FRIENDSHIP ROUTE FRANCE TO BRAZIL FRANCIS JOYON 2014

MONDAY APRIL 21st 2014 - BRAZIL

At 1738hrs UTC (1938hrs CET) today, the IDEC maxi-trimaran crossed the finishing line in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In doing so, skipper Francis Joyon has estabished a new reference time for the Friendship Route between Bordeaux, France and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His time for the 4812 mile course was 13 days, 03 hours, 05 minutes and 19 seconds, an average speed of 15.2 knots on the Great Circle or 18.1 knots out on the water, as Joyon was forced to sail 910 miles more than the direct route.

The new Friendship Route between Bordeaux and Rio de Janeiro was designed to bring together France and Brazil and come to the aid of charities in Brazil, as well as the ICM, the Brain and Spinal Cord Institute in France.

IDEC set sail from Bordeaux to sail down the Gironde Estuary on Tuesday 8 April at 1433 UTC. This was four days after officially going on stand-by, marked by a special event in which the French football team, the Girondins de Bordeaux and Fabien Barthez among others paid tribute to the great sailor.

The final 24 hours of sailing along the coast of Brazil were very demanding for the skipper of IDEC, who had to sail upwind for the final 120 miles to Rio de Janeiro. Exhausted after missing out on sleep, Joyon had to keep hard at it, tacking and carrying out many manoeuvres to reach the finishing line. These 13 days of sailing were unusual in that he had to sail a long way north to get west and this demanded a lot of effort.

His first reaction : “I’m really pleased to have finished, as the final 24 hours were very testing. Physically I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept for two days because of the conditions, but also because there is really a lot of shipping along the coast of Brazil. You have to remain alert all the time. This is a particularly exhausting job.”

“The final hurdle was very stressful. Around midnight last night, I found myself in a huge storm, which was quite impressive… and the wind suddenly swung around 180 degrees. I went from downwind sailing to upwind sailing with the wind strength all over the place going from 10 to 25 knots in just a few seconds. Aboard a giant multihull like IDEC, these are challenging conditions. You have to keep manoeuvring, taking in reefs and making changes. And at the same time there is the threat of all the shipping between the coast and the offshore oil rigs. A tug came close to the boat, while I was carrying out manoeuvres for example. And with the wind coming straight at me, everyone knows that neither I nor the boat likes that. That’s why I’m particularly pleased to be here now in Brazil.”

“Before setting off from Bordeaux, I thought it would take around fifteen days. So thirteen days isn’t that bad, taking into account my route off to the west that was necessary to get around the lows in the Atlantic, then the width of the Doldrums (300 miles, editor’s note) where I was slowed down, but never came to a complete standstill. This route was excellent training for the Route du Rhum: when I finally got back on a southerly route in the Atlantic, I was only two days away from Guadeloupe! I sailed a lot of miles, a lot more than indicated on the theoretical route… and I learnt a lot. Each mile sailed, each manoeuvre carried out helps me get to know the boat. My time can of course be improved, if the weather cooperates allowing a more direct route.”

“I’m really pleased as IDEC has shown that she is still fast and reliable. I didn’t break anything important. The little problems I had along the way were routine incidents and not that important. I’m going to be able to sort them all out by myself here in Brazil. They are only minor details. So there is nothing to worry about on that score.”

“Sailing to support the ICM and for charities is very motivating for me. It adds something spiritual to the mere sport of sailing.”

Francis Joyon has spectacularly stepped up the pace with the IDEC maxi trimaran reaching thirty knots this morning between Portugal and the Azores. Forty hours after setting sail from Bordeaux, there are already 600 miles in his wake. This morning (Thursday), the IDEC maxi trimaran is sailing at high speed 300 miles out in the Atlantic off Northern Portugal.

After setting off at 1633hrs local time the day before yesterday (Tuesday 8th April) from the Gironde Estuary on his attempt to set a reference time for the Friendship Route between Bordeaux and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the skipper of IDEC is continuing carefully to zig-zag his way down the Atlantic carrying out a series of gybes (change of tack with the wind from astern). This strategy has two goals. He is looking for stronger winds (there was more wind in the Southern Bay of Biscay at the start) and above all staying close to the wind with the aim of finding the best angle to achieve good speeds.

