Ultime / Spindrift dismasts on way to starting Jules Verne Trophy attempt

AS THE GIANT TRIMARAN MADE ITS WAY TO THE CRÉAC'H LIGHTHOUSE (ISLE OF OUESSANT) FOR A SECOND ATTEMPT AT THE JULES VERNE TROPHY, SPINDRIFT 2 DISMASTED AT ABOUT 1615H TODAY (MONDAY 15 JANUARY 2018), SOUTH OF POINTE SAINT-MATHIEU IN A STRONG 30 KNOT WESTERLY BREEZE AND ROUGH SEAS.

Credit : Ch Schmid

WMRT / Yann Guichard : "In Chicago, our main goal is to work on our starts."

A new week of highly competitive match racing begins on 27th September, when the 18 teams competing in the World Match Racing Tour will be in Chicago to again start the on-water duels. The third largest city in the United States will provide an impressive backdrop to the much anticipated racing on Lake Michigan, with this event being the final competitive ‘dress rehearsal’ before the World Championship event in Shenzhen, China at the end of October.

Crédit : I Roman

M32 / WMRT Tour Card to Yann Guichard, "We are still learning a lot"

Yann Guichard came in to last season as a real dark horse. His talent in multihulls was unquestioned but his lack of experience in match racing made many people question his abilities. But after a strong result in the match racing for Team France in the Americas Cup World Series he was awarded a wild card entry to the first event in Fremantle. He did not disappoint his fans when the Spindrift Racing team reached the semifinals on their first try.

Crédit : Spindrift Racing

WMRT / Semi-Finals will see Canfield vs Williams, Guichard vs Robertson.

PRO Mattias Dahlström and the race committee of the World Match Racing Tour Newport had their work cut out today as the breeze for the most part refused to co-operate. After a full day out on the water, just one round of the Quarter Finals was completed.

Credit : I Roman

Jules Verne / "Our aim now is to cross the finish line safely in Ushant" Yann Guichard - Spindrift 2

Situated just 2,600 nautical miles away from the finish line off Ushant and about to start her 43rd day at sea, Spindrift 2 is now only 266 miles off the pace, but will no longer be able to improve on the Jules Verne Trophy record time of 45d 13h 42m 53s, set in 2012. Although the crew have battled incessantly, closing the gap by more than 700 miles in three days, the weather has sealed their fate. The Azores High has blocked the direct route, while violent storms lie ahead, making the sea unnavigable, so the conditions in the Atlantic make it impossible for the crew to finish the circumnavigation on time. From today, Spindrift 2's crew have been forced to take their foot off the gas and leave off record-attempt mode.

Credit : Y Riou

Record / Spindrift 2 crossed the Cape Horn (Video)

Spindrift 2 crossed the longitude of Cape Horn on Tuesday, December 22 at 08:09 GMT, with a nice westerly breeze of 20 knots after 30 days 04 hours and 07 minutes at sea since leaving Ushant: that equals an improvement of 18 hours 11 minutes on the record time set by Banque Populaire V. Dona Bertarelli, Yann Guichard and their 12 teammates will now head back up the Atlantic for one last 7000-mile dash.

WMRT / "The World Tour will constitute a major sporting goal for Spindrift racing in 2016.” Yann Guichard

The World Match Racing Tour today announced the remaining four ‘Tour Card’ skippers that will join the 2016 World Championship. Yann Guichard (FRA), Mattias Rahm (SWE), Nicolai Sehested (DEN), and the first ever all-female Tour Card team to be led by Sally Barkow (USA) complete the list of ten appointed Tour Card Skippers for 2016.

Crédit : DR

Record / 4 DAYS, 21 HOURS 21 MINUTES !

Spindrift 2 crossed the equator at 0131hrs UTC on Friday 27 November, just under five days after setting off! Yann Guichard and his crew are on world-record pace. Current Jules Verne Trophy holder Banque Populaire V crossed the equator in 5 days, 14 hours, 55 seconds in 2011. 

Crédit : Y Riou

Record / Departure of Spindrift 2 in Jules Verne Trophy

The trimaran Spindrift 2 left Brest at 23.35 (CET) and is making her way to Ushant, the starting line of the Trophée Jules Verne around-the-world record, which she will be crossing tonight.

Crédit : E Stichelbaut 

Ultime / “This circumnavigation is probably one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever set myself,” says Dona Bertarelli

To undertake the crewed around-the-world record is as much about the human adventure as it is a technical and sporting challenge. The men and women working alongside Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard at Spindrift racing have been preparing this race against the clock for almost three years. The target: to sail around the world in less than 45 days, 13 hours and 42 minutes. The tough record they will try to beat was set by Loïck Peyron and his crew in 2012 on Banque Populaire V, which was renamed Spindrift 2 a year later.

