You may have heard of Francis Joyon’s IDEC Sport trimaran, which broke the team round-the-world sailing record in 40 days last winter? It was an achievement that did not go unnoticed by Rebellion Timepieces, who quickly sealed a partnership with this team of circumnavigators. But have you also heard of Macif, skippered by François Gabart, Sodebo by Thomas Coville, or Actual with Yves Le Blevec? This dream foursome are among the best naval architects of today. Their powerful and ultra-fast yachts, between 24 and 32 metres in length, are built to break records. It is easy to see the parallels with the world of watchmaking because these racing prototypes, despite their size, rely on precision mechanics and the results of years of research and development by naval architects and engineers. One mistake in the middle of the Atlantic and the ensuing chaos would be the equivalent of a watchmaker with a cold in the workshop!
Motor 1 – Sails 0
For this crossing from Saint-Nazaire to New York, Aeolus, the Greek god and ruler of the winds, did not give the yachts much of a chance against the imposing Queen Mary 2. Calm conditions at the start left them no chance agains the cruise liner, which sails the direct route to the USA at an average speed of 25 knots. The true match was thus between the Ultime trimarans themselves. The crews had to find a way across the north Atlantic as bes they could between the zones without any wind at all. The racing machines did not have the opportunity to show their true potential, but we nevertheless saw a tactical battle between Macif, Idec Sport and Sodebo. Only after five days of racing did François Gabart manage to break away from his competitors off the back of an anticyclone. This masterstroke allowed him to reach the bay of New York on Monday. Taking just eight days to cross the Atlantic against the win is an exceptional feat, but in the end it was Queen Mary that won.
