François Garbart and Trimaran MACIF destroy the solo Round the World record
by John Curnow 17 Dec 2017 05:50 UTC
34 year old French solo RTW sailor, François Gabart, smashed the solo round the world sailing record when the crossed the finish line between Ushant and Lizard Point at 0145 GMT on 17/12/17. The new record (yet to be ratified by the WSSC) is 42 days, 16hrs, 40mins and 35secs slashing a massive six days and 10hrs off the existing record.
This is one incredible feat, as the comparisons below demonstrate.
It is not quite 12 months since Thomas Coville set 49:3:7:38, in itself taking an impressive 8:10:26:28 off Francis Joyon's previous record from 2008. Never fear for Joyon, however, for as Skipper of IDEC Sport, he and the crew still hold the Jules Verne Trophy for the 22,461 theoretical miles in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds, at an average speed of 22.84 knots. Out on the water, they actually sailed 26,412 miles at an average speed of 26.85 knots. Gabart becomes the fourth person to hold the record after Joyon, Ellen MacArthur and Coville.