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The strategy in a Jules Verne Round-the-World attempt is determined by many factors.

The Jules Verne Trophy course stands as a permanent and perfect challenge for mankind and their sailing machines. Sailors who attempt it must cross through no less than 17 different weather systems. First the Bay of Biscay then the North Atlantic in quick succession followed by the unpredictable Doldrums and South Atlantic, before entering the dangerous Southern Ocean SW of Africa and screeching across to Cape Horn before returning for the final leg home and northwards through the Atlantic oceans again! All of which will rely on accurate weather routing and require a great team of dedicated crew with extra ordinary sailing skills if their many hazards are to be conquered!

“The Jules Verne Trophy course is the most complete there is!”. Olivier de Kersauson is fascinated by the meteorological complexity of this global course that takes competitors south of the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn, whose start and finish line is an imaginary one set between Lizard Point (UK) and Ushant in France. “This course takes you through 17 different weather systems, so you have to have as much information as possible and the ability to anticipate what might come next. He then mused “The Jules Verne Trophy is a continual series of meetings, places, and passages – an unending sequence of thoughts and memories. Quite unforgettable and totally unique”. Olivier de Kersauson and his ten companions are just having their first meeting... More on Geronimo and de Kersauson's crew at http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com

On a circumnavigation, all you can do is choose the weather at the time you cross the start line. After that, you have to make the best of what comes your way”. Like all records, the Jules Verne Trophy begins with a standby period during which the skipper and his crew must wait for the best weather window and therefore the best opportunity to get off to a good, fast start.

New Jules Verne Trophee record

Bruno Peyron and his 12 man crew aboard maxi catamaran Orange cut the imaginary finish line to claim the Jules Verne Trophee on Sunday May 5th 2002 at 16.00 hours, 13 minutes and 45 seconds GMT.

It took Peyron and his crew 64 days, 08 hours, 37 minutes et 24 seconds to complete the 28 035 nautical mile non stop round the world sailing record on the Ushant to Ushant course, via the three major capes, Good Hope (SA), Leeuwin (Aus) and Horn (Chile) at a remarkable 18.15 knots average. Peyron and his crew beat Olivier de Kersauson's former record by 7 days, 5 hours, 44 minutes, 44 seconds and put in a massive 565 mile 24 hour run on the approaches to the finish line.

As The Race supremo and new Jules Verne record holder Bruno Peyron has just postponed the The Race start in 2004 and also shelved plans for a new four-stage bi-yearly global event with selected stopovers The Race Tour 2006 in favour Jules Verne attempts on alternate years to literally create a full rolling four-yearly cycle of 'Grand' Events for the new 'G class' Maxi Multi hulls.

Big Big News for 2005/06

The Oryx Cup 2005 and The Quest 2006
Maiden Ocean Racing Qatar have announced that the Quest 2006 will officially start from Doha on 20th December 2006 and features both ocean-going multihull and monohull yachts, over 100 ft and 90 ft respectively. There will be a total of five stop-overs during the Challenge, including locations in the Far East and America (tentatively Kuala Lumpur - Hong Kong - Sydney - Rio de Janeiro - New York) finishing in Cowes to be confirmed latter this year. Prize money for both classes will also be announced in 2004. A feeder race from the Solent will be organised to start in October/November 2006, possibly via the Cape of Good Hope. MORQ has received many bids from potential ports of call and as the route is not finalised yet, expressions of interest should include details of marina facilities, shore side back up, press and hospitality areas together with details of any similar events you have hosted or will be hosting. Suitable locations will be selected for a short list and tender documents will be dispatched in Summer 2004. More on The Oryx Cup 2005 and The Quest 2006 can be found at: http://www.maidenoceanracingqatar.co.uk/

RTW sailing records - JV Record Attempts in 2004
Whose up next?

JOYON first to SAIL INTO THE RECORD BOOKS in 2004
Francis Joyon crossed the finish line on his Single-handed Round the World record at 06 54 mn 16 sec GMT on Tuesday 3 Feb 2004. The final passage was carried out in a brisk 35 knots of wind with big seas.

After setting out from Brest on 22 Nov at 0759 mn 54 sec (GMT), the skipper of the 90ft trimaran IDEC has taken 72 days 22 hours 54 mn 22 sec to complete his circumnavigation. In so doing Francis Joyon has entered into the history books by pulverising all the single-handed round the world records.

The previous record was set by Michel Desjoyeaux onboard the Open 60 monohull PRB during the 2000 - 2001 Vendée Globe. Joyon is sailing the (90-foot) trimaran IDEC, ex-Sport Elec singlehanded, on which Olivier de Kersauson set a crewed Jules Verne Record in 1997in 71d 14h 22m 08s. Getting anywhere near that time singlehanded would be an astonishing accomplishment for Joyon. Follow to the finish this week at: http://www.trimaran-idec.com

There Indians are off and going around the world
American skipper Steve Fossett and a 12 person crew aboard the 125' maxi catamaran Cheyenne began at 05:10 and 35 secs GMT on Sat 7th Feb off the French island of Ouessant (Ushant).

After a hard-fought night crossing the English Channel, they sped south and passed the official observer of the World Sailing Speed Record Council (http://www.sailspeedrecords.com).

