Two of trimarans designed by the French yacht designers Van Peteghem Lauriot Prevost left the USA last Thursday. They were on a sprint to break the North Atlantic sailing Record.
Groupama 3 skippered by Franck Cammas left two hours before Pascal Bidegorry aboard Maxi Banque Populaire V.
The record to beat, established by Groupama 3 in 2007 was 4 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes, 54 seconds.
Groupama 3 did superbly well, tightening up their time by 9 hours but Bidegorry and his crew crossed the finish line at The Lizards 12 minutes before their rival. Maxi Banque Populaire V knocked some 12 hours off the record. Along the way the crew also managed to secure the record for the fastest distance covered in 24 hours – an amazing 908 miles!
This winter the two boats will undertake the Jules Verne Trophy and try to circumnavigate the globe in less then 45 days.
Data on Maxi Banque Populaire’s Atlantic Record
Departure New York: 30 July 2009 at 22h 47mn 42s UT
Arrival at The Lizards: 2 August at 14h 13mn 13s UT
Distance Covered 2921 miles (5 410 km)
Average Speed 32.94 knots
Top Speed 47.15 knots
The Record now stands at
3 Days 15 hours 25 minutes and 48 seconds