Mauritius Route record - First record to the Equator for Francis Joyon
by Agence Mer & Media 26 Oct 2019 16:37 BST
Mauritius Route record - First record to the Equator for Francis Joyon © Francis Joyon / IDEC SPORT
Since last Saturday, Francis Joyon has been tackling the Mauritius Route record between Port Louis (Brittany) and Port Louis (Mauritius). He crossed the first virtual mark in this record at 1159hrs UTC on Saturday, setting a new reference time of seven days, two hours and 43 minutes, which was one day shorter than the reference time set ten years ago.
This is the first good reason for the skipper of IDEC SPORT to feel pleased. In order to smash the Mauritius Route record, he needs to reach Mauritius by 14th November.
Setting sail on Saturday 19th October, the skipper of IDEC SPORT crossed the start line off the Citadel of Port Louis at 0911hrs UTC without being very certain about the conditions he would encounter on the way down towards the Equator. Francis even imagined he would be a day behind schedule entering the Southern Hemisphere. The opposite turned out to be the case, thanks to some decent weather patterns, which offered fairly favourable conditions and a passage through the Doldrums last night where he was not really held up.
Postcard from the Doldrums
Passing through the Doldrums, Francis took advantage of some fair conditions to send back a video, in which he talks about this part of the journey that is feared by sailors: "A little postcard from the Doldrums, which are not very angry, and where things aren't going too badly," explained the skipper, who crossed this area, which is usually so complicated, without really being held up, before he encountered a squall during the night and then continued his voyage averaging around twenty knots towards the line separating the two hemispheres.
Mauritius before 14th November
The Mauritius Route is the first act in the IDEC SPORT ASIAN TOUR, the new campaign of record attempts which the skipper of IDEC SPORT is attempting on his way to Asia. To begin, Francis is attempting to smash his own record set ten years ago with a time of 26 days, 4 hours and 13 minutes. To improve on that record, he will have to finish in Mauritius by 1324hrs UTC on 14th November.