2018 Route du Rhum Completed In 7 Days, 14 Hours, 21 Minutes
Francis Joyon has set a new race record and won the 2018 Route du Rhum, in what was the closest finish since the race began in 1978. The transatlantic race came down to the final moments with Joyon closing out François Gabart and the wounded Macif by a mere seven minutes and eight seconds.
This is the eighth Route du Rhum for Joyon, an offshore sailing veteran, who has set multiple speed records throughout his career. Joyon beats the previous Route du Rhum record set by Loïck Peyron in 2014 by just 46 minutes and 45 seconds. For an extra twist in the plot, Joyon was sailing an older generation Ultime, the same boat Peyron sailed in 2014 under the name Banque Populaire VII.
Bravo Francis! And the entire North Sails network joins your team in cheering #GoFrancis.
North Sails supports dozens of boats across the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet with tailored products and best-in-class support. Mark Bradford, Managing Director of North Sales Australia, provides this year's race preview.
Travis Odenbach is ecstatic and now unburdened having finally won a J/24 World Championship title after nearly 15 years of thinking about it.
READ MORE