La Taberna del Puerto

[Ocell (3NY)]

IDEC skipper to tackle solo transatlantic record in April
Francis Joyon, whose partnership with IDEC has just been renewed, is getting ready for the 2005 season, which will begin with an attempt at the North Atlantic record between New York and The Lizard. To try to beat Laurent Bourgnon's time, set more than 10 years ago, Francis will be on stand-by from early April.
Having taken his faithful trimaran from the Bahamas to Guadeloupe following the crossing from Cadix to San Salvador (November 2004), Francis talked about how the preparation of the catamaran was going: "I entrusted the repair job on the roller that was damaged during the Route de la Découverte event to a yard in Guadeloupe, and I'm allowing myself a fortnight to carry out the final preparations before going to New York, where I have to be before the end of March."

The 1800-mile journey from Pointe à Pitre to New York won't necessarily be that easy, as it corresponds to mid-Winter in North America. "I shall be on stand-by in New York from early April, waiting for a window in the weather to set sail on an attempt at the Transatlantic crossing record from West to East. It's a long-standing record, but is also the most difficult one to beat single-handed. It's very enticing, and this route will also perhaps allow me to tackle the 24-hour solo record." A difficult record to beat, as the skipper of IDEC pointed out, "Ellen MacArthur has just finished a rapid round the world voyage, and in fact, I thought she would improve on the 24-hour record. In spite of her success, that wasn't the case, which just goes to show that it's not going to be an easy matter." He also raised his hat to Laurent Bourgnon, who has held on to this record for more than ten years.

Francis Joyon and IDEC, are together again until 2006, as Patrice Lafargue enthusiastically confirmed: "The IDEC company is once again proud to be able to lend its backing to Francis. Apart from some excellent sporting results, the human aspect, which lies behind our partnership is absolutely splendid. That's the reason why we got
involved at the start, and why we wish to continue today."

New York – The Lizard route (theoretical distance calculated by the WSSRC): 2925 miles (5417 km)

Single-handed record: Laurent Bourgnon, Primagaz, 7 days 2 hours 34 minutes 42 seconds (June 1994)

24 hour solo record: Laurent Bourgnon, Primagaz, 540 miles (June 1994)
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