That is why in the middle of the night at around two this morning, as he sailed around 150 miles off Cape Finisterre, Francis changed tack once again to sail towards the west-south-west. This proved to be a good idea, as since then, IDEC has managed to accelerate remarkably well, by picking up a stronger north-easterly wind and maintaining a good angle. The result is that the speeds, which were around 20 to 25 knots are now between 25 and 30 knots enabling him to clock up the miles…

Francis Joyon is following the strategy he came up with yesterday lunchtime to the letter. He is quoted as saying:

“I’m probably going to have to sail around the north west of a small area of low pressure generating light winds. In order to do that I’m having to sail a rather unusual route taking me fairly close to the south of the Azores.” That is exactly the curve that IDEC is currently tracing, north of the direct route and a little under 500 miles from the Azores. This means more miles to sail, but at the same time much better speeds… Ocean racing always requires compromises."

In short - At 0834 (CET) on Thursday 10th April, Francis Joyon was sailing on IDEC at 29.6 knots on a bearing of 230° (south west), at 41°40 North and 15°54 West. Since the start he has covered 595 miles. Distance to the finish (Rio de Janeiro): 4217 miles.

FULL SPEED AHEAD TO THE AZORES
JEUDI 10 AVRIL 2014

Francis Joyon has spectacularly stepped up the pace with the IDEC maxi trimaran reaching thirty knots this morning between Portugal and the Azores.
Joyon is speeding along. Forty hours after setting sail from Bordeaux, there are already 600 miles in his wake. This morning (Thursday), the IDEC maxi trimaran is sailing at high speed 300 miles out in the Atlantic off Northern Portugal.

After setting off at 1633hrs local time the day before yesterday (Tuesday 8th April) from the Gironde Estuary on his attempt to set a reference time for the Friendship Route between Bordeaux and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the skipper of IDEC is continuing carefully to zig-zag his way down the Atlantic carrying out a series of gybes (change of tack with the wind from astern). This strategy has two goals. He is looking for stronger winds (there was more wind in the Southern Bay of Biscay at the start) and above all staying close to the wind with the aim of finding the best angle to achieve good speeds.

That is why in the middle of the night at around two this morning, as he sailed around 150 miles off Cape Finisterre, Francis changed tack once again to sail towards the west-south-west. This proved to be a good idea, as since then, IDEC has managed to accelerate remarkably well, by picking up a stronger north-easterly wind and maintaining a good angle. The result is that the speeds, which were around 20 to 25 knots are now between 25 and 30 knots enabling him to clock up the miles…

Francis Joyon is following to the letter the strategy he came up with yesterday lunchtime, when he declared, “I’m probably going to have to sail around the north west of a small area of low pressure generating light winds. In order to do that I’m having to sail a rather unusual route taking me fairly close to the south of the Azores.” That is exactly the curve that IDEC is currently tracing, north of the direct route and a little under 500 miles from the Azores. This means more miles to sail, but at the same time much better speeds… Ocean racing always requires compromises.

In short

At 0834 (CET) on Thursday 10th April, Francis Joyon was sailing on IDEC at 29.6 knots on a bearing of 230° (south west), at 41°40 North and 15°54 West. Since the start he has covered 595 miles. Distance to the finish (Rio de Janeiro): 4217 miles.

- See more at: http://www.juanpanews.com/2014/04/francis-joyon-con-idec-comienza-la-ruta-bordeaux-a-rio-de-janeiro/#sthash.6N8ewN7P.dpuf

At a special launch night on Monday the 30th of March in Paris, Francis Joyon, skipper of the IDEC maxi trimaran, took another step forward towards the Friendship Route, the ocean crossing record between Bordeaux and Rio de Janeiro. Uniting sporting and charitable values, this brand new route across the Atlantic has brought together many famous people offering their support to the Brain and Spinal Cord Institute (the ICM). All of these French and Brazilian ambassadors have signed or will be signing the Sail of Hope, which will be a symbol of Franco-Brazilian friendship and will be leading the way to Brazil. For Francis Joyon, the clock is ticking, as he will be going on stand-by in Bordeaux from Friday 4th April 2014.

They were all there on Monday 31st March in Paris for the special launch night for the Friendship Route. Starting with Francis Joyon, the skipper of the IDEC maxi trimaran, of course, who was the centre of attention. It will be him taking up the solo challenge across the Atlantic on a brand new route from Bordeaux to Rio, or in other words around 5000 nautical miles (9200 km). Professor Gérard Saillant and Jean Todt, founding members of the ICM and guest sponsors for Francis’s maxi also attended this meeting in Paris. As did some of the ambassadors who have come together around Francis Joyon’s latest challenge.

