Sodebo arrives home

Thomas Coville's maxi-tri successfully completes her half-circumnavigation shake-down cruise

Following her launch in Australia, on 21 June Thomas Coville's new 32m maxi-trimaran Sodebo set sail for her westabout return journey to France where she has just arrived after 63 days at sea passing through the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Red Sea, Suez, the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans en route.

Coville set off from Australia with a crew making a first stopover in Noumea before negotiating the awkward Torres Straight to the north of Australia which, he describes as featuring “very difficult navigation, famous for its coral reef and its sharks...” and arriving at Bali.

From Indonesia, Coville dropped off his crew and sailed to the Seychelles singlehanded: “4,500 miles of constant trade winds in order to learn how to operate the boat under the same conditions for the around the world”. He crossed the Indian Ocean in 8 days and 23 hours at an impressive average speed of 21 knots. The return to Europe continued with his crew via the Red Sea and Suez and the length of the Mediterranean, past Gibraltar and north to her homeport of La Trinite-sur-Mer .

“The last stage between Cadiz and La Trinite was difficult since we had calms going up the Portuguese coast - then 50 knots of wind at Cape Finisterre!” recounted Coville. “But I got very intense pleasure throughout this adventure. This morning I have so many memories, some mix with others. We wanted to be pioneers and we we."

For the very first time, the three vibrant red hulls of the Sodebo trimaran are moored up in France. Simone and Joseph Bougro, founders of the Sodebo Group arrived this morning and could not hide their amazement: “The boat is large, but so harmonious that one does not have the impression is is such a giant”.

As to his impressions of his new boat, after a half lap of the world, Coville says: “the boat is reassuring, high on water, in its lines, stable and is well balanced. It doesn't have the same feeling as an ORMA 60 - the boat is less reactive, but it goes quickly since it is 25-30% more powerful and easier to operate. It's now up to us to work out how we can best profit from these weeks to draw the full potential from it”.

There remains ahead the singlehanded round the world record, presently held by Ellen MacArthur. Ellen herself will be coming to Les Sables d'Olonne (near Sodebo's corporate HQ) to christen the boat on 29 September.