The "Atlantic Cup"
Trophy for the
Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Record
There is a new trophy in the world of sailing.
It is the Atlantic Cup and has been established for the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Record.
The trophy is sponsored by the New York Harbor Sailing Foundation plus a group of sailing enthusiasts who wished to be part of this history.
The new trophy was unveiled at a press conference on Monday, August 1, 2005.
The establishment of this trophy is a direct result of Francis Joyon's visit to New York City with his trimaran IDEC.
In early July 2005, Joyon and IDEC smashed the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Record.
It was an incredible story but what happened next was even more incredible (see reports below).
Moved by the great courage and experiences of Joyon plus the loss of his great boat, a group of New York sailors discovered there was no trophy to symbolize the Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Record.
Story of Joyon's Record and IDEC
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Report Issued July 6,
2005
Francis Joyon departed North Cove on his trimaran IDEC last week.
This morning, he crossed the finish line
setting a new Trans-Atlantic Record!
Courageous single-handed sailor Francis
Joyon departed North Cove on Wednesday, June 29.
You can see Francis standing on his boom as he prepares to raise the mainsail.
As he began pulling the main halyard
up, we saw Picasso's "Dove of Peace" painted on the sail.
After sailing down the harbor, he
anchored off Sandy Hook to remove his engine prop (at 20 kts, it
creates vibration and slows the boat).
The next morning, he set off on
the record. The record starts at Ambrose Light off New York Harbor
and finishes off the Lizard Rock off England.
At 1300 GMT today, he passed Lizard
Rock.
His elapsed time was
6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 37 seconds.
The previous record set by Laurent
Bourgnon on Primagaz in 1994 was 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes.
Joyon smashed the old record by almost a full day. It was an
incredible feat and he averaged 20 knots over the record course
of 2925 miles.
Many New Yorkers had a chance to see
Joyon's amazing trimaran IDEC while it was parked here at North
Cove in Manhattan. It was a beautiful machine and we were very
lucky to have such a great sailor among us.
Details about Joyon are at his
website (in French)
www.trimaran-idec.com.
In February 2004, Joyon also set the
single-handed round the world record. It was his record that
Ellen MacArthur broke this past winter. This summer, three
other boats are also expected to challenge Joyon's new
trans-Atlantic record (including MacArthur).
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Report
issued July 8, 2005
In the hours after the great
single-handed Trans-Atlantic Record set by
Francis Joyon, another drama
unfolded equal to any of the Greek tragedies.
The ending is that
Joyon is safe ashore in France
but the trimaran IDEC is no more.
We remember with great fondness that
clear April day when IDEC with Joyon onboard sailed up the harbor to
dock at North Cove.
This picture shows Joyon in red with the
Statue of Liberty. Also on board is Tim O'Brien, Manager of North
Cove who was assisting Joyon during his arrival. Joyon had just
completed a multi-day sail up from the Caribbean.
For almost 3 months, the extreme racing
lines of IDEC sat at North Cove and captivated passer-bys. People
loved looking at the machine, they stopped their bicycles, paused
when walking or held on to the railings for a roller blade break.
IDEC was Francis' boat, but she was also
New York City's darling. She was the first great vessel to visit
North Cove since Dennis Conner took charge. When you have such a
boat as your neighbor for so long, you develop a bond of friendship,
warmth and respect.
So when Joyon did the incredible,
smashing the old Single-handed Trans Atlantic Record by almost a
full day, we were elated.
Then, several hours later, the first
report arrived of something going wrong.
After crossing the finish line, Joyon
turned his trimaran towards home in France. He reduced sail to slow
down and arrive in port at daybreak. He had the auto-pilot on.
In the final days of the record,
although seemingly assured of breaking the record, Joyon did not
pause.
In 2004, he set the single-handed Round
the World Record only to have Ellen MacArthur break his record this
past winter.
For the Trans-Atlantic Record, Joyon
pushed with all his might. He worked to the very end, not just to
set the record but to set a bar high enough to survive for many
years.
He may have succeeded.
But the human toll must have been great.
After crossing the finish line, reducing
sail and heading for home with the auto pilot on, Joyon fell
asleep, a very deep sleep.
He did not awaken when his auto pilot
may have failed, sending the boat off course. He did not awaken as
the great IDEC trimaran approached the coast.
Only when there was the loud crash of
IDEC lodging between two rocks was Joyon rousted from sleep. And
then it was too late.
He was able to issue a May Day call and
was rescued. The rescuers took him to the hospital because of
fatigue. There was no hope for IDEC. Joyon returned to the scene
to do what he could. The towering mast came down, the boat was
breaking up.
Into the history books goes one of the
great boats of our time. A record breaker. An extreme machine. A
vessel which turned the head and caught the eye. A true beauty,
both physically and mechanically.
At the top of her game and with one of
the world's great records in her teeth, the trimaran IDEC delivered
her skipper to shore and then ended her career.
I hope there is someone reading this
story who will get a seed of inspiration.
Maybe they will someday sail another
boat as great and also break a record. Or maybe they will build a
new boat to be great or be part of a team which provides the means
to make this happen.
Or maybe they will help pass on to the
next generation the story of IDEC and the human desire to achieve
greatness which causes us to challenge nature and the elements.
Although it is easy to mourn the loss of
a ship so great, this is not a sad story. This is a story of
greatness. Congratulations to IDEC and Francis Joyon!
The full story of what happened is in
French at Joyon's website
www.trimaran-idec.com.
Commodore The North Cove (212) 786-1200 www.TheNorthCove.com |
