French skipper Francis Joyon and his crew have become the fastest people to sail around the world, shaving more than four days off the current Jules Verne Trophy record

Francis Joyon and the crew of the Maxi Trimaran IDEC SPORT have set a new Jules Verne Trophy record.

They crossed the finish line off the French island of Ouessant at 0749 UTC on 26 January, 2017, to become the fastest people to sail round the world, crewed and non-stop.

Joyon, Clément Surtel, Alex Pella, Bernard Stamm, Gwénolé Gahinet and Sébastien Audigane completed 22,461 miles of the theoretical course in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds, at an average speed of 22.84 knots.

See below for IDEC SPORT’s transit times

Out on the water, they actually sailed 26,412 miles at an average speed of 26.85 knots.

They beat the previous Jules Verne record held by Loïck Peyron and the crew of the maxi trimaran Banque Populaire V by 4 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes and 23 seconds.

Peyron set the record in January 2012.

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During this round the world voyage, Joyon and his crew smashed no fewer than six intermediate records at Cape Leeuwin, off Tasmania, on the International Date Line, at Cape Horn, at the Equator and off Ushant.

Francis Joyon and his crew round Cape Horn in the Jules Verne Trophy

At Cape Horn

Some of their feats during the Jules Verne included sailing 894 miles on day 14 at an average speed of 37.3 knots.

The Jules Verne Trophy, which is named after the writer’s famous novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, is open to any type of boats and takes skippers around the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn.

Maxi trimaran IDEC SPORT before the Juiles Verne Trophy attempt

Maxi Trimaran IDEC SPORT ahead of the Jules Verne Trophy record attempt. Credit: Jean-Marie Liot/DPPI/ IDEC Sport

Transit time for the 31.50-metre IDEC SPORT:

Go Equator: 5 days, 18 hours, 59 minutes –  4 hours and 3 minutes of delay on Banque Populaire V

Good Hope: 12 days, 19 hours, 28 minutes –  0 day 21 hours and 40 minutes of delay on Banque Populaire V

Cape Agulhas: 12 days, 21 hours, 22 minutes – 0 day 21 hours, 34 minutes late on Banque Populaire V

Cape Leeuwin: 17 days, 06 hours, 59 minutes –  16 hours and 58 minutes ahead of Banque Populaire V

Tasmania: 18 days, 18 hours and 31 minutes –  1 day, 12 hours and 43 minutes to advance on Banque Populaire V

Cape Horn: 26 days, 15 hours and 45 minutes –  4 days and 6 hours of advance on Banque Populaire V

Return Equator: 35 days, 4 hours and 9 minutes –  2 days, 22 hours and 36 minutes to advance on Banque Populaire V.

Equator – Ushant: 5 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes.

Eric and Susan Hiscock

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