It was during the Route du Rhum, in 2010, that Francis Joyon saw Groupama 3, skippered by Franck Cammas, set off. His keen sailor's eye understands that the giant trimaran can be sailed both single-handed and with a crew, and win in both cases. And it's exactly a boat like that that Joyon is looking for.
To take the start of the legendary Transatlantic race, the mast was shortened to 33 meters and the deck plan was adapted, notably with a bicycle frame that allowed the winches to be turned while pedaling. While many were skeptical about the ability of one man to bring such a large boat to port, Cammas won after 9 days, 3 hours and 14 minutes of crossing.
He was ahead of a certain Francis Joyon (2nd), who was quick to point out the qualities of the machine and was already dreaming of it as his next boat.
But before that, the boat won many successes and above all, the Jules Verne Trophy in 2010. After two aborted attempts, Franck Cammas and his 9 crew members will achieve a crazy finish on the way back up the Atlantic (after being late for a long time) on March 20th 2010. They crossed the finish line at Lizard Point in 48 days, 7 hours, 44 minutes and 52 seconds, making the trimaran a legend.
In January 2013, the trimaran was sold to Banque Populaire, and took the name Banque Populaire VII, in the hands of Armel le Cléac'h, who set himself the goal of beating Cammas' record in the Route du Rhum (and the boat's record at the same time.) He won two records, previously held by Francis Joyon: the Route de la Découverte and the 24-hour record, which was extended to 682 miles covered in a single day.
But it is in the hands of Loïc Peyron (replacing Armel le Cléac'h who suffered a hand injury) that the boat will take the start of the Route du Rhum in 2014 to meet a real triumph: record of the event in 7 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes and 32 seconds.
Now in the hands of Francis Joyon and turned red and white, the trimaran, which is now called Idec Sport, is ready to take on a new challenge. The ince Bruno Peyron in 1993, he is the first to have set off with a reduced crew of 5. He is still the record holder with a race time of 40 days 23 hours 30 minutes and 30 seconds.
In 2018, after a breathtaking race with François Gabart on Macif, Francis Joyon won the Route du Rhum in Ultim with a lead of only 7 minutes and 08 seconds over his rival. He also took advantage of the opportunity to set the record for the event with a transatlantic race completed in 7 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes and 47 seconds.
Discover the history of the mythical trimaran, which has already held the Jules Verne Trophy and is undefeated in the last three editions of the Route du Rhum.
