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Mediterranean crossing
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| Marseilles - Carthage (Tunisia) |
| The Mediterranean crossing record between Marseilles and Carthage (Tunisia) has been held since 25th September 2004 by the
French sailor Bruno Peyron, aboard the maxi-catamaran Orange II, with a time of 17 hours, 56 minutes and 33 seconds (25.53
knot average).
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From 6th May
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Record attempt aboard Groupama 3
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Crewed race
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Distance: 480 miles (865 km)
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The Mediterranean record
It was only 25 years ago that a reference time was set for the Mediterranean record! François Boucher, aboard the catamaran
Saab Turbo (ex Elf Aquitaine), performed the crossing in a little over 26 hours. Serge Madec, skipper of Jet Services
V, bettered that two years later, before he in turn was beaten by Laurent Bourgnon, on his trimaran RMO (future Primagaz).
However, his thunder was stolen just a few days later by Florence Arthaud aboard the trimaran Pierre 1er. She only
improved on Bourgnon's record by 45 seconds, but she held onto the prize for this course for some 11 years.
Since
then PlayStation, skippered by the late Steve Fossett, has added this record to her list of conquests, improving on
the time by a little less than 4 hours on 24th May 2002. In the end it was Bruno Peyron who became the record holder
on 25th September 2004. The time to beat now stands at 17 hours 56 minutes 33 seconds (at an average speed of 25.53 knots).
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The record conditionsA small record in terms of distance, it will be the first attempted by the new version Groupama 3 trimaran. To set
off on this real sprint of a course, the `French southerner' by birth will have to wait, along with his weather consultant,
for a good mistral to blow off Marseilles, a port where he performed his first tacks aboard an Optimist some twenty years
ago.
This Mediterranean crossing will also be an opportunity to test the calibre of a partially revamped crew on
a course which often alternates between a strong wind at the start, along the French coast, with evanescent airs on the approach
to Tunisia.
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