TOBY HEPPELL muses on an incredible winter that has seen record after record tumble.
The past few months have represented one of the finest runs of record-breaking oceanic sailing in recent history.
The northern hemisphere’s winter is the traditional time period for round the world racing and record runs. This is due to the summer in the southern hemisphere slightly moderating the fierce conditions in the Southern Ocean.
The first record to fall was the sensational effort from Thomas Coville sailing his maxi-trimaran, Sodebo as he set a new single-handed round the world record. In fact Coville didn’t just break the record, he smashed it, finishing in just 49 days and three hours, shaving more than a week off the previous best. Set by Francis Joyon in 2008.
“With the speeds you reach, you’re always on a razor’s edge,” Coville said after finishing. “Physically, I cannot take it any further… All of this was combined with a great deal of fatigue. My sleep deprivation is very real.”
Coville travelled so fast that not only was it the quickest solo trip around the world, but the third-fastest journey (at the time of his finishing) of any boat, crewed or otherwise.
This story is from the March 2017 edition of Yachts & Yachting.
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This story is from the March 2017 edition of Yachts & Yachting.
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