{"id":161810,"date":"2026-01-25T09:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T09:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?p=161810"},"modified":"2026-02-10T08:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T08:35:16","slug":"around-the-world-record-broken-sodebo-takes-jules-verne-trophy-in-40d-10h-45m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/all-latest-posts\/around-the-world-record-broken-sodebo-takes-jules-verne-trophy-in-40d-10h-45m-161810","title":{"rendered":"Around the world record broken: Sodebo takes Jules Verne Trophy in 40d 10h 45m"},"content":"Thomas Coville\u2019s Sodebo<\/a> team crossed the virtual finish line between Ushant and Lizard Point this morning at 0746 (French time), after 40 days, 10 hours, and 45 minutes at sea, setting a new time for the fastest ever boat to sail non-stop around the world and claim the Jules Verne Trophy<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThe Sodebo Ultim 3<\/em> \u2013 crewed by Thomas Coville with Benjamin Schwartz, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, L\u00e9onard Legrand, Guillaume Pirouelle \u2013 completed the circumnavigation 12 hours and 44 minutes faster than Francis Joyon\u2019s long-standing previous record, which was held by IDEC Sport<\/em> since 2017<\/a>.\r\n

Sodebo's record speed<\/h2>\r\nThe team sailed 28,315 miles non-stop at a jaw-dropping average speed of 27.17 knots.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161824\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Thomas Coville and crew, approach the Jules Verne finish aboard the Trimaran Sodebo Ultim 3 - recent damage to the starboard rudder casing is visible caused during Storm Ingrid. Photo: Lloyd Images \/ Sodebo[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAfter setting off from Ushant, they reached the Equator in just 4 days and 4 hours, and the Cape of Good Hope in just under 11 days.\r\n\r\nSodebo rounded Cape Leuuwin, having sailed half way around the planet, in 17 days and 1 hour \u2013 at that point having maintained an average speed of 32.1 knots since the start.\r\n\r\nThey crossed the Pacific in just 7 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes \u2014 taking three hours off the previous fastest time set by Fran\u00e7ois Gabart (subject to WSSRC validation). And on the return leg, they were 20 hours and 49 minutes ahead of Idec Sport at the Equator crossing.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161823\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Thomas Coville and his crew, Benjamin Schwartz, L\u00e9onard Legrand, Frederic Denis, Pierre Leboucher, Guillaume Pirouelle, Nicolas Troussel, aboard Sodebo Ultim 3 off Ouessant, celebrate after winning the Jules Verne Trophy on January 25, 2026. Photo: Lloyd Images \/ Sodebo[\/caption]\r\n\r\nBy that point they had already sailed nearly 2,000 miles further than IDEC Sport, and had maintained a blistering average pace of 29.9 knots since the start.\r\n\r\nThey team were still on course to break the symbolic 40-day barrier until the final miles, when Storm Ingrid forced them to take a westerly course and slow the trimaran in a potentially boat-breaking sea state.\r\n\r\nApart from the loss of a rudder casing<\/a>, they got through Storm Ingrid relatively unscathed and were able to get back up to 30-knot speeds for the final approach to Ushant, crossing at 0746 this morning.\r\n

Thomas Coville record breaker<\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161811\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Skipper Thomas Coville. Photo: Team Sodebo[\/caption]\r\n\r\nThomas Coville has dedicated his life to the pursuit of incredible round the world records.\r\n\r\nA truly extraordinary human being, Coville is not only remarkably skilful, brave and resilient, he is also an erudite philosopher who brings an incredible energy and curiosity to everything he does.\r\n\r\nHe has twice set a Jules Verne record as crew \u2014 with Olivier de Kersauson in 1997 on Sport Elec<\/em> (71 days), and the second in 2010 with Franck Cammas on Groupama 3<\/em> (48 days).\r\n\r\nIn 2016 he set a non-stop solo circumnavigation record<\/a> after a decade of attempts.\r\n\r\nIn 2019 he launched his new Sodebo Ultim 3<\/em>, with the goal of becoming the fastest boat ever to sail around the world \u2014 see more about the remarkable boat<\/a> and watch our exclusive video tour<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOver the past six years the Sodebo team have made three attempts at the Jules Verne<\/a>, sometimes in a \u2018race\u2019 with other Ultims, sometimes alone. Each was thwarted by damage as the Ultims<\/a> - fully foiling, at the very bleeding edge of offshore technology \u2014 suffered breakdowns and damage. This is also the first time an Ultim has sailed non-stop around the world.\r\n\r\nSo remarkable was IDEC Sport\u2019s time, that in total there have been 13 attempts at the record since, but all others had failed.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161785\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The Ultim Sodebo filmed by drone by the team in the Southern Ocean shows the extreme speed. Photo: Leonard LeGrand\/ Team Sodebo[\/caption]\r\n\r\nDespite starting in an optimum weather window, the Sodebo crew did not have an easy circumnavigation: the position of the St Helena High meant they had to add precious extra miles to their route in the South Atlantic, avoid rogue ice in the Southern Ocean, and withstand 40-50 knot winds as an Atlantic depression<\/a>, known as \u2018Storm Ingrid\u2019 stood between them and the finish line.\r\n\r\nHowever, Sodebo\u2019s outright speed also saw the crew set two passage records (Ushant-Equator and the Pacific Ocean) and establish benchmark times at each \u2018Great Cape\u2019 (Good Hope, Leeuwin, and Horn).\r\n\r\nCoville signed off his final onboard update yesterday , as Sodebo hurtled through the remnants of Storm Ingrid \u2014 with the record not yet secure, saying \"Know that on the other side of Biscay there are seven guys out here having a blast and dreaming of sharing it with you!\"\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_161821\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Creac\u2019h lighthouse, the Jules Verne record\u2019s finish line, is passed by Sodebo on January 25, 2026. Photo: Lloyd Images \/ Sodebo[\/caption]\r\n