They hope to pass him again (northbound this time) in less than 9 weeks time as they target Bruno Peyron's (FRA) 2002 official RTW sailing record on the 110' maxi-cat 'Orange' of 64 days, 8 hrs, 37 mins, 24 secs (avg speed 13.98 kts). The record course length is 21,760 nautical miles, with actual sailing miles covered expected to exceed 26,000. Follow thier progress at: http://www.fossettchallenge.com

Olivier and Geronimo on the way again !!!
At 20:21:22 on Sunday 8th Feb, the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo skippered by Olivier de Kersauson and 10 crew crossed the Jules Verne Trophy start line between the Créac’h lighthouse on Ushant and the Lizard Point in Cornwall. The French crew must therefore re-cross the same line before 04:57:46 on 13 April to beat the time set by Orange in 2002 On board, her crew have sailed around the world in multihulls 18 times between them and eight of the eleven members were also part of last year's memorable Jules Verne Trophy attempt. All have a great deal of experience of sailing together and with Geronimo. Follow one of the worlds toughest yacht skippers to ever roam our planet at: http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com

Olivier de Kersauson was keen to stress that: “This is first and foremost an attempt at a start. If we can find the trades in a respectable time, we’ll carry on. If not, we’ll head for home, so we have nothing to lose...The forecast analysis is not the same as before”. The first eight hours may have been pretty dull – which was inevitable – but the important thing was the first change of gear that came towards the end of the night. With that out of the way, the first potential difficulty was quickly overcome by the trimaran’s impressive turn of speed in slack winds. In fact, she has exceeded actual wind speed ever since the start line.

de Kersauson also added and mused that “The Jules Verne Trophy is a continual series of meetings, places, and passages – an unending sequence of thoughts and memories. Quite unforgettable and totally unique”. Olivier de Kersauson and his ten companions are just having their first meeting... More on Geronimo and de Kersauson's crew at http://www.trimaran-geronimo.com

Geronimo returns to the start line...
02/13/2004 After blowing out her second gennaker, Geronimo is on her way home to Brest for repairs before restarting her Jules Verne Trophy bid. Geronimo was carrying three gennakers for this Jules Verne Trophy attempt. Designed as spinnaker/genoa hybrids (hence the name), these sails provide the boat’s main driving force in light-to-medium winds. In other words, they are key to achieving maximum speed in the trade winds and calms. Two of these sails are new and were delivered last December especially for this round-the-world trip. They were tested at sea last month.

The first gennaker gave up the ghost just after the start and the second followed suit today in just the same way and, it seems, for the same reasons. Since the third is identical to the first two, it seems reasonable to doubt its reliability, so all three must be modified before Geronimo can restart. If she were to complete the second half of her southward Atlantic passage or the northern leg on her return without these sails, Geronimo would lose a third of her potential speed. It might be possible in a race, but would be madness on a record attempt, especially since the trimaran has covered only 10% of the course and is only a few days clear of the start line.

So the decision has been made to return to Brest, modify the sails and re- cross the start line one more time: Geronimo trimaran newsletter n°6 http://www.trimarangeronimo.com/media/newsletters/6_en_newsletter.html

Bruno's up next!
Bruno Peyron and his brand new 120' 'Orange 2' are also nearly ready to start, so it promises to be a banner year for this daunting challenge. With French solo sailor Francis Joyon's stunning solo RTW just completed in under 73 days, the standard of achievement for this year is already especially high.

Bruno is not concealing his eagerness to get underway on a Jules Verne attempt. "Our objective was always to be ready, in stand-by mode, by the 15th of February" said Peyron. "We would have preferred to leave with Cheyenne and Geronimo, but they preferred to take this weather window and not wait for us. It is their choice, the future will tell us if they were right." More on Bruno's Orange 2 campaign goto the: http://www.orange.fr homepage and click on Orange 2 photo (Far right) to enter a very comprehensive and interactive site.

World Speed Records broken in 2003

Subject to WSSR ratification, the 10 year old 10 sq.m. Class Record over 500m. has been broken. On Wed 3rd Dec at the St Maries de la Mer "canal" in the South of France, Finian Maynard claimed a speed of 46 24 kts on a windsurfer. The current 10 sq.m. record was established in April 1993 by Thierry Bielak with a speed of 45.34 kts. The outright World Speed record stands at 46.52 kts, established in October 1993 by Simon McKeon. - John Reed. Secretary WSSR Council, http://www.sailspeedrecords.com/news.html

The WSSR has also received a claim for a new 24 hour Singlehanded Monohull record over 11-12 Dec 2003. Alex Thomson (GBR) on AT Racing has covered 466 nm during the Defi Atlantique. The existing record is held by Dominique Wavre (FRA) sailing on the Open 60 Union Bancaire Privee in the Southern Ocean at 430.7 nm set over 8-9 Dec 2000. More on the website: www.alexthomsonracing.com

Pacific crossing completed on a Sailboard
Papeete, French Polynesia: Frenchwoman Raphaëla Gouvello crossed the finish line in Tahiti completing the 8200km (4455nm) journey from Peru, single-handed and without assistance, on a sailboard. She departed Lima on August 5th and entered the harbor at Papeete 3rd Nov after 89d 7hrs at sea and had to be towed the last few hundred meters due to a complete lack of wind, a condition which has plagued her journey for the last week. The president of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac sent his "most cordial congratulations" to the boardsailor for her "superb exploit". Official site: http://www.raphaela-legouvello.com

Solo non-stop - Westabout
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede set off on the 6th November 2003 for his fourth attempt at breaking the solo non-stop westabout global record aboard his 85ft aluminum cutter Adrien. They were voted the AY "Unluckiest sailor of the month" back in Jan 2002 and again in Feb 2003 when his boat was dismasted midway across the Southern Ocean and a remarkable 18 days ahead of the time set by record holder Philippe Monnet. This time they rounded Cape Horn on the 10th of December after finding capricious winds near the Brazilian coast and sailing in the tradewinds down the coast of South America to be over 5 days ahead of Monnet's time.

