After a postponement in mid-January, the maxi-trimaran Edmond de Rothschild set off on Sunday in a crewed world record attempt, led by Charles Caudrelier, Franck Cammas and their four crew. The crew, which left Lorient in the morning, hopes to do better than the time set by Francis Joyon in 2017 (40 d 23 h 30 min 30 s). “We are impatient! We are not starting on a small record. This announces a great adventure”, explained Charles Caudrelier on Sunday.
“For several weeks, we have been monitoring the weather. The window is atypical. The forecasts in the northern hemisphere are very good, but we will be more in the unknown in the southern hemisphere. We have a faster boat than that of Francis . It’s the weather that will decide,” he said.
With four experienced sailors
The Maxi Edmond de Rothschild crossed the starting line off Ouessant (Finistère) at 2:09 p.m. French time. Caudrelier, 48, is co-skipper of the sailboat with the famous navigator Franck Cammas. The duo will be accompanied by four experienced sailors: David Boileau, Erwan Israel, Morgan Lagravière and Yann Riou.
The crew had been ready to leave since December 22 and until the beginning of March. “You have to dare at some point. We have a little over 60% chance of having a good time in the Atlantic. And after, if there is nothing, we can still come back and have one last cartridge to start”, explained the last winner of the Route du Rhum. To beat Francis Joyon’s IDEC Sport record, it is imperative to be at the Equator in 5 days and in about 12 days at the Cape of Good Hope.
Two previous attempts
The crew of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild had already tried to take the Jules-Verne Trophy in 2020 and 2021, but had to give up twice after damage. “For the moment, we haven’t managed to do more than 15 or 20 days in the South Seas while keeping the boat in good condition. Reliability will perhaps be the key point of this round the world race” , estimated Caudrelier.
The Jules Verne Trophy consists of crossing the starting line defined by a line connecting the Créac’h lighthouse on the island of Ouessant and the Cap Lizard lighthouse, going around the world leaving the Cape of Good Hope on the port side. , Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn and cross the line off Ouessant in the opposite direction. The very first Jules Verne Trophy was won by navigator Bruno Peyron in 79 days in 1993.