Long-standing support<\/h2>\r\nCoville has been supported by Sodebo, a family-run food company that has a huge presence on the French offshore racing world, since 1998. Co-president Patricia Brochard was one of thousands who turned out to welcome Coville and crew back into Brest:\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s an intense joy, a mix of relief and excitement,\" she said as they finished.\r\n\r\n\"It\u2019s the culmination of the wonderful story we\u2019ve been writing together for 27 years with Thomas (Coville). What we love is seeing men and women united around a common project, with unwavering determination.\u201d\r\n\r\nWe'll report further with the sailors' reactions once we have them.\r\n\r\n ","excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thomas Coville\u2019s Sodebo team crossed the virtual finish line between Ushant and Lizard Point this morning at 0746 (French time), after 40 days, 10 hours, and 45 minutes at sea, setting a new time for the fastest ever boat to sail non-stop around the world and claim the Jules Verne Trophy. The Sodebo Ultim 3 \u2013 crewed by Thomas Coville with Benjamin Schwartz, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Denis, Pierre Leboucher, L\u00e9onard Legrand, Guillaume Pirouelle \u2013 completed the circumnavigation 12 hours and 44 minutes faster than Francis Joyon\u2019s long-standing previous record, which was held by IDEC Sport since 2017. Sodebo’s record speed The team sailed 28,315 miles non-stop at a jaw-dropping average speed of 27.17 knots. After setting off from Ushant, they reached the Equator in just 4 days and 4 hours, and the Cape of Good Hope in just under 11 days. Sodebo rounded Cape Leuuwin, having sailed half way around the planet, in 17 days and 1 hour \u2013 at that point having maintained an average speed of 32.1 knots since the start. They crossed the Pacific in just 7 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes \u2014 taking three hours off the previous fastest time set by Fran\u00e7ois Gabart (subject to WSSRC validation). And on the return leg, they were 20 hours and 49 minutes ahead of Idec Sport at the Equator crossing. By that point they had already sailed nearly 2,000 miles further than IDEC Sport, and had maintained a blistering average pace of 29.9 knots since the start. They team were still on course to break the symbolic 40-day barrier until the final miles, when Storm Ingrid forced them to take a westerly course and slow the trimaran in a potentially boat-breaking sea state. Apart from the loss of a rudder casing, they got through Storm Ingrid relatively unscathed and were able to get back up to 30-knot speeds for the final approach to Ushant, crossing at 0746 this morning. Thomas Coville record breaker Thomas Coville has dedicated his life to the pursuit of incredible round the world records. A truly extraordinary human being, Coville is not only remarkably skilful, brave and resilient, he is also an erudite philosopher who brings an incredible energy and curiosity to everything he does. He has twice set a Jules Verne record as crew \u2014 with Olivier de Kersauson in 1997 on Sport Elec (71 days), and the second in 2010 with Franck Cammas on Groupama 3 (48 days). In 2016 he set a non-stop solo circumnavigation record after a decade of attempts. In 2019 he launched his new Sodebo Ultim 3, with the goal of becoming the fastest boat ever to sail around the world \u2014 see more about the remarkable boat and watch our exclusive video tour. Over the past six years the Sodebo team have made three attempts at the Jules Verne, sometimes in a \u2018race\u2019 with other Ultims, sometimes alone. Each was thwarted by damage as the Ultims – fully foiling, at the very bleeding edge of offshore technology \u2014 …Continue reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1571,"featured_media":161820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1160,3117,20],"tags":[3116,864,3080,250,1633,1522],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161810"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1571"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161810"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161825,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161810\/revisions\/161825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161810"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=161810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}