40 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes, and 50 seconds. This is the new crewed round-the-world record. It was set by the maxi-trimaran Sodebo Ultim 3, owned by Frenchman Thomas Coville and his crew of six other French sailors, sailing around the three Capes of Hope, south of Africa; Leeuwin, south of Australia; and Horn, the Everest of sailing, south of the South American continent. Sodebo Ultim 3, which set sail on December 15th, crossing the start line from the French island of Ouessant in Brittany to Lizard Point, England, crossed the same line again on Sunday, January 25, 2026, just before 8:00 a.m. Coville and his crew won the Jules Verne Trophy, improving on the previous record set in 2017 by Frenchman Francis Joyon with the maxi-trimaran Idec Sport, of 12 hours 44 minutes and 40 seconds.
The Jules Verne Trophy
The shortest route of the Jules Verne Trophy is 22,461 miles (41,597 kilometers). However, during its voyage, Sodebo Ultim 3 actually sailed 28,315 miles (52,440 kilometers) at an average speed of 29.17 knots (54 km/h). The Jules Verne Trophy, inspired by the adventure novel “Around the World in 80 Days” by Jules Verne, was founded in 1990 by a group of French ocean sailors, as well as sailors of other nationalities, including Englishman Robin Knox-Johnston, winner of the first solo round-the-world race, and New Zealander Peter Blake (the driving force behind the Kiwi victories in the 1995 and 2000 America’s Cups). The Trophy was officially presented in 1992. The first attempt was made in 1993. Frenchman Bruno Peyron and his crew aboard the catamaran Commodore Explorer set the first record time of 79 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes, and 56 seconds. Since then, 27 attempts have been launched, but, with Coville’s attempt, only 10 have been completed: four aboard catamarans, six on trimarans.
Here’s Sodebo Ultim 3
Launched on March 19, 2018, Sodebo Ultim 3 is part of the Ultim Class. It is 32 meters long, 23 meters wide, and weighs 15 tons. The mast is 32 meters tall; the sail area when close-hauled is 450 square meters; and 700 square meters when downwind. Built from carbon fiber/Kevlar/Nomex at the French Multiplast – CDK shipyard, it was designed by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot Prévost’s VPLP studio in collaboration with Swiss engineer Renaud Bañuls. The foils are the work of German designer Martin Fischer, one of the world’s leading experts in appendages. Fischer has worked with other Ultims such as Groupama and Banque Populaire and with his appendages contributed to the victory of the BMW Oracle Racing trimaran over the Alinghi 5 catamaran at the 2010 America’s Cup in Valencia. But Martin Fischer was also part of the Luna Rossa – Prada Pirelli Team design team at the 2024 America’s Cup in Barcelona.
Thomas Coville, the Encyclopedist
Thomas Coville, 57, a Frenchman, is one of the most famous ocean sailors. He began his career with the Mini 6.50s, protagonists of the single-handed transatlantic Mini Transat, but his resume, in addition to a long list of boats of every type and size, also includes the America’s Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race, and all the major ocean races, both single-handed and crewed. In 1997, he was aboard Sport Elec, the trimaran skippered by Olivier de Kersauson, which set the third Jules Verne Trophy round-the-world record. Time: 71 days, 14 hours, 22 minutes, and 8 seconds. From there, great feats and victories followed. From the Route du Rhum, the solo from France to Guadeloupe in 1998 to a new Jules Verne Trophy in 2010 with the Groupama trimaran of another big name in French ocean sailing, Franck Cammas. He also won the 2011 Volvo Ocean Race with Cammas. He then set two solo records: the 2016 round-the-world race and the 2017 Mediterranean race. His latest achievements before the new Jules Verne Trophy were two third-place finishes in the Route du Rhum in 2018 and 2022. Married with two children, Coville (who has been part of the French food company Sodebo team since 2009) is one of the most eclectic skippers on the international scene. A great sportsman (in addition to sailing, he is passionate about cycling and mountaineering), Thomas Coville enjoys music and is a lover of literature. In France, he has been nicknamed “L’encyclopediste du large”. The Encyclopedist of offshore sailing.
A record-breaking voyage
Set off on the fly, just days after the start of the “standby” period, to take advantage of a favorable weather window, Sodebo Ultim 3 immediately proved to be very fast, reaching the equator after just 4 days, 4 hours, and 2 minutes from the start, well ahead of the record. With a 1,300-mile lead at the Cape of Good Hope, Coville and his crew chose a very low route to cross the Indian Ocean, deviating significantly from the direct route. Thus, by the time they passed Cape Leeuwin, their lead on the record was reduced to just 300 miles. For the approach to Cape Horn, Coville also chose a very low route, sailing at 60° South and facing the harsh conditions of the Antarctic seas. Then, after 26 days, 4 hours and 46 minutes of navigation, the passage of Cape Horn (for Thomas Coville it was the 12th time) and the record for crossing the Pacific: 7 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes.
Arriving in Storm Ingrid
The Atlantic’s rise, as always, brought a variety of situations: from the passage of the calm zones before and after the Equator to the crucial passage of the Azores. Finally, in the North Atlantic, Sodebo Ultim 3 had to face the strong depression that generated Storm Ingrid. Gusts of 50 knots and 10-meter waves prevented the crew from making any conservative decisions, which would have wiped out the advantage they had painstakingly built up until then and dashed their dream of keeping the time under 40 days. Then came the entry into the Bay of Biscay and the final miles, again grappling with conditions the trimaran had never faced before, trying to avoid any damage. And in the end, the damage was limited to the loss of a rudder’s protection. Then, at 7:46 a.m. on Sunday, January 26, 2026, came the finish line. For Sodebo Ultim 3 and its crew, the Jules Verne Trophy. For Thomas Coville, his third Jules Verne Trophy and his tenth trip around the world. Chapeau!
Emilio Martinelli
