Joyon Jumping Off…?

Looks like our old amis Francis Joyon is ging to spice things up a bit on the North Atlantic. If weather predictions hold, he will set out today from New York on his solo transatlantic record attempt. Here’s how his router Jean Yves Bernot sizes up the North Atlantic picture:

“It may be tomorrow, as a small low-pressure area is moving in. What is important now is to watch how it develops. Once we start, the conditions will be good, but Francis will nevertheless have to manage to cover the 100 miles or so separating him from the zone, where he will pick up the weather system. Lows are created around Cape Hatteras (North Carolina) and initially tend to be rather unpredictable, before they gradually settle down into a pattern. In theory, the wind conditions should be good – 25 to 30 knots, hardly any stronger – and in any case, we shall be setting out, if we see that the journey is possible within less than 7 days *. With winds of this strength and a decent angle of 110° to 130° from the real wind, we can easily keep up an average of 20 knots without too much effort, but of course, we can’t expect perfect conditions throughout the whole trip. The main risk on this route is to see the flow drop off towards the finish, to the extent that we’ll be getting home in pre-summer conditions. Having said that, a lot of records have been broken in late June or early July. If tomorrow’s opportunity is confirmed, the start will take place around 6 p.m. GMT. If not, there will be other occasions later in the week or early next week.”

Here are the relevant facts and figures:
Route from New York – The Lizard (theoretical distance calculated by the WSSRC): 2925 miles (5417 km)
Single-handed record: Laurent Bourgnon, Primagaz, 7 days 2 hours 34 minutes 42 seconds (June 1994)
24-hour single-handed record: Laurent Bourgnon, Primagaz, 540 miles (June 1994)

Can’t believe this record has stood for so long. I wonder if Joyon will finally break it, only to have Ellen come along later this summer and steal his glory again…

Fabulous Francis: “Alors, I’m not getting any prettier hanging around here in New York. Time to run those pantywaists in the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge down…”
(Photo: Billy Black/DPPI)