French Team Sets Jules Verne Trophy Record in 40 Days

French skipper Thomas Coville and his crew claimed the Jules Verne Trophy on Sunday by setting a new record for the fastest nonstop sail around the world, crossing the finish line off the island of Ouessant after 40 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes and 50 seconds at sea.

The team aboard the 32-meter trimaran Sodebo Ultim 3 started their attempt on December 15 from the line between Le Créach Lighthouse off Brittany and Lizard Point in Cornwall, England. They completed the course, which requires rounding the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn without outside assistance, in a time that shaved more than 12 hours off the previous mark of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds set by fellow Frenchman Francis Joyon on the trimaran IDEC Sport in 2017.

Coville was joined by crew members Benjamin Schwartz, Frédéric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, Léonard Legrand, Guillaume Pirouelle and Nicolas Troussel. The group covered 28,315 nautical miles at an average speed of 29.17 knots, equivalent to about 34 miles per hour, surpassing Joyon's distance of 26,412 miles at 26.85 knots. Along the way, they established new benchmark times at each of the three capes and improved two intermediate...