Sunday 7th December 2008
The Maxi Trimaran Sodeb'O beats the 24 hour record
Currently midway between the Cape of Good Hope and the Kerguelen Islands,
the skipper Thomas Coville beat the single-handed 24 hour distance record on
a multihull this Sunday evening at 1815 UT with a total distance of 620.80
miles covered at the average speed of 25.87 knots.
The trimaran Sodeb'O is making headway beam onto the wind in a 22 to 26 knot
NNW'ly air flow with waves of 4 metres. He has just broken his previous
record set in the same zone on 6th January 2008. At that time he covered 619
miles in 25.80 knots.
The wind is filling in so the record is set to continue to increase over the
coming hours.
Naturally, this new record has yet to be approved by the WSSRC.
AUDIO, VIDEO, IMAGES AND CARTOGRAPHY ACCESSIBLE FROM THE press zone on the
site www.sodebo-voile.com
Translated by Kate Jennings - Expression
Press release 63
Sunday 7th December 2008
The Maxi Sodeb’O: High Speed Trimaran
Watch out, it’s full on ahead. After slowing at the entrance to the Indian
Ocean, Thomas has extracted himself from the clutches of a zone of high
pressure which the trimaran bumped into on Friday evening. Today, the Maxi
Sodeb'O is bolting along once more and is currently on a direct course
towards the Kerguelen Islands. Thomas was recorded making 35 knots of boat
speed by his routers this morning.
The Maxi Sodeb’O is currently surfing along the edge of a low, which is
generating 24/ 25 knots of NNW’ly. With a good swell moving in the direction
of the wind, the ‘High Speed Trimaran’ of the seas is well and truly
underway. However, the skipper isn’t leaving the deck as router to Sodeb’O,
Christian Dumard, explains: “At this point of sail, slightly beam on to the
wind, if the boat is carrying too much sail aloft, she immediately lifts and
that can become dangerous. As a result Thomas is constantly manœuvring
whether it be the mainsail or his headsails, so as to maintain a better
speed and ensure the boat is as stable as possible.”
The principal is exactly the same as on a small beach catamaran which takes
off with the slightest puff of air, except that in this case it’s a 35 metre
machine, which weighs 12 tonnes and there isn’t a living soul to be seen for
several hundred kilometres in any direction. This situation is as stressful
as it is exhilarating for a speed freak like Thomas. “It’s very physical
once again. He’s sleeping little, eating little and he’s flat out. And it’s
clearly working as Sodeb’O made a top speed of 35 knots this morning!”
24 hours ago, the atmosphere aboard was less appealing, as Sodeb’O was
slowed by this zone of high pressure for nearly a day, conceding both time
and miles to IDEC. “Today, with a deficit of nearly 1,200 miles, Thomas had
reversed the trend. He has stabilised the situation and is even beginning to
snatch back some miles from Francis”, continues Christian. “Of course we
would have preferred to be in another situation but the weather has decided
that this is how it’s going to be. As far as Cape Horn, we know that IDEC
was very quick but the climb up the Atlantic was more complicated.
Everything is wide open and it’s not a moment to have doubts.”
The skipper of the maxi trimaran must maintain the same tempo as the low,
which is the reason he’s accelerating right now. “Sodeb’O is making a direct
course to pass to the north of the Kerguelen Islands in around two days’
time. Following on from that there is a delicate transition with a second
low dropping down from the north, which is joining the former system”
explains Christian, before concluding: “Thomas is tackling his 19th day at
sea and IDEC beat the 24 hour speed record on this 19th day. It was 12th
December and Francis covered 613.5 miles, at the average speed of 25.56
knots. Thomas then snatched back the record on 6th January, on what was his
20th day of racing, covering 619.3 miles at 25.80 knots. As a result we’re
keeping a close eye on all that as a new record isn’t out of the question.”
AUDIO, VIDEO, IMAGES AND CARTOGRAPHY ACCESSIBLE FROM THE press zone on the
site www.sodebo-voile.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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