In passing the finish line of his solo world circumnavigation at 17 h57 (French time) on Christmas Day, Thomas Coville set a new record.
The skipper and his 31 metre trimaran Sodebo circled the globe in 49 days 3 hours 7 minutes and 38 seconds, or 8 days 10 hours 26 minutes and 28 seconds better than Francis Joyon's record, set in 2008.
“Thomas has set a superb record after a perfectly executed circumnavigation. Well done to him for his performance and perseverance,” Joyon said in a press release. “He's set a really high standard.”
“There's only three of us to have done it without stopping and on a solo trimaran, me, him and Ellen,” Joyon said.
It was Coville's fifth attempt after two curtailed efforts and two circumnavigations that were slower than the old record.
