Jules Verne Trophy: The crew of Sodebo Ultim 3 celebrated at the Maritime Museum
by Sodebo Ultim 3 16 Jun 20:27 BST
The Sodebo Ultim 3 officially receive the prestigious Jules Verne Trophy at a ceremony held at the National Maritime Museum in Paris © Vincent Curutchet / Sodebo Sailing
After thrilling thousands of fans during their round-the-world voyage last winter, Thomas Coville, skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3, along with Benjamin Schwartz, Frédéric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, Léonard Legrand, Guillaume Pirouelle, and Nicolas Troussel, officially received the prestigious Jules Verne Trophy at a ceremony held at the National Maritime Museum in Paris. This distinction recognises an exceptional sporting achievement and an extraordinary human adventure.
On January 25th, Sodebo Ultim 3 crossed the finish line of the Jules Verne Trophy off the coast of Ushant after 40 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes, and 50 seconds at sea, becoming the first foiling trimaran to circumnavigate the globe non-stop. It also became the 10th crew to add its name to the list of winners of this legendary trophy. This historic performance improved the previous record held by IDEC Sport by 12 hours and 44 minutes. Since 2017, the record had withstood 13 attempts by different crews, including four by Sodebo.
This afternoon, at the National Maritime Museum, the emotion was still very strong during the official presentation of the Jules Verne Trophy to the "major seven", nickname given by Thomas Coville to the crew of Sodebo Ultim 3. After the traditional handover of the trophy created by the artist Tom Shannon between Francis Joyon and Thomas Coville, the crew positioned the hull in the magnetic field where it rests in "levitation" and will remain on display in the museum.
Quotes:
Patricia Brochard, co-president of Sodebo: "The presentation of the Trophy itself is a challenge, with this incredible object levitating. Sodebo is the fastest boat to have sailed around the world. The construction of this record attempt required a great deal of passion and an obsession from everyone involved. The crew succeeded in engaging thousands of people by authentically sharing their round-the-world voyage. In St-Georges de Montaigu, we are very proud of the entire team, both at sea and on land."
Marie-Laure Gouraud, co-president of Sodebo: "Arriving in Brest is the moment that struck me the most. The crew faced every challenge throughout the round-the-world voyage. They made a superb attempt, demonstrating clear thinking, cohesion, and a strong desire to succeed. They managed to squeeze through a narrow gap during the storm, and I congratulate them again."
Bénédicte Mercier, co-president of Sodebo: "I will remember the extraordinary intensity of the arrival, the joy, the sharing with the wider Sodebo family, and also the relief because the Sodebo Ultim 3 crew achieved a real feat."
Thomas Coville, skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3: "The presentation of the Jules Verne Trophy is both a sacred moment and a snapshot of the record we broke together. The emotion is still very much there. This trophy has a history, the history of those who won it before and those who will win it after. I am very proud of this moment with my crew and shared with Sodebo."
Benjamin Schwartz, co-skipper of Sodebo Ultim 3: "The Jules Verne Trophy is the holy grail of offshore racing. I've been chasing it for eight years. Seeing our names and Sodebo's engraved on the trophy's base was a powerful and moving moment that we shared with the team, the presidents of Sodebo, our families, and our loved ones. We realize how extremely rare it is to successfully complete a circumnavigation. We are only the 10th to break the record, which highlights the extraordinary nature of what we have accomplished."
Léonard Legrand: "It's really great to be all seven of us together in Paris. Letting the trophy levitate together in the magnetic field was an incredible moment. This Jules Verne Trophy presentation is a wonderful way to conclude our winter, which has been fabulous and extreme, sometimes a little tough physically and mentally. The emotion is still there."
Guillaume Pirouelle: "This round-the-world trip is the result of two unsuccessful attempts the previous winter, which allowed us to learn a great deal. We set off again with even more desire and a different way of approaching things. Throughout the attempt, we took things one step at a time. We didn't know where it would lead us, but we did everything we could to get there."
Pierre Leboucher: "There were many highlights during this round-the-world voyage: the arrival, of course, because we were incredibly happy to have taken up the challenge and broken the record; rounding Cape Horn, which was quite a magical moment; and the moment we decided to set off and cross the finish line. It's a different kind of exercise from what we do in races. On this attempt, everything came together."
Frédéric Denis: "I have very fond memories of this round-the-world trip. Getting together today has allowed us to relive all those intense moments. We are very proud to lift this Trophy and share it."
Nicolas Troussel: "The trophy presentation is the culmination of this project. We saw the nine crews who broke this record before us lift it. We are happy to have all been able to get together here with the Sodebo family and celebrate the record once again."