Coville - code orange

ORMA 60 trimaran skipper may attempt solo transat record this Sunday

Thomas Coville, skipper of the 60ft trimaran Sodebo, has said that Sunday could provide a suitable weather window for him to set off on his attempt on the solo transatlantic records between the Ambrose Light, off New York harbour and the Lizard. At present these are held by Laurent Bourgnon's Primagaz for the 60ft trimarans while Francis Joyon's late trimaran IDEC holds the outright record.

The forecast is currently showing that if Coville leaves on Sunday it will be in favourable southwesterly winds of 18-30 knots stemming from a depression to the north of New York. A possible upset to this forecast is another depression which is currently heading north towards this zone.

The records Coville hopes to break on this attempt are;

Francis Joyon/ IDEC - 6 days 4 hours 1 minute
Laurent Bourgnon/ Primagaz - 7 days 2 hours 34 minutes and 42 seconds
The singlehanded 24 hour record held by Francis Joyon/ IDEC of 543 miles.

"Our prime objective is Laurent's record because that is our category," says Coville. "Francis placed the bar very high but I will do everything to compete. He is the fastest man today on the Atlantic and his is 'the' reference time. Finally the 24 hour record has fascinated me enormously for a long time because it is the reference."

When Bourgnon set his exceptional record in 1994 - aside from setting the outright solo passage at the time, Bourgnon singlehandedly beat the fully crewed 24 hour record during this passage - Coville was a member of his technical team. 11 years on and the pupil has taken the place of the Master: "I remain very close with Laurent. He will be omnipresent for me at sea during this crossing. He said to me that it would be good if this record remained in the family... that touches me," says Coville.

Since July, Coville has already broken the record of Francis Joyon between Cadiz and San Salvador and established a new reference time between Miami and New York.