Suhaili and IDEC

There is so much that is amazing about Francis Joyon's accomplishment. It's hard not agree with Magnus at Rule69's assertion that it's the most incredible feat in sailing in 20 years. 54 days round the world. Christ, he made it from Brittany to the Azores in two days. It started me thinking about the  Golden Globe, the first solo round-the-world race in 1968-69. Robin Knox-Johnson accomplished the same 28,000 miles in 313 days.  The contrast could not be sharper. In 40 years, the same course is accomplished in 4-5 times faster. What does it say about the evolution of boat design? OK, RKJ's Suhaili was probably the slowest boat to compete. Moitessier's steel machine Joshua would have overtaken RKJ if he'd stayed in the race. The trimarans could have won if the boats or their skippers hadn't fallen apart (more on that at Captain JPs' blog).   Suhaili  was (is actually as it's at the National Maritime Museum-Cornwall) a 14 ton teak-hulled Bermuda ketch built in Bombay. Technically her dimensions are 32 ft long and 11.5 ft abeam, but she is really 44ft long as she has a large bowsprit.  She was built in 1923 based on the lines of a Norwegian sailing ketch. IDEC is a 97 feet long, 54 feet wide, 11 ton foiling trimaran carrying 5,597 sq feet of sail. She has a 104 ft carbon mast and a composite hull. She was built in Lorient and designed by Nigel Irens and Benoit Caberet based on, well - based on something someone saw in Star Wars. OK I am being facetious but the difference philosophy is pretty clear. According to Joyon, IDEC is  :

"the best compromise between the search for power and my capacity to manage what I will have under my hand... and I am certain, right now, that this IDEC will require more vigilance and anticipation that its predecessor! As a balance though, the fact that we have been able to lengthen the stem of central hull and add more volume means that I will be able to face the long Southern Ocean surfings – the main black spot - with relative serenity!”

Robin Knox-Johnson bought the best boat he could afford that he felt would make it round the world safely. During the Golden Globe, RKJ lived off mostly corned beef, baked beans. He took a small library and a correspondence course with him. He slept soundly for long parts of the trip, when he was out of the shipping lanes and the weather was fair. For some bizarre reason, his father handed him a gun and ammo before he departed. From what I can tell, the only modern technology he carried was a radio. I am not sure what Joyon eat but I doubt it weighed much. From the reports I read, he rested for minutes but seldom slept for most of the 54 days. His bubble of a cabin was utilitarian and stripped down to bare essentials. I am sure that he carried advanced weather instruments, radio and GPS but nothing but what was needed for the way he would be racing. In storm conditions, RKJ, trawled drogues, chains, well just about anything he could to slow the boat in the big waves. His theory was that the boat was so heavy that it was unlikely to be capsized so he let th e waves wash past him. It clearly worked for him. On IDEC, I am sure Joyon, surfed. I can only imagine how fast he must have been traveling in the really big stuff. You can just picture him planing on his foils at speeds that would scare the proverbial out of mere mortals like me. In this latest circumnavigation, Joyon's hit speeds of 25.6 kts and bested his average speed in 2004 on 15.5 kts by averaging 19.1 kts on the water. RKJ average speed was 3.39 kts. There is a fascinating paradox. Sailing is one of the oldest forms of transport but has evolved so much in 40 years that boats can travel long distance distance 400-500% faster. Is there any other form of transportation that has evolved as much? There were fast cars, jet planes, space rockets, motor bikes in 1968. No doubt they perform better now than they did in 1968, but 5 times better? No way! God I love sailing!