Model of the trimaran Idec Sport
Brest
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Enlarge image : Model sailboat with a red and white sail that has "IDEC SPORT" written on it a white hull, and a red and white striped flag on the top of the mast. The sailboat is mounted on a white base
Model of the trimaran Idec Sport © Musée national de la Marine/A.Fux -
Enlarge image : Different view of the sailboat
Model of the trimaran Idec Sport © Musée national de la Marine/A.Fux
This is a model of the trimaran Idec Sport skippered by Francis Joyon. He and his crew won the Jules Verne Trophy on 26 January 2017, crossing the finishing line after 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds at sea. All at an average speed of 22.84 knots, beating 6 intermediate records… The following year, Francis Joyon won the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race aboard the same trimaran.
The Jules Verne Trophy
Enlarge image : Couverture du tour du monde en 80 jours
The holy grail of ocean racing, the Jules Verne Trophy is a round-the-world race by yacht, in under 80 days, with a crew, with no stopovers and no assistance. Inspired by the adventures of Phileas Fogg, hero if Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in 80 Days, this unique challenge is governed by simple regulations allowing participants considerable freedom.
The challenge
Once the boats have set sail, usually from Brest, which is close by, they must make their way to the starting line located between the Créac’h lighthouse on Ushant Island and Lizard Point in Great Britain, and then keep the 3 capes to portside: Good Hope (Africa), Leeuwin (Australia) and Horn (South America), to cross the finishing line after a voyage of around 27,000 nautical miles.
The winners
Since its creation in 1992 and some thirty attempts, only 9 crews, led by great offshore racers, have accomplished the feat: Bruno Peyron (1993, 2002, and 2005), Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston (1994), Olivier de Kersauson (1997 and 2004), Franck Cammas (2010), Loïck Peyron (2012) and finally, Francis Joyon (2017), who holds the current record of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds.
A living challenge
Hence, the race’s reference time has been halved since its creation. Whether it is the shortest route or the highest speed, the challenge is always at the mercy of the elements, combined with human prowess and technological advances. Embodied by an impressive contemporary artwork created by the American sculptor Thomas Shannon, the Jules Verne Trophy is a living challenge
The Jules Verne Trophy, the artwork
At the request of the “Around the World in 80 Days” Association, Minister of National Education and Culture Jack Lang launched a consultation for creation of an artwork symbolising the challenge, which was won by the American Thomas Shannon. Hovering in a magnetic field, the hull-shaped sculpture is suspended in space. Its forms are defined by a series of curves proportional to the circumferences of the sun, the earth and the moon – celestial bodies with a determining influence on tides and navigation. Held in place by a steel wire, like a boat at anchor, the cast aluminium hull floats above a plaque engraved with the names of the Trophy’s successive holders and, more recently, those of the navigators.
Collection highlight
The essential works to see during your visit to the Musée national de la Marine in Brest, Port-Louis, Rochefort, Toulon, and soon in Paris.