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Henry Samuel
For 38 days, it had all been plain sailing for Thomas Coville, a French yacht racer, and his six-man crew.
Their 32-metre trimaran, Sodebo Ultim 3, was in the lead after rounding South America and heading north, but it was a powerful weather system in the Bay of Biscay that nearly scuppered their attempt to set a new record for the fastest voyage around the world.
Storm Ingrid brought winds of up to 100km/h, 10-metre waves and violent swells, damaging the starboard rudder casing.
Undeterred, the crew changed course and pushed on, crossing the finish line off the French island of Ouessant on Sunday to clinch the Jules Verne Trophy.
They had done it: covering 45,568 kilometres in 40 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes and 50 seconds, beating the previous record set in 2017 by another Frenchman, Francis Joyon, by half a day.
Hailed a hero as he arrived in Brest, and greeting his wife and two children, Coville said the final two days were perhaps the toughest of all.
Coville had signed off his last onboard update to supporters on Saturday with the words: “Know that on the other side of Biscay there are seven guys out here having a blast and dreaming of sharing it with you!”
But he knew the toughest work was ahead.
“We had a bit of a lead coming out of the equator on the way back, and then we ended up with a huge depression that had already affected the coast of Brittany, Storm Ingrid, and we had to deal with waves over 10 metres high, very strong winds of over 100 km/h, and suddenly everything changed,” Coville told BFMTV.
“You can lose everything in an instant. This storm could have changed everything, and that’s also what’s magical about our profession. You have to be able to put everything on the line with a single move.
“We switched to record mode and safety mode, and to beat it, we had to finish, and that meant making adjustments to our strategy as good sailors, using our seamanship.
“It’s a huge relief to have the boat crossing the line at 40 knots (74km/h). Everyone is relieved; the feeling we’re experiencing is indescribable.”
“The joy of crossing the finish line is quite fleeting. It’s not the deepest feeling. The real joy comes when you’re reunited with everyone, when you feel that you’ve truly achieved something,” he told a crowd of well-wishers.
Colville thanked his crew, “the magnificent seven” who were able to operate what he called a “flying boat”, ushering in a new era of speed.
He added: “We’re talking about a trip around the world, in 40 days. That’s something.”
Were it not for the storm, they may have broken the symbolic 40-day barrier, navigating east around the three great capes – Good Hope, Leeuwin, and Horn – a milestone long regarded as the ultimate round-the-world sailing frontier.
Treasured prize
The Jules Verne Trophy is one of sailing’s most treasured prizes. Inspired by the author’s 1872 novel featuring Phileas Fogg, it was established to reward the first yacht to sail around the world in less than 80 days, starting and finishing on a line between the Créac’h Lighthouse on Ushant and Lizard Point in Cornwall.
The first record time of 79 days, 6 hours and 15 minutes was set in 1993–94 by Frenchman Bruno Peyron aboard Commodore Explorer.
The following season, Robin Knox-Johnston, with Sir Peter Blake as co-skipper on Enza New Zealand, became the only British winner to date, setting a new time of 74 days, 22 hours and 17 minutes.
Since then, successive records have been dominated by French crews aboard fast multihulls.
Coville’s yacht averaged 54km/h over 45,568 kilometres, also improving two intermediate records during the journey. In comparison, Joyon sailed 42,505 kilometres at an average speed of 48km/h.
On the return leg, the crew crossed the equator nearly 21 hours before Joyon’s reference pace, having already sailed further than the record-holder at the same point. They had to add extra miles to their route in the South Atlantic to avoid low winds and dodged rogue ice in the Southern Ocean.
Launched in 2019, Sodebo Ultim 3 was designed specifically to become the fastest boat ever to sail around the world. Over six years, the team made three failed Jules Verne attempts, each ending in technical damage.
Their triumph is now the tenth successful Jules Verne circumnavigation in the trophy’s history.
The Telegraph, London
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