Around the World the Wrong Way

You can’t criticize Yvan Bourgnon for showing consistency in his ideas: a little over five years ago, the adventurous sailor was already making mention of his project to circumnavigate the world the “wrong” way round. But aboard what craft? Well, there, nothing has changed. In 2018, Yvan expressed his wish to take over the legendary IDEC trimaran, and it’s still the same platform that the skipper has in mind. This multihull holds the absolute record for the Jules Verne Trophy - the round-the-world record in the “right” direction, as you are well aware - in 42 days, held by Francis Joyon and was set in 2017. Yvan intends to have this multihull at his disposal in 2026: “This boat is a war machine, a concentration of technology and engineering. It’s designed to take on the worst conditions in the world, and I know it will be a great ally for this exceptional challenge.” For the time being, the 105-foot (32-meter) trimaran is in the hands of Alexia Barrier, who is preparing for a Jules Verne Trophy attempt with a 100% female crew.

The Man for the Job?

Yvan Bourgnon is no ordinary candidate for this kind of feat. Ultra-talented and hard-working, he has not only nautical, technical and meteorological expertise, but also an extraordinary strength of will. But what obstacles might there be in the sailor’s way? Perhaps the reluctance of some partners, hesitant of the ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities within his former association, The SeaCleaners, and the controversy surrounding the assistance he allegedly received in 2017 during his transit of Northwest Passage on a sports catamaran. Betting on Yvan Bourgnon, exposed to a possible legal conviction, might be considered a risky “business” choice. However, the 53-year-old skipper is far from demotivated by this situation and intends to take full advantage of 2025 to seek sponsors and undertake the required physical and mental preparation. Taking on such a demanding project is not something you can improvise, and Yvan knows is more than aware of this: “Sailing upwind in the southern ocean is like climbing Everest from the north face: every mile you sail requires extraordinary energy and preparation.” For Yvan, the aim is not only to complete a non-stop, single-handed, multihull, wrong-way-round circumnavigation for the first time, but also to set a symbolic record time of less than 100 days: “If I succeed, it will be a world first and a new frontier for single-handed sailing. My goal is clear: to show that the impossible can become possible.”

The Globe Challenge Course

This round-the-world race involves completing a non-stop, single-handed, east-to-west circumnavigation under sail. This means a minimum of 22,000 miles from Europe - the start and finish line being a straight line between Lizard Point (UK) and Ushant (France) - skimming the ice of the Southern Ocean and, above all, against the prevailing winds for a large part of the course - down the Atlantic, around Cape Horn, Cape Leeuwin, the Cape of Good Hope and back up the Atlantic. This has little in common with any of the “traditional” round-the-world events, like most of the major races and records, that involve sailing that is mostly downwind.

The Pioneers of an Impossible Record

Chay Blyth completed the course in 1970 aboard British Steel, a sturdy monohull, in 292 days. Mike Golding had a go in 1994 and succeeded in 161 days with his Team Group 4. In 2000, Philippe Monnet completed the infernal loop in 151 days aboard Uunet. Jean Luc Van Den Heede beat the record in 2004, taking it to 122 days in a third attempt aboard the big monohull Adrien. And the last time the feat was achieved was the only time by a woman, Dee Caffari, aboard Aviva, in 2006, after 178 days. That’s all: we’ve rounded up the five sailors who have successfully conquered the ultimate Holy Grail of solo sailing with little or no oxygen.

Others Have Tried…

A few other skippers have tempted the devil: Maud Fontenoy took to the sea again aboard VDH’s sturdy monohull, but her record was invalidated as non-compliant. Yves Le Blevec with the former Sodebo, now Actual, capsized at Cape Horn after a structural failure - his first attempt on a multihull. Romain Pilliard and Alex Pella (even though there were... two of them) sailed aboard Use it Again, but their trimaran unfortunately ran aground in Chile after a month at sea.