At 2.44 p.m(CET) Saturday 7th Feb, Jean-Luc Van den Heede rounded the Cape of Good Hope after 92 days , 2 hours and 22 minutes at sea. It was thus with 25 days 21 hours and 45 minutes lead over Philippe Monnet that Jean Luc left the Indian Ocean behind him. In other words, the yachtsman from Amiens is happy, as he had expected at best to have a lead of 15 days. "I grabbed another five hours this morning. The weather is exceptional, the sea is blue with some white horses.

The southern Atlantic is rough with a 40-knot wind behind me, so Adrien is reaching a peak speed of 20 knots". This is the first time VDH has sailed around Good Hope in this direction, while he has passed four times in the opposite direction. "It has the name it deserves, when it's on the starboard side, as it marks the end of the fifties and the forties, and I'm now back in a sector I know well, so the hardest part is over. My next gateway is the Equator before the home stretch". http://www.vdh.fr

They've Done It: Mari Cha IV Obliterates Transatlantic Record
Robert Miller's 140ft super yacht Mari Cha IV and a 22 man racing team re-wrote sailing history on Thurs 9th Oct when they sailed past Lizard Point, off the south west coast of England, at 10:32:20 UTC to shatter the West to East Transatlantic speed record. They set sail from Ambrose Lighthouse, New York, at 16:39:41 UTC on Thurs 2nd Oct and completed their 2,925 mile crossing in 6 d 17 hrs 52 mins and 39 secs, beating the existing record by over two days and giving them their place in the record books as the first monohull ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean in under seven days. The previous record, held by Switzerland's Bernard Stamm aboard Armor-Lux, stood at 8 d 20 hrs 55 mins and 35 secs which was set back in February 2001.

The Mari Cha team had already made sailing history during the transatlantic crossing when they smashed the 24 hour distance record on Tues 7th, sailing 525.5 nautical miles in a 24 hour period. They beat the previous record of 484 nautical miles set by John Kostecki's Illbruck in April 2002, becoming the first monohull to ever sail over 500 miles in a day.

The new 45 metre (140ft) schooner carries 904 square meters upwind, 1415 m2 downwind on two masts. The entire yacht is carbon and she carries a keel that can cant +/- 40 degrees with a draft of 6m10 and a 9m50 beam plus a general appearance close to an aircraft-carrier. This incredible giant monohull launched at the end of July by the JMV shipyard in France features a cockpit going from the stern of the ship to the front mast with 11 coffee grinders, and Mari Cha IV's vocation is quite clear: she is definitely a record hunter. She does not carry a spinnaker, but a gigantic staysail is hoisted between the two masts as soon as the wind angle exceeds 40°. In terms of speed, the VPP predicts a stabilised 30-knot + figure in strong airs, which may result in staggering average speeds on transoceanic courses. More can be found on this incredible yacht at: www.mari-cha4.com

Another Route Record Established
First mooted in 1999, and established on 5-6 October this year, the Monaco to Porto Cervo record has now been set, subject to ISAF and WSSRC ratification, by Morten Bergesen's (NOR) Wally 105 - Nariida. Skippered by ex Djuice Dragons skipper Knut Frostad (NOR), the 105ft Ketch covered the 185 nautical miles in a time of 15 h 25 m and 9 s at an average speed of 11.90 knots. http://www.sailspeedrecords.com

JV Record Attempts in 2003...

SAME BOAT, NEW TEAM, JULES VERNE RECORD ATTEMPT
Team Kingfisher led by Ellen MacArthur purchased the giant 110ft (33m) 'megacat' Orange, the same boat that Bruno Peyron set the new record with and after completing extensive modifications (including new mast rig and sails) set off around the planet to become the fastest sailors on earth. Renamed 'Kingfisher 2' and re-branded in the colours of B&Q and Castorama the key DIY brands of Kingfisher plc over the 25,000 mile course attempt.

1. Go! Geronimo Go!

The giant Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo returned to the Brest Arsenal on 4 December. Fully provisioned and after removal of her engine and propeller shaft completed preparations she is now ready to leave in pursuit of the Jules Verne Trophy.

After a long wait for the right weather window the giant trimaran Geronimo finally crossed the imaginary Jules Verne Trophy start line between Ushant and Lizard Point at 03:00:39 GMT on Sat 11 Jan 2003. Olivier de Kersauson and his crew must return to cross the line again by 11:36:33 GMT on 16 March if they are to beat the record of 64 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes and 24 seconds set by Bruno Peyron and the crew of the maxi catamaran Orange.

The Brest-based trimaran crossed the line doing over 25 knots running before a north-north-easterly blowing at between 20 and 25 knots. The WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Record Council) officials started their stopwatches from the Créac’h lighthouse, specially opened for the occasion by the French Navy.

This is Olivier de Kersauson's seventh attempt at the Round the World Record and crew members have been waiting impatiently since Dec 8 for the right weather window they need to set off in pursuit of the Jules Verne Trophy. Setting off at the beginning of winter gives Geronimo the option of returning to Brest for another attempt if weather conditions become unsuitable. www.grandsrecords.com


Ellen MacArthur and Team Kingfisher getting ready for a Jules Verne attempt

As much of the western world recovered from Christmas holiday excesses and prepared for New Year's celebrations..Ellen MacArthur and Team Kingfisher headed out to sea on a cold and windy December day to start sailing trials on the 110 foot mega-cat KINGFISHER 2.

