Jules Verne Trophy Record Smashed by Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire V

The Jules Verne Trophy is about high speed sailing which we don't normally delve into much on our sailboat2adventure site. However, boat speed, fast or slow is something we are all vitally interested in, as once we set sail on any passage the speed of our vessel becomes an integral part of what we do and largely determines how we carry out our days at sea.


In her second attempt the maxi tri-maran Banque Populaire V skippered by the famous French sailor Loick Peyron has once again smashed the previous record by two days in completing the circumnavigation in forty five and a half days! 

Their average speed was 26.6 knots, so you can imagine what speeds they reached at times to average that. Check out the video where you will see the camera focussing on the log when it is hovering around 41knots - incredible. This is an amazing feat when you compare this time with a normal circumnavigation of a modern yacht and then compare with the great voyages of earlier times when ships and crew were away for years at a time. I wonder what Columbus, James Cook or Joshua Slocum would have thought if they had ever a glimpse into the future?


The following article is a press release from Banque Populaire at the finish. Also, check out the video where the camera is focussed on the log hovering at 41 plus knots! Imagine how long they would have had to keep up that sort of speed to average 26.6 knots.

Jules Verne Trophy claimed by maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V

In the 2011 Jules Verne Trophy, the 14 sailors on-board Maxi trimaran Banque  Populaire V just burst into the history of offshore racing by becoming the fastest  men around the globe with crew, after 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes and 53 seconds of sailing*. Loïck Peyron and his crewimproved the reference time of the Jules Verne Trophy held by Groupama 3 since March 2010 by two days eighteen hours one  minute and fifty-nine seconds.  Departed on November 22nd at 09:31:42 Paris time (08:31:42 GMT), after having crossed the imaginary line between Ushant (Finistère-France) and Lizard Point (southern tip of England), the Maxi Banque Populaire V crossed the finish line of  the Jules Verne Trophy at 23:14:35 Paristime (22:14:35 GMT) this Friday. She undertook this sailing around the world in 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds days at an average speed of 26.51 knots, covering a total distance of 29,002 miles. Launched in August 2008 in Lorient (Morbihan-France),the giant trimaran holding the colours of Banque Populaire has also established several referenced time on various partials officially listed by the WSSRC for her first world tour: Equator / Equator record in 32 days, 11 hours, 51 minutes and 30 seconds Indian Ocean crossing record (Cape Agulhas / South of Tasmania) in 8 days  7 hours 22 minutes and 15 seconds Under the leadership of the skipper Loïck Peyron, Thierry Chabagny, Florent Chastel, Thierry Duprey du Vorsent, Kevin Escoffier, Emmanuel Le Borgne, Frédéric Le Peutrec, Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, Ronan Lucas, Pierre-Yves Moreau, Yvan Ravussin, Xavier Revil, Brian Thompson, Juan Vila and onshore router  Marcel van Triest, are the new holders of the Jules Verne Trophy*.  Loïck Peyron, skipper of the Maxi Banque Populaire V: 'The feeling from the  guys onboard: Emotion and Happiness ! We have filled a good part of the contract! We will now appreciate our victory between us and will return in Brest tomorrow morning to share this beautiful story with everyone. Our memories are full of  wonderful images: the departure, icebergs, albatrosses, the Kerguelen Islands... When you sail around the world in 45 days, you see many things. The only one we did not get is Cape Horn but this frustration is quickly forgotten with the recordwe now have in hands. We are very proud!' Jules Verne Trophy: Start date and time: November 22nd 2011 at 09:31:42 Paris time (08:31:42 GMT) Arrival date and time at Ushant: January 6th 2012 at 23:14:35 Paris time (22:14:35 GMT) Distance: 29 002 miles Average speed : 26.51 knots New reference time on the Jules Verne Trophy* : 45 days 13 hours 42 minutes 53 seconds Time difference with Groupama 3’s record in 2010: 2 days 18 hours 1 minute  and 59 seconds * Under the WSSRC approval (World Sailing Speed Record Council). By Banque Populaire Article and images courtesy Banque Populaire, video courtesy YouTube You can read much more about boat speed and passage times in my ebook 'Sailing Adventures in Paradise' downloadable from my website www.sailboat2adventure.com