Clearly, Francis will have a lot of support as he attempts this latest record, as he will be flying the Sail of Hope. Decorated with Picasso’s dove of peace, the headsail on the IDEC maxi trimaran will be leading the way to Rio. Many footballers, including the whole of the 2014 French football team, led by their manager Didier Deschamps, teams from the League, including the Olympique de Marseille, OGC Nice, AS Saint-Etienne, Montpellier HSC, and the Olympique Lyonnais, … have already signed it. Along with Gérard Saillant and Jean Todt, the personalities that attended the meeting last night also signed it: the actor Clovis Cornillac, the 1998 world football champion Franck Leboeuf, the former manager of the French team, Michel Hidalgo, the producer, Dominique Besnehard and the triple paralympic medallist, Marie-Amélie Le Fur, … . Other ambassadors – coming from the world of sport, the arts, politics, economics and the media – will! be following in their footsteps. As for the Brazilian stars, they will be signing the sail after Francis Joyon’s ocean crossing. This prestigious symbol of Franco-Brazilian friendship will then be auctioned for charity at the end of 2014 at a special gala evening in Paris. All of the profits will be handed over to charities and the Brain and Spinal Cord Institute.

From now on, it will be moving very quickly for Francis Joyon. After a delivery trip from his home port of la Trinité-sur-Mer (Morbihan), the sailor will be putting on a show in Bordeaux. Leading up to the start of the Friendship Route, the big red trimaran will be sailing under the Chaban-Delmas Bridge at 10 o’clock on Friday 4th April. Then, Francis Joyon will come alongside the pontoon in front of the Place de la Bourse. At 1100hrs, the Girondins de Bordeaux football team will be signing the Sail of Hope with other celebrities. This will mark the start of the official stand-by period. Francis will wait for a weather opportunity before setting sail for Rio. He will then be alone, or almost…

Francis Joyon, skipper of the IDEC maxi trimaran: “The fact that I can feel all this friendship around me is very important. As for the sporting element, the Friendship Route will be the first record between Europe and South America. The opportunity to set off will be in a fairly short period, around a fortnight. This route with around 5000 miles of sailing is not that simple, as there are a number of hurdles. I’m determined to set a good reference time to motivate those following me. I’ll be satisfied with completing the voyage in a fortnight.”

Patrice Lafargue, President of the IDEC Group: “We wanted to come up with something different, which linked in with the charitable aspect. This idea of a record between France and Brazil in aid of the ICM quickly appeared. This will be a great prelude to the big event of the year, the football World Cup.”

Gérard Saillant, President of the ICM: “The ICM has been associated with Francis Joyon’s successes since 2005. Supporting the boat once again was symbolically very important for us. I can see a lot of similarities between the challenges faced by the ICM and Francis. Just like him, we also have a huge challenge ahead of us: finding solutions to brain and spinal cord disorders.”

Jean Todt, Vice-President of the ICM: “I am very honoured that the IDEC maxi trimaran is once again flying the colours of the ICM during this latest ocean adventure. The highly talented Francis Joyon brings together a great team behind him. And we all know that great teams always win.”

Friday 4th April 2014: Start of the stand-by in Bordeaux for Francis Joyon’s attempt at the record between Bordeaux and Rio de Janeiro.

Around 10th May 2014: The IDEC maxi-trimaran is due to arrive in Rio de Janeiro.
Late 2014: The Sail of Hope signed by all of the French and Brazilian ambassadors will be sold at a charity auction.

Francis Joyon was the first sailor to win the Ultimate Trophy. He is the only one to have held the following four records at the same time:

- Round the world record: 57 days 13 hours 34 minutes and 6 seconds, February 2008
- North Atlantic record: 5 days, 2 hours, 56 minutes and 10 seconds, June 2013
- 24-hour distance record: 666.2 miles sailed in July 2012
- Columbus Route record (Cadiz – Sans Salvador): 8 days 16 hrs 7 mins 5 seconds, February 2013

TV footage of the IDEC maxi-trimaran is available for all channels and film agencies from the Nefertiti ftp server: http://idec.nefertiti-prod.tv