Leaving from their base in Lorient, North West France the 14 strong crew have been battling strong headwinds for the past 24 hours, making their way initially towards Ireland. They plan to put themselves, and the boat, through a series of tests and manoeuvres before returning to base on the 31st.

KINGFISHER 2 and crew will be ready to go in 'STANDBY MODE' by the middle of January to head off and attempt to break this almightiest of records.

World Sailing Speed Records can Now be verified online

JULES VERNE TROPHY Feb. 2003 News&Views
Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson and his crew on the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo crossed the Cape of Good Hope (Africa) parallel in a record 16 d 14 h 35 m 26 s since departing on their Jules Verne attempt and will be in the Southern Ocean for the next few weeks. That is 2 d 4 h 4 m 34 s or nearly a thousand nautical miles ahead of the present record holders time set by Bruno Peyron and his crew on Orange last year. - http://www.grandsrecords.com

She's Of an Rolling!

Ellen MacArthur's KINGFISHER 2 crossed start line at 0648GMT 30.01.03. Theoretical Distance to go: 24,712 nm. Maximums so far: 37.1 knots of boat speed, 48 knots of wind. As Ellen and the 13 crew on  (Bruno's Ex Orange) slipped the mooring lines and left their base in Lorient to sail to the Jules Verne start line off of the island of Ushant (north western tip of France) to begin a assault on the non-stop round the world record they had to make a un-scheduled call on fellow Jules Verne competitor in Plymouth and Project Director of Maiden II (Ex Club Med and The Race 2001 winner See below) Tracy Edwards who was only to happy to oblige and help with replacing the damaged mast track section. They then pointed the nose out towards the start line and have departed on their first attempt to capture the Jules Verne Trophy. More at http://www.teamkingfisher.com

While the 22-tonne Kingfisher 2 may be powered by the traditional forces of the wind on its 39.5 meter mast and sails it is also a slick, hi-tech vessel that has been specially modified for the record attempt. The crew will have access to the latest satellite navigation system and the boat is fitted with eight cameras and six microphones to help communication. Sailing fans will be able to follow its every move and hear from the crew via the internet at: - http://www.kingfisherchallenges.com/

As Ellen and Kingfisher 2 waited for the wind that could lead it into the record books, MacArthur said: "We are watching Kersauson every day and watching his speed. He's had a good trip so far and they have a good average speed. We just hope to go out there and do our best and hope we finish in record time."

In his capacity as chairman of the "Round the World in 80 days" association, Olivier de Kersauson sent the following message to Ellen MacArthur and her crew: "Welcome to the wonderful world of the Jules Verne Trophy. Good luck and good winds to all of you! With Very Best Wishes". So does the AY Team

3. Welcome then to the aptly-named Roaring Forties, Howling Fifties and Screaming Sixties. Even in the best case scenario, Olivier de Kersauson and his crew face at least three weeks of confronting the elemental fury of the Southern Ocean. The uniformly gray sky is filled with wispy cloud that betrays a change of weather system and climate. It’s now time to brave the stormy world of the Southern Ocean.

Here, the wind and sea never stops moving, the heavy swells follow one after the other at up to twenty knots. In this part of the world, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current swirls eastwards like a giant endless ring connecting the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. There are no continental masses to slow the weather systems down here. The dominant westerly winds are strengthened even further by huge depressions that regularly arise in these latitudes and have a enormous effect on such an immense area of water. Average wind speeds here are 50 to 60 knots, gusting up to 80 or 90. Waves breaking at 10 or even 20 meters are commonplace, and can reach 35 meters when high winds add to the swell.

AsianYachting NEWS and VIEWS March 2003
"Unluckiest sailor of the month" Award

Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher 2 hopes dashed!

After a quick start then experiencing a frustratingly slow passage at the equator and the South Atlantic, Ellen and the Kingfisher 2 crew have made up on lost time since entering the Southern Ocean. Just as things were starting to look up one of the biggest bangs was yet to come!

At 2222 GMT 23rd Feb Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher 2 was dismasted. They were sailing in moderate conditions of 25-30 knots of wind in a 1.5 metre swell under full mainsail and spinnaker approximately 100 miles south east of the Kerguelen Islands (50 50'S 72 08'E). Suddenly without warning the 39.5 metre carbon mast came crashing down and sadly putting an end to their Jules Verne attempt. The boat and crew are safe and quickly had a jury rig in place using the boom as a temporary mast and a 10 metre section of the mast that remained on the boat was used as a brace to keep the boom in place. Kingfisher 2 then sailed on between 7 and 10 knots towards Perth in Western Australia (their nearest practical safe haven), some 2000 miles to the east. For more information and images of KINGFISHER2 sailing and to follow their progress go to http://www.teamkingfisher.com

AsianYachting NEWS and VIEWS April 2003

Olivier de Kersauson and Geronimo crew foiled by the weather! So close yet so far!

For those that have followed the tough and determined Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson and his 10-man crew on the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo where very disappointed after their bid to capture the Jules Verne Trophy came to an end after seeing their time wither away as they struggled in the South and North Atlantic when they were well within grasp of achieving their goal. After demonstrating the giant trimarans huge potential that set new records at every waypoint and lead Bruno Peyron's time by more than 2 days after rounding Cape Horn the lull in the North Atlantic weather systems has let them down. Describing the massive high pressure system extending across northern Europe as a 'meteorological catastrophe' at times they could only manage 180 miles in 24 hours, an average speed of just 7.5 knots to eventually become completely becalmed within sight of the finish line.

