempt at the Route du Rhum in the fall.
Few records have been attempted more often than the North Atlantic crossing. To sail from New York to Lizard Point in less than 3 days and 15 hours requires both an experienced crew and an exceptional machine such as Spindrift 2, combined with ideal weather conditions. “For a multihull to achieve such a feat on this route, you need a depression that crosses the ocean at the same speed as the record so that you can ride ahead of it on a flat sea,” explains Richard Silvani, a Météo France meteorologist who is Spindrift racing’s onshore route-planner. “This summer’s weather has made any record attempt impossible,” he says. “The anticyclone located at 50 degrees north, directly above our intended route, has prevented depressions from crossing the ocean between America and Europe. Even today’s 10-day forecasts predict no change in the situation.”
After two and a half months of weather-watching, it is time for Spindrift racing to bring the 40-metre maxi-trimaran back to its home port of La Trinité-sur-Mer. Yann Guichard has expressed his frustration, which is shared by Dona Bertarelli and the crew, at missing out on this opportunity to sprint across the North Atlantic. “You simply have to accept that only the weather can pave the way for record attempts,” he says. “Ever since breaking the Route de la Découverte record last year, we were keen to take on this iconic route. We knew that the record would be tough to beat, but we were fully prepared and ready to go. I would like to thank the entire team. They have been fantastic, and their efforts will stand us in good stead as we start to get ready for next year’s record attempts, notably the Jules Verne Trophy (around-the-world, non-stop). ”
Back to France.
Spindrift 2 will leave Newport on August 19th. Yann Guichard will use the return trip as preparation for the upcoming Route du Rhum. “The technical team is currently setting up the boat for single-handed racing,” he says. “When I am with the crew, it is like being an orchestra conductor, but for the Route du Rhum, I will be alone on the stage. I will be up against the leaders of single-handed sailing, which is not really my speciality. That said, I have many other strengths, in particular extensive knowledge about sailing on multihulls. With three months to go, I am immensely excited about this challenge, yet I appreciate the need to be meticulous with my preparation. Training will start straight away with this Atlantic crossing, which presents an ideal opportunity.”
A gruelling autumn for Spindrift racing.
Spindrift racing will now enter an exciting phase of the season, competing in the final stages of the D35 championship on Lake Geneva, whilst preparing for the Route du Rhum. “We have a gruelling end to the year,” explains Dona Bertarelli. “The D35 Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing will resume competition at the end of August, racing in the final three Grand Prix regattas of the season, whilst Spindrift 2 will gear up for the Route du Rhum. From now on, Yann must focus on competition and performance. With the full support of the team, my aim will be to allow Yann to forget about all other aspects and remain concentrated on the challenge that awaits him. We want him to be in the best possible physical and mental state when he arrives on the start line on November 2nd.”
