Spindrift racing

From April 2006, the architectural firm Van Peteghem – Lauriot Prevost (VPLP) focused on the design of a maxi multihull capable of winning the Jules Verne Trophy. Mission: design a 40 m trimaran for crewed racing that would be reliable and versatile enough to be competitive in a mixed programme combining transatlantic and around-the-world races.

This maxi trimaran, launched on the 26th august 2008, under the name Banque Populaire V, is the result of a reasoned and reasonable project. The ratios of hull length and mast height on the one hand, between size and displacement (weight) on the other hand, show that giant multihull has a margin of safety. Conceived by Pascal Bidégorry, designed by the architects VPLP, built by CDK Technologies and its suppliers, this giant of the seas has been made for the big records. The objective of the project was to design a trimaran that was fast in conditions of very light to medium to wind at all points of sail, to maximise its ability to increase the average speeds at sea.

Legendary trimaran

On January 6th, 2012, the maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V, skippered by Loïck Peyron and his 13-man crew, won the Jules Verne Trophy in a time of 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes and 53 seconds, at an average speed of 19.75 knots.In June 2013, Spindrift racing acquired the world’s largest racing trimaran. The aim was to attempt major sailing records and, in particular, beat the notorious around-the-world record. In November of the same year, Spindrift racing’s sailors shaved 20 hours off the Discovery Route record (Cádiz to San Salvador), crossing the Atlantic in just 6 days and 14 hours at an average speed of 24.5 knots.

Spindrift 2 had two goals for 2014: the North Atlantic Record for crewed boats in the summer (New York to Lizard Point), followed by the single-handed Route du Rhum in the autumn, skippered by Yann Guichard. She spent four months at the boatyard being refitted for these new challenges. Her mast was reduced by six metres and she shed two tonnes of weight.

In June, Spindrift 2 went on standby in Newport (Rhode Island) waiting for the right weather conditions to launch a transatlantic record attempt. A suitable weather window never appeared and Spindrift 2 thus returned to Europe, with Yann sailing the final section from the Azores to Brittany alone. This enabled him to qualify for the Route du Rhum, where he sailing single-handedly Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre in November 2014. The race was tremendously challenging, and the skipper pushed his body to the very limit. He delivered an admirable performance, finishing on the podium with a magnificent second position.circuit.

A special Jules Verne 
Trophy made by 
Spindrift racing!

After this short single-handed episode, Spindrift 2 had her winter refit, mainly at the Multiplast yard in Vannes, where she was reconfigured for crewed racing once again. The major change to the boat is a new 42-meter mast specifically designed by the Spindrift racing design team and GSea Design for the Jules Verne Trophy, and built at CDK in Port-la-Forêt. Sails, interior fittings and cockpit have also been developed for the crewed round the world record.

On January 8, 2016, after 47 days 10 hours and 59 seconds racing around the globe, the crew of Spindrift 2 completed its first world tour and, at the time, achieving the second fastest time in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy. They just missed out on the record held, at the time, by Loick Peyron and his crew on Banque Populaire.  Nevertheless, it was an excellent achievement making Dona Bertarelli the only woman, and therefore the fastest woman, to have sailed around the world. During the circumnavigation the fourteen crew on board the maxi-trimaran also established three new speed records - Ouessant-Equator, Ouessant-Tasmania, Ouessant-Cape Horn.

So as to stand a chance of breaking the record, in 2017 Spindrift 2 was slightly modified, and the port rudder was moved slightly after and changes were made to the ends of the foils so as to significantly reduce the drag of the hulls and increase boat speed in specific conditions.  In addition, the team has also reduced the weight onboard by looking at small details, which in a boat of this size can quickly make a difference.

The dismasting just minutes from the start of the team’s second attempt at the Jules Verne forcing the team to postpone the attempt to the autumn of 2018.  Spindrift 2 is now fitted with its original mast, which is some 6 metres shorter and was adapted for the 2014 Route du Rhum.

It is with this new configuration that the team began a new record attempt in January 2019. 4 days, 20 hours and 7 minutes after crossing the starting line, the Spindrift racing team set a new Ushant-Equator record, beating their own record from the 2015 attempt by 1 hour and 38 minutes. While sailing off the coast of Australia, perfectly within the Jules Verne Trophy record times, and with good weather conditions ahead for the Pacific Ocean and Cape Horn, the team was forced to abandon the record attempt. The starboard rudder broke between the two bearings, making the trimaran impossible to steer. The record attempt finished in Fremantle, where the boat moored, before being rapidly repatriated to Brittany by cargo ship.

The Jules Verne Trophy record still remains to be beaten, and the sailors of Spindrift racing will once again attempt the challenge this winter aboard the world’s largest racing trimaran.