Bruno Peyron has jetted back to France after inspecting Langkawi in Malaysia as a possible stopover for The Race Tour 2006 and will be in time to personally greet the crew of Geronimo on their arrival. Before leaving, the JV Trophy holder expressed his sentiments "I share their disappointment, because I know only too well the amount of energy, effort and investment that goes in to a project of this scale. They really don't deserve it, because they've had a fantastic voyage and one of the best performances ever seen in the Jules Verne Trophy. They've also demonstrated the huge potential of the trimaran".

The excitement and human challenge these round the world attempts represent have captureed the publics imagination and led Florence Arthaud co-founder of the Jules Verne Trophy to praise the organisational skills onboard Geronimo: "Whatever the result, Olivier will have completed a magnificent round-the-world voyage and demonstrated his usual mastery over every technical and human issue".

More on the The Race Tour 2006

Bruno Peyron is on the verge of announcing a Port in Asia that will almost certainly be the main stopover port and a series of 'Pit Stops' during The Race Tour 2006 and that the Chinese and Malaysians intend to enter a team on one of the 8 professionally crewed One Design 80' maxi cats presently on the drawing boards of the 5 best multihull designers in the world. They expect to deliver for less than $US 2m which is 20% less than a 60' tri and half the cost of a Antarctica 80 monohull which presents a major commercial advantage and significantly increases the value of the sponsors $$'s when approaching new markets. This is perfectly inline with Global opinion to keep the overall campaign costs within a 4 to 6 million budget.

The expected route for The Race Tour 2006
- First leg: Southern Europe / Asia via Africa's Cape of Good Hope (Asian stopover is most likely to be Shanghai in China as the "Official Chinese stopover committee" is under construction but with a series of "pit stops" and "gates" extending from North Western Sumartra in Indonesia across to Phuket in SW Thailand and the Legendary Islands of Langkawi then transiting along the Malaysian coastline down the Malacca Straits before meeting up at the worlds crossroads in Singapore and racing onto China and Japan)
- Second leg: Asia / America West Coast (San Francisco) via Yokohama passage
- Third leg: San Francisco / New York round the notoriously dangerous Cape Horn
- Fourth leg: New York / Stockholm Trans Atlantic (via UK, IF, NED, GERM, NOR, POLL, RUSS)


Malaysia's involvement in The Race Tour 2006

Bruno Peyron has jetted back to France after inspecting Langkawi in Malaysia as a possible stopover for The Race Tour 2006. Several "strategic & productive" meetings to determine the level of interest and involvement Malaysia can play during The Race Tour 2006 Bruno Peyron has returned to report the outcome to his committee. Five members from the local youth teams have been invited to sail on Bruno's new giant catamaran due to be launched in France latter this year. The possibility of having a Malaysian entry during The Race Tour was discussed and drawings of the One Design 80ft catamaran "Malaysia Boleh" can be viewed.

Bruno Peyron, creator of The Race and the man responsible for the latest generation of maxi-multihulls known as the G-class, has released details of the new one design offshore racing catamaran destined for The Race Tour in 2006. "I wanted this boat to be one design but to last 10-15 years with a very high level of identity," Peyron recently told The Daily Sail. "It is a very fast catamaran, able to reach more than 600 miles per day, but very simple, safe and strong and the look is very innovative."

* The boat will be 80ft long by 45ft wide and will weigh 8 tonnes

Looking at the boat we are reminded of the racing catamaran, VSD, which Derek Kelsall designed for Manx multihull sailor Nick Keig back in the early 1980s where the concept was more or less a trimaran with the central hull clear of the water. The new OD80 has a similar central pod that Peyron says is long, very strong, but very light in design. The idea is an exceptionally good one - one advantage trimarans have over catamarans is that it is possible to get better forestay tension because the chainplate attaches to hull rather than crossbeam. The flying central hull configuration neatly solves this.

Unlike the present G-class catamarans where there is a cockpit in each hull to which sail controls are duplicated, the new OD80 will have a single cockpit, similar to a monohull. "This central pod way of sailing is aimed in the direction of newcomers, very good sailors coming from monohulls, so it is very easy to understand," explains Peyron. - The Daily Sail, full story: http://thedailysail.com/


SPEED RECORDS - AsianYachting News and Views Febuary 2003

4. The crack crew on board the new generation trimaran Nicator crossed the finishing line in Guanabara Bay to take line honours in the SAP Cape to Rio 2003 ocean race. The trimaran skippered by Klabbe Nylöf, crossed the finishing line to set an elapsed time of 12 d 23 h 47 m and 54 s. While this performance smashed the multi-hull record by almost six days, it surprisingly is about 10 hrs slower than the monohull race record set by Zephyrus IV in 2000. More at http://www.capetorio.org

SPEED RECORDS - AsianYachting November 2002

1. Merit smashes Gosford to Lord Howe record
Mon 28 Oct 2002 By Peter Campbell,
The Sydney yacht Merit a Volvo 60 owned and skippered Ian Treleaven smashed Helsal 111's long-standing record set in 1988 for the 408 nautical mile Gosford to Lord Howe ocean yacht race. Thereby completing an impressive qualifying sail for the 2002 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.... Full story, go to: http://www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?Nid=7587

