3 days 15 hours 25 minutes

Banque Populaire maxi-tri demolishes west to east transatlantic record

Banque Populaire crossed the Lizard-Ushant finish line of their west to east transatlantic record attempt at 14:13:30 GMT today demolishing the existing record, set by Franck Cammas' Groupama 3 in 2007.

Having passed the Ambrose Light, start mark off New York Harbour on 29 July at 22:47:42 GMT, the blue 40m long trimaran completed the 2,925 mile long passage in the outrageously fast time of 3 days 15 hours 25 minutes and 48 seconds at an average speed of 32.94 knots. During the voyage her maximum peak speed was 47.15 knots.

Groupama 3's previous record set in 2007 stood at 4 days 3 hours 57 minutes and 54 seconds, so Banque Populaire's time represents an improvement of 12 hours 32 minutes and 6 seconds or 87.5% of the previous record.

Banque Populaire is expected at Marina du Château at Quai Jean-François la Pérouse in Brest by around 21:30 French time this evening.

When she crossed the line Groupama 3 was impressively close, just 10 minutes astern of her 25% longer rival, however she had started 2 hours 35 minute beforehand and she ended up making the crossing in a time of 3 days 18 hours 12 minutes and 56 seconds.

Groupama are claiming that while Banque Populaire was superbly fast when the wind was in the upper 20s, their performance came into its own in the low 20s as demonstrated in the last hours when they were regaining ground on their bigger, newer brother.

Banque Populaire's record is faster than the Blue Ribard record set by the Queen Mary on the same course in 1938 and extremely close to that of the last official Blue Riband record holder, the United States, which set a time of 3 days 10 hours and 42 minutes in 1952. The fastest crossing of the Atlantic made to date was by the 67m long Italian ship, Destriero which made the passage at an average speed of 53.1 knots. It should be noted at these records were between Ambrose light and Bishops Rock off the Scilly Isles, a course 48 miles shorter.


with three, began then for Maximum Banque Populaire V. Under conditions of navigations stripped of any comfort, mixing all at the same time a formed sea and a thick fog with the accesses of the New Ground benches, the skipper Basque and its team-members entered quickly the sharp one of the subject and positioned outset in times of the record with mean velocities flirtant with the 36 nodes. Very quickly, the miles ravelled and the prospect for a new record appearing without same as one does not dare to imagine it. On board, the twelve sailors threw all their weapons in an incredible brawl against time. Maximum Banque Populaire V revealed an exceptional potential then. On a single edge between the New World and the Old continent, nothing thus came to oppose a progression fulgurating and an ideal sequence of the systems weather on the Atlantic, not even a wind weakening on the end. Saturday, a first stopwatch fell into the escarcelle one from the TEAM Banque Populaire which established new speed records as a crew over 12 midnight after having traversed the distance impressive from 908 miles at a mean velocity of 37,8 nodes. Today, Pascal Bidégorry and his team-members enter the legend of the great maritime facts by registering their names to the prize list of the fastest sailors of planet. 3 days 15 hours 25 minutes and 48 seconds after the departure of New York, here of return in Europe, improving preceding the 12 noon old record 32 minutes and 06 seconds; a still unimaginable exploit there is little as entrusted it Pascal Bidégorry a few minutes ago hardly after having cut the finishing line between the Cape Lizard and the island of Ushant: “I do not carry out well still what we have just achieved. I had already evil to imagine that we can go also quickly over 12 midnight but thi
s new record leaves me divided between an immense emotion and a great surprise. This victory over time comes to reward three years for a considerable work provided by all the TEAM, the preparers, the research department, the architects and the whole of the teams of Banque Populaire. I am really extremely happy to offer these two gifts today to them: speed records as a crew over 12 midnight and the new time of reference on the North Atlantic. We awaited this first attempt impatiently and it was essential for us at a few months of the Trophy Jules Verne. I did not think that one could cross also quickly. We did not put ourselves the question to know if we could go to seek the time of 2007. We remained concentrated on the weather, the strategy and the walk of the boat with obsession to draw quintessence from it. Maximum Banque Populaire V is a boat except standards and we all are extremely proud to be able to sail on this exceptional boat”. One year after its setting with water, the first record of Maximum Banque Populaire V comes to greet the great quality of the work provided by the teams, the men and the women who contributed to make be born and grow this project. It is in Banque Populaire, its board of directors and Mr Philippe Dupont who thus the first thanks of Pascal Bidégorry went at the time of the passage of the finishing line. The cabinet of architecture VPLP, at the origin of the sporting and powerful lines of Maximum Banque Populaire V and the team of CDK Technologies under the crook of Hubert Desjoyeaux are also directly associated with this great success. Lastly, Pascal Bidégorry and the whole of the TEAM Banque Populaire make a point of cordially congratulating Franck Cammas and the men on Groupama 3 for their very beautiful crossing and their sportivity at the time of this Atlantic duel. At the beginning of evening, Maximum Banque Populaire V will make its entry in roads of Brest to come, a few minutes to moor Jean-François quay later Perugia in the Marina of the Castle. Faithful to its tradition of reception and its maritime history, the city of the West with right now very implemented to offer to the twelve sailors of the edge a reception to the height of their exploit! * Subject to validation by the WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Council Record) Cheer with the team-members of the record of l' North Atlantic Pascal Bidégorry - skipper, shift leader Ronan Lucas - number one Kévin Escoffier - coxswain/ruler Yvan Ravussin - shift leader Ewen Clech - number one Sebastien Audigane - shift leader Florent Chastel - number one Jean-Baptiste the Valiant one - coxswain/ruler Emmanuel the One-eyed one - coxswain/ruler Marcel Van Triest - embarked navigator Pierre-Yves Moreau - ruler/number one Xavier Revil - coxswain/ruler

Past records:

Year	Skipper	Yacht	LOA (ft)	Nat	Time	Av spd
1905	Charlie Barr	Atlantic	183ft Gardner schooner	USA	12d 4h 1m	10.02
1980	Eric Tabarly	Paul Ricard	60ft De Berg tri-foiler	FRA	10d 5h 14m	11.93
1981	Marc Pajot	Elf Aquitaine	65ft Langevin cat	FRA	9d 10h 6m	12.94
1984	Patrick Morvan	Jet Services II	60ft Ollier cat	FRA	8d 16h 33m	14.03
1986	Loïc Caradec	Royale II	85ft Graal cat	FRA	7d 21h 5m	15.47
1987	Philippe Poupon	Fleury Michon VIII	75ft Irens tri	FRA	7d 12h 50m	16.18
1988	Serge Madec	Jet Services V	75ft Ollier cat	FRA	7d 6h 30m	16.76
1990	Serge Madec	Jet Services V	75ft Ollier cat	FRA	6d 13h 3m	18.62
2001	Steve Fossett	PlayStation	125ft Morrelli & Melvin cat	USA	4d 17h 28m 6s	25.78
2006	Bruno Peyron	Orange II	120ft Ollier cat	FRA	4d 8h 23m 54s	28
2007	Franck Cammas	Groupama 3	105ft VPLP tri	FRA	4d 3h 57m 54s	29.26
2009	Pascal Bidegorry	Banque Populaire V	131ft VPLP tri	FRA	3d 15h 25m 48s	32.94