Matin Lange // Credits: LOIC VENANCE / AFP
The Arkea Ultim Challenge starts this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. from Brest. The race, which is a world first, consists of completing a solo circumnavigation of the world on 30 meter long trimarans. Boats capable of reaching speeds of more than 80 km/h. Will the six sailors on the starting line manage to beat the world record?
It’s the big day for the Arkea Ultim Challenge. This crazy race consists of sailing around the world alone on 30 meter long trimarans. Revolutionary boats capable of flying over water at over 80 km/h. A few hours before departure, a question is on everyone’s lips: can these six sailors beat the world record? 42 days, 16 hours and 40 minutes, this is the mark established by François Gabart six years ago. Since then, boats have evolved and become much faster.
Thanks to technological developments, the time established by François Gabart is well within the reach of the six sailors participating in the competition. But the skippers prefer to remain cautious. “This record is not at all the objective. My goal is firstly to finish and why not one minute after the second. I will therefore take care of my mount, no round the world trip has been done in flying mode “In four attempts, none of the boats has passed the Indian Ocean,” navigator Charles Caudrelier told Europe 1.
Capricious weather
Unlike a world record attempt, participants were not able to choose a weather window. The departure date has been set by the organizer and the weather is rather favorable for departure, but the weather is subject to change. “It could fall. The weather conditions are so variable that they become complicated to predict. For the moment, we have very good starting conditions,” indicates the race meteorologist, Cyrille Duchesne. The world record quest could be complicated by the remainder of the race which contains a windless zone just before the equator.