2. REGAINED THE RECORD
American Skipper Steve Fossett and his multinational crew aboard the 125ft maxi-catamaran PlayStation shaved nearly 55 minutes off the 'Around Britain and Ireland' sailing record that was recently set by Maiden II. They began the record attempt at1620 UTC 20th October 2002 from Ramsgate Harbour. Wind 22 knots east, boat speed about 25 knots. Sky overcast; light rain. Barometer falling steadily. To beat Maiden 2's (GBR) record which stood at 4d 17h 5m 22s, they had to average a speed of 15.93 kts for the 1787 nm course. At the finish line off Ramsgate PlayStation's record-breaking passage was recorded at 4 days, 16 hours, 9 minutes, 36 seconds. All figures are subject to checking and eventual ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council before the record becomes official. Complete rapup at... www.fossettchallenge.com

3. Simon McKeon and Tim Daddo have applied to the WSSR to conduct an attempt on the outright World Sailing Speed Record with Macquarie Innovation for a selected 28 days from 25th October to December 4. As in the past, the attempts will be conducted at Sandy Point, Victoria and, time permitting, they intend pursuing different class records and accordingly sailing with rigs of different sizes. The primary method of measuring speed for the 500 metre record will be via a video camera located on Macquarie Innovation. They also intend to run a GPS system concurrently in the hope of receiving approval for this system.
WSSR Website: http://www.sailspeedrecords.com Macquarie Speed Sailing Team: http://www.macquarie.com.au/speedsailing.htm

4. Sailrocket is a radical new British design being developed by Paul Larsen, Malcolm Barnsley and others, to challenge the outright world speed sailing record are looking for sponsors to build their hydrofoiled craft. The current record of 46.5 knots was set by the Australian boat Yellow Pages Endeavour in 1993. Website: http://www.sailrocket.com

5. VAN DEN HEEDE heads out again.
Brest, France Sunday 3 Nov at 9:40:57: Jean-Luc Van den Heede and his aluminium monohull "Adrien" set off on a quest to conquer the record for a solo, non-stop East to West circumnavigation against the ocean currents and trade winds most of the way.

His latest plan included waiting for a favourable departure window and undergoing a complete physical exam to be given the go ahead from his physicians. Adrian, his aluminum sloop, has also had some examinations and reconfigured for the solo circumnavigation so as not to injure its skipper with foam padding on the ceiling inside and plastic half pipes on the aluminum edges inside.

His last attempt began on October 7 2001 when he made a fast passage down the Atlantic and around Cape Horn but 100 miles into the southern ocean was forced to abandon his attempt when serious damage to the keel was discovered (Which earned them the AY January 2002 Unluckiest sailor award ). His first attempt in 1991 ended in a collision with a wreck which tore his hull halfway between the Horn and New Zealand.

Only three sailors have completed this particular Everest of sailing: Sir Chay Blyth in 1970 (292 days), Mike Golding in 1994 (161 days) and Philppe Monnet in 2000(151 days, 19 hours, 54 minutes, the current record). Van den Heede believes he can do better, and with four previous circumnavigation races under his belt (two BOC Challenges, two Vendée Globes), this 57 year old former mathematics teacher has the experience, and, he believes, the boat to do it. See also http://www.vdh.fr

"Unluckiest sailor of the month" Award Febuary 2003 News and Views

A ``friendly rescue mission'' was accomplished on Jan the 24th when French solo yachtsman Jean Luc Van Den Heede's dismasted round the world yacht "Adrienne" (See January 2002 Unluckiest Award winner ) was towed into Hobart by Don McIntyre's 37-meter icebreaker Sir Hubert Wilkins after going to his sailing friends aid. Van Den Heede has been slowly making his way to Tasmania since a Southern Ocean gale ripped his mast off on Jan 7th bringing an end to his 3rd and possibly final record attempt when the 26m monohull was about 1500km south of Tasmania.
Full story: http://www. sail-world.com/index.cfm?Nid=8567

WSSRC Performance Certificates Now online
John Reed, Secretary of the World Speed Sailing Record Council is awarding Performance Certificates when a new route without a "benchmark" time is recognized as a world record course. A Performance Certificate may also be awarded for an outstanding achievement that does not necessarily break an existing world record which includes Datuk Azhar Mansor's Round the World, assisted, (Stops) east about, single handed Langkawi to Langkawi 21760 nm sail on Jalur Gemilang in 190 d 6 h 57 m 2 s he set in 1999 is now up on their web pages at: www.sailspeedrecords.com You access it via the "Major Current Records" button or review the AsianYachting archived story at: http://asianyachting.com/Archive/azhar.htm

NEW transatlantic solo records set in Around Alone

Torbay, England  26 Sept 02. Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm has won Leg 1 of the 2002 Around Alone. Sailing his Pierre Roland Open 60 Bobst Group - Armor Lux, Stamm crossed the finish line off the Berry Head Hotel in Torbay harbour at 15:33:38 local time (14:33:38 UTC). Throwing his arms into the air and smiling broadly Stamm looked tired but jubilant as he waved at the crowds assembled on the docks to welcome him.

