Arthur's Column

It wasn’t that long ago that the Jules Verne Trophy was started with the idea being to sail around the world, crossing the equator, as fast as possible.  80 days was the original magical number to beat – loosely based on the “Around the World in 80 Days” story.

Today Groupama skippered by Franck Cammas shattered the record with a phenomenal circumnavigation of 48 days 7 hours 44 minutes and 52 seconds. In the process they have not only sliced 2 days 8 hours, 35 minutes and 12 seconds off Orange 2’s five year old record but they have become the first to take this record below 50 days.

Groupama Triamaran (c) Yvan Zedda