Crédit : E Stichelbaut 

Ultime / Maxi Spindrift 2 back on the water: Special Jules Verne Trophy version

The trimaran Spindrift 2 has been relaunched in Vannes, following months of optimisation in preparation for the huge challenge of a new around-the-world record attempt during the winter of 2015-16. Hours of meticulous planning, calculations, innovations and implementations carried out by the research and technical teams put together by Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard make this 2015 version of the largest racing trimaran in the world entirely the work of Spindrift racing.

GC32 / Alinghi, Spindrift, ... GC32's racing on the Rade de Marseille next week

With new teams, new sailors, new race management and officials joining in the 2015 Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour, those involved will be taking part in a Test Event in Marseille, France over 20th-26th April.

Awards / Dona Bertarelli named « Female Sailor of the Year 2014 » at the SUI Sailing Awards

This weekend saw the SUI Sailing Awards ceremony take place at the Maison du Sport in Bern on Saturday 22nd November. Dona Bertarelli was named « Female Sailor of the Year 2014 ». The acclaimed sportswoman, who has achieved multiple victories and sailing successes with her professional sailing team Spindrift racing, both with the D35 Ladycat and maxi trimaran Spindrift 2, is proud to sail under the colours of the Société Nautique de Genève and to convey Swiss sailing to the highest level on an international scale.

#RDR2014 / March of the Giants!

In the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe the Ultimate class represents the battle of the giants, the extreme multihulls fight for supremacy. The Ultime class was created back in 2010 the giants return in 2014 for the historic tenth edition of the legendary solo Transatlantic from Saint Malo to Guadeloupe. Racing the Ultimes is one of the most pure human challenges in the race.

Credit : Th Martinez

#Ultime / Spindrift 2 is back in Brittany !

After leaving on October 7 from Lorient for Portimao for the standby for the Discovery Route, Spindrift 2 is back in Brittany. In 1 month and 19 days, Spindrift 2 has covered 10,317 miles, broken the record for the Discovery Route with a new record time of 6 days 14 hours and 29 minutes, crossed the Atlantic twice and sailed in all conditions and in all sea states. It has been a perfect learning curve about this great boat for the skippers and also for the whole team. So, it is with some satisfaction that the team, led by Yann Guichard, returned to Breton waters and moored up last night in its home harbour in La Trinité-sur-Mer.

Credit : ScanVoile

Spindrift 2 is leading the Fastnet Race, Yann Guichard : "It is definitely not over yet"

After an excellent start, the 40m trimaran, Spindrift 2, led the Multihull division along the south coast of England last night, but earlier this morning off Land's End it was the Sidney Gavignet-skippered MOD70, Oman Air-Musandam, that had moved into the first place, despite being half Spindrift's length. Crossing the Celtic Sea, it was then the turn of the 31.5m trimaran, Banque Populaire, to edge ahead. But at the Fastnet Rock, Spindrift 2, just managed to get her nose in front, rounding at 14.03:08 BST with the Armel le Cleac'h skippered Banque Populaire right on her transom.

Crédit : Ch Schmid / Spindrift Racing | More pics here

MOD70 / Michel Desjoyeaux and Foncia return to top of European Tour Leaderboard

They lead out of Cascais yesterday at the very start of the 213 miles Leg 3 of the MOD70 European Tour and this afternoon finished first across the Cascais finish line at 16hrs 07mins 44secs local time (UTC/GMT+1) this afternoon. In so doing Michel Desjoyeaux and his crew of FONCIA collected the maximum points on offer for the third stage, 3 bonus points for the start prologue and 12 points for winning the third of the five offshore stages of this MOD70 European Tour.

Credit : R Pinto/MOD

MOD70 / Musandam-Oman Sail wins Cascais City Race Series (video)

Sidney Gavignet's multinational crew of Omanis, French and British won the MOD70 European Tour Cascais City Race series today in style, just 2 points ahead of Spindrift Racing who continue to lead the European Tour overall.

Credit : R.Pinto/MOD S.A.

MOD70 / Spindrift racing won Leg 2, Oman Sail "was in the match"

Breaking the finish line off Cascais at 05hours 37minutes 36seconds UTC (06hrs 37mins 36secs local) this Wednesday morning Yann Guichard and the crew of Spindrift racing won the 975 miles second leg of the MOD70 European Tour from Dun Laoghaire, by Dublin, Ireland to Cascais by Lisbon in Portugal.

Credit : R.Pinto/MOD S.A.

MOD70 / The European Tour comes to Dun Laoghaire, 05- 09 September

Dun Laoghaire will play host to sailing’s most exciting new global sailing championship series when the MOD70 European Tour visits from Wednesday 5th September to Sunday 9th September. Ireland has hosted most of the world’s top sailing events during 2012 and the hosting of this new series undoubtedly proves Ireland as one of the best sailing locations in the world.

Credit : MOD SA