It has been a fast crossing for Stamm who earlier set a new transatlantic solo record unofficial time of 10 d 10 hr 55 m and 19 secs when he passed Lizard Point off the southwest coast of England. Stam also holds the crewed transatlantic record on the same boat, which interesting enough is 38 hours less at 8 d 20 hrs and 55 minutes "I am very excited to hold a new record and to win this first leg of the Around Alone race. I have been preparing my boat for the last year and the hard work has paid off," he said. Stamm must be especially happy to be in Torbay having lost power two days ago forcing him to hand steer for the remainder of the trip. This establishes a new solo monohull transatlantic record and will become a benchmark record for all future solo monohull Atlantic crossings. WSSR Website: http://www.sailspeedrecords.com

When UK's Emma Richards the only female competitor on her Open 60 "Pindar" took 4th place on Leg 1 she established a new record Transatlantic Women's Single-handed Monohull record in a time of 13 days 1 hour 14 minutes and 36 seconds and subject to ratification. This is the inaugural record for this category and is a welcome addition to the WSSR lists. More at www.aroundalone.com

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS - AsianYachting October 2002

1. WORLD RECORDS
Tracy Edwards maxi catamaran Maiden II has officially slashed 28 hours off Steve Fossett's Round Britain and Ireland record time of 5d 21h 5m 27s is formally ratified by the WSSR Council.

Maiden II sailed by Brian Thompson, Helena Darvelid and a crew of 12 crossed the finish line at Ventnor, Isle of Wight, shortly before 06:00GMT on the 10th Sept, quashing the hopes of rival attempt by Olivier de Kersauson on Geronimo. Maiden skipper Brian Thompson finally broke the silence by announcing that the 34m (100ft) catamaran had completed the 1,787 nautical mile circumnavigation in 4 days 17 hours 4 minutes and 23 seconds with an average speed of 15.8 knots, taking 28 hours off the 1994 record.

French skipper Olivier de Kersauson on his 34m (110ft) trimaran Geronimo, crossed their finish line off Lizard Point at 10:12:54 GMT recording a time of 4 days, 22 hours, 5 minutes and 52 seconds. More on Olivier de Kersauson and Geronimo can be found at http://www.grandsrecords.com

2. Then Maiden 2 skippered by Brian Thompson and Helena Darvelid again, completed the 138 nm Cowes to Dinard route in 5 hours 23 minutes and 38 seconds averaging a speed of 25.58 Kts and breaking the previous record held by Steve Fossett by 58 minutes and 16 seconds is subject to ratification. Website: http://www.maiden2.com 

7. l’Hydroptère
One of the most interesting sailing concepts put to test on a recent Round Britain and Ireland speed record attempt is the French aerospace 18.25 m tri foiler l’Hydroptère. Unfortunately some structural problems to the main 24m crossbeam shortly after starting forced them to withdraw. Judging by the excerpts from the log on their 30 knot plus delivery run to the UK with further refinement this type of craft poses a new dimension to yacht designing and may be the future direction the maxi catamarans may take.

At low speed, l’Hydroptère sails like a normal trimaran. From 10 knots, she starts to lift, and like for an aircraft you have to cant up the boat by angling up the elevator on the submerged bottom of the rudder. This is controlled from the helm with a joystick. Once l’’Hydroptère has reached her cruising altitude, between 2 and 3 metres, the helmsman, who has now become a pilot, brings her onto a horizontal trim by briefly canting the nose downwards. Connected to the water solely by her two marine wings and her aft “fin”, l’Hydroptère can immediately reach high speeds of 30/40 knots or more. The more the speed increases, the higher l’Hydroptère lifts out of the water thanks to the V arrangement of her foils.
Alain Thébault : “we are in a drag reducing logic”
More at..... http://www.webstudios.fr/hydroptere/index_in_ENG.html

Jan 20 2003- Sailing a Contessa 32 the 16 year old Seb Clover from the Isle of Wight becomes the youngest solo yachtsman to cross the Atlantic. His father and sailing sensei beat him after staging a 2 boat race from Tenerife to Antigua. WSSRC has consequently warned parents of the dangers and responsibilities they face and not be in a hurry to list Youngest Records with out receiving proper sail training and seamanship experience prior to departure. 

12. 1000 DAYS NON-STOP AT SEA
On November 24, Reid Stowe will embark on the longest non-stop sailing voyage ever attempted. Departing from New York Harbour Pier 63, Stowe's voyage, dubbed "1000 Days Non-Stop at Sea," will take him out of sight of land and without re-supply for longer than any of his sailing predecessors. Not since John Sanders circumnavigated 657 days non-stop in 1987 has anyone departed the terra firma for so long.

Stowe's 60 ton 70 foot gaff-rigged schooner - the "Anne" - was conceived, designed and hand-built by him in 1978 as the ultimate long distance heavy weather vessel. This ship has been Stowe's expedition platform for 24 years of voyages in the Caribbean, Europe, South Pacific, and around the world. Reid is refitting his boat for the 1000 Days journey in partnership with 1000 Days Non-Stop at Sea, Ltd., a non-profit corporation. The goal is to sail the longest non-stop voyage in history. Using satellite communications and media production, Stowe and the 1000 Days Expedition team will share this adventure with the world. - www.1000days.net

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NEW 24-HOUR MULTIHULL SPEED RECORD

Between 1915 GMT on 12 June and the same time the next day, Tracy Edwards owned maxi catamaran Maiden II (ex Club Med) covered an incredible 694.78 miles, breaking Steve Fossett's previous record on PlayStation of 687.17 miles to become the world's fastest sailboat and is frustratingly only 6 miles short of the elusive 700 mile a day barrier.

On Maiden II's delivery trip back to the UK the team specifically set out to make an attempt on the 24-hour record in the process. Prior to leaving Newport, Rhode Island, Maiden II's Australian navigator Adrienne Cahalan had been monitoring the weather systems searching for suitable conditions - strong winds and flat seas. Co-skipper Brian Thompson then set sail for a identified starting point to the South-South East to begin the record attempt. At one point Cahalan reported that she saw 44 knots speed over the ground with an unofficial average speed of 29 knots reading on the GPS. - which are independently transmitted onwards to an approved base station and must be collected and forwarded without any action by the crew on the vessel.

