At 0654 GMT this morning, Francis JOYON (FRA) aboard the 90 ft Trimaran IDEC
crossed the line from which he started just under 73 days ago, to set the fastest
single-handed circumnavigation of the globe at 72 days, 22 hours and 55 minutes.
The previous solo record, set during the 2000 – 2001 Vendee Globe by winner,
and Joyon’s fellow countryman Michel DESJOYEAUX stood at a little over 93 days
in his Open 60 “PRB” and Joyon, in an incomparable boat, hammered that record by
over 20 days. Remarkably Joyon's time is less than 10 days off the fully crewed,
Jules Verne record set by another Frenchman, Bruno PEYRON in Orange in 2002.
More amazingly, from 1997 until 2002 Olivier de KERSAUSON and a full crew on
Sport Elec held the Jules Verne Trophy in a record time of 71 days 14 hours and 22 minutes,
Joyon's trimaran IDEC is the same boat and sailing solo he took only 32 hours longer.
In the closing stages of Joyon’s epic adventure, a collision with an unidentified object
which punched a hole in the port float could have easily ended his record attempt,
but in a strong wind finish, Joyon sailed into Brest this morning under a
heavily reefed main, and storm jib.
http://www.sailing.org/Article_content.asp?ArticleID=6341