With a crew of five men and one woman, the SVR-Lazartigue Trimaran, skippered by François Gabart, began its attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy on Saturday, the record for a crewed round-the-world trip, non-stop and without assistance.
After a night of observing weather files, the starting line drawn between the Créac'h lighthouse on the island of Ouessant and the Lizard Point Lighthouse was crossed on Saturday at 7:51:38 (UTC). The goal was to return before 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds, the record set in 2017 by Francis Joyon and his team.
Since the official standby was put in place on Monday 18 November, all eyes have been watching the evolution of the weather conditions in the North Atlantic. With the hope of seeing a favourable window open to launch this incredible challenge. It opened at the end of the week. "There is something to try," noted François Gabart. "It will be a close-hauled start in a strong wind and especially a very rough sea. Once these tough conditions have been crossed, it goes very well all the way to the equator and even further."
Forty days for a round the world race is very fast but the SVR Lazartigue Trimaran has everything it needs to succeed. It’s very fast. We have a great tool in our hands and we will have to take good care of it and exploit its full potential. The team is also perfectly designed for this record. François has thought carefully about its constitution and everything has been very fluid since the beginning of the preparation. The closer the start has gotten, the more I have measured the luck that it represents and the height of the challenge that we have to honor.
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