The crew worked extremely hard over the last 36 hours pushing the boat to its limit. According to Christian Février, official observer for the WSSRC that monitored the attempt hour by hour "if the wind hadn't fallen for 2 hours midway through, the 700 miles could have been achieved without a problem". Maiden II held an average of 32.75 knots for 4 hours covering 131 miles. On June 27 - The WSSRC was not able to ratify the original claim of 697nm by Maiden 2 as the last position report was 2 minutes over the 24 hours. However as the distance sailed only needs to be one mile greater than the previous record after the Council members compared the 24 hour pairing has resulted in the existing record (PlayStation 687.17nm) being broken. The new record is 694.78nm. WSSR website: http://www.sailspeedrecords.com

Just before adventurer Steve Fossett and former record holder set off on "Bud Light Spirit of Freedom"  http://www.spiritoffreedom.com to become the first to sail solo, non-stop, round-the-world in a balloon he sent a message to congratulate The Maiden II team.

Dear Helena, Adrienne and crew of the new world's fastest sailboat.
Congratulations! You have won a real prize. We knew the competition would heat up for this 24 Hour Record. There are five boats that can contend for it, and we didn't think our record would last for more than about a year. But this is one time I wish we hadn't been right; it would have been nice to keep it a little longer!

I wasn't really interested in improving our own record before - but now we'll have to reconsider whether we target this 24 Hour Record - for a third time.

This record really defines the fastest sailboat - and the fastest sailors - in the world, and you should be extremely proud. Enjoy your success. - Steve Fossett

New 24 Hour Monohull World Record

At 1534 GMT Tuesday it looked as though illbruck had broken the 24 Hour Monohull World Record by covering a huge 473 nautical miles. Just a few hours later the crew having pushed even harder and subject to confirmation achieved a staggering 484 nautical miles to become the worlds fastest monohull. This was achieved between 2002 GMT on 29 April and the same time on 30 April 2002. As focused as ever, skipper John Kostecki, said: "It feels great going fast and we also had the benefit of the Gulf Stream pushing us, so it is great to get the record".

"We had about 25 to 30 knots of wind and our masthead spinnaker up most of the time and our smaller reaching spinnaker for the last eight or nine hours. So it was the combination of these two or three sails that broke the record for us. We kept the same watch system as we are trying to win this leg of the Volvo Ocean Race and it just so happens that we are going fast enough to break the world record".

For several 10-minute periods illbruck averaged 27 knots of boat speed. Deducting the three-knot push of the Gulf Stream still leaves 24 knots through the water. Impressive by all means. The previous record was held by Bernard Stamm on the Open 60 Armor Lux (467.70 nautical miles, 19.49 knots average speed) since January 2001, sailed in the Gulf Stream as well. EDS has sponsored a trophy for the record. Illbruck's positions for this speed record are derived from Satcom C units between two GPS positions over any 24-hour period which is constantly monitored by the Volvo Ocean Race headquarters at www.volvooceanrace.org

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Sailing adventurer & K-12 educator Rich Wilson will attempt in March to break Sea Witch's 154-year-old American clipper ship passage record from Hong Kong to New York. Wilson, from Boston, Massachusetts, already holds passage records on his 53-foot trimaran Great American II from San Francisco to Boston, and from New York City to Melbourne, Australia. His ocean-going exploits will be tracked by hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren in the education programs he creates on his www.sitesALIVE.com website. The American skipper will be joined on the Hong Kong adventure by long-time sailor and shipping industry executive Rich du Moulin, from Larchmont, New York.

The two sailors then will set off in the wake of the legendary New York clipper ship Sea Witch then skippered by Captain Robert "Bully" Waterman in 1849 who entered the Port of New York, 74 d and 14 hrs out of Hong Kong, setting a record under sail for the passage that has never been eclipsed.

From Hong Kong, Great American II will sail south across the China Seas through a region filled with shoals, big currents, pirates, light winds, fishermans nets, busy shipping lanes and oil fields towards Singapore and Indonesia's Riau archipelago before exiting past the volcanic Krakatoa and Sunda Straits between Sumartra and Java. Then cross the vast Indian Ocean where they will have to deal with the weather perils of the Agulhus Current before rounding the Cape of Good Hope, transiting the South Atlantic, re-crossing the Equator and the doldrums before heading to New York and finish at the Statue of Liberty. A full press kit - including background on Sea Witch, the voyage route with map, biographies of Wilson and du Moulin, a fact sheet, plus hi-res photos - are available on the website at: http://www.sitesALIVE.com/presskit

Exiting Sunda Strait: Light air in the China Seas has plagued Great America II's attempt to break the Hong Kong - New York speed record set in 1849 by the schooner Sea Witch. Skipper Rich Wilson said "We are becalmed as Sea Witch sails away. The ultimate in frustration." The 53-foot trimaran has eventually passed through the Sunda Strait and entered the Indian Ocean at sunrise on March 29 which is considered a milestone on the voyage and hopefully bring new fortunes in the southern hemisphere on their 15,000-mile non-stop run from Hong Kong to New York. Go to www.sitesalive.com/ to follow the progress or browse a chart showing the relative positions of Great American II and Sea Witch at: http://www.sitesalive.com/ocl/private/03s/pos/ocl3position.html

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