Sodebo Ultim 3 and Edmond de Rothschild go for the Jules Verne Trophy
Two boats have set out with a single objective, to be the fastest to go around the world in the Jules Verne Trophy.
The two maxi-trimarans, Thomas Coville’s ‘Sodebo Ultim 3’ and Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier’s ‘Maxi Edmond de Rothschild’, left half an hour apart during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, have their sights set on the record of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds that Francis Joyon and his five crewmates established in January 2017 on board the ‘Idec Sport’.
Coville’s ‘Sodebo Ultim 3‘ and its crew François Duguet, Sam Goodchild, Corentin Horeau, Martin Keruzoré, François Morvan, Thomas Rouxel and Matthieu Vandame.
The ‘Maxi Edmond de Rothschild’ of the Cammas-Caudrelier duo and four companions, Yann Riou, Erwan Israel, Morgan Lagravière and David Boileau.
Both are large trimarans, although the regulation gives freedom on the type of construction and only establishes that they must be driven only by the force of the wind.
The boats participating in the Jules Verne Trophy must start from an area defined by a line that connects the Créac’h lighthouse, on the island of Ouessant, and the Cap Lizard lighthouse, to go around the world leaving the Cape to port side from Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn and cross the same line from Ouessant in the opposite direction.
The trophy is given to the crew that achieves a new record and is named Jules Verne in homage to the author of “Around the World in Eighty Days.”
