The Jules Verne Trophy was originally a prize for the fastest circumnavigation of the world by any type of yacht with no restrictions on the size of the crew. It was first awarded to the first yacht which sailed around the world in less than 80 days. The name of the award is a reference to the Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days.
Contents |
Rules
Foreword
- The original idea of this race has been attributed to Yves Le Cornec in 1985. The rules were defined in 1990. A committee was put in place to guarantee respect of the rules and fairplay. This committee included Peter Blake, Florence Arthaud, Jean François Coste, Yvon Fauconnier, Gabrie Guilly, Robin Knox-Johnston, Titouan Lamazou, Yves Le Cornec, Bruno Peyron, Olivier de Kersauson, and Didier Ragot.
- The Jules Verne Trophy is unique and is awarded to the challenger who breaks the record of the round the world voyage under sail. The winner holds the trophy until such time as his/her record has been bettered.
Route
- The Jules Verne Trophy's starting point is defined by an imaginary line between the Créac'h lighthouse on Ouessant (Ushant) Island and the Lizard Lighthouse. Circumnavigate the world leaving the capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin, and Horn to port. Cross the starting line in the opposite direction.
- The starting line is open as of the official ratification of the trophy's rules by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
Participants
- Propulsion of the boat must solely be by natural forces of the wind and of the crew.
- The Jules Verne trophy is open to any type of boat with no restrictions.
- The circumnavigation must be completed non-stop and with no physical outside assistance.
History
Current holder
| Year | Sailor | Nationality | Yacht | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Bruno Peyron |  France |
Orange II | 50 days 9 hours 32 minutes 45 seconds |
Previous holders
| Year | Sailor | Nationality | Yacht | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Olivier de Kersauson | France |
on trimaran Geronimo | 63 days and 14 hours. |
| 2002 | Bruno Peyron | France |
Orange | 64 days 8 hours 37 minutes 24 seconds. |
| 1997 | Olivier de Kersauson | France |
Sport Elec | 71 days 14 hours 22 minutes 8 seconds. |
| 1995 | Robin Knox-Johnston Peter Blake |
 United Kingdom New Zealand |
Enza New Zealand | 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds. |
| 1994 | Bruno Peyron | France |
Explorer | 79 days 6 hours 15 minutes 56 seconds. |
Failed attempts
| Year | Sailor | Yacht | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Olivier de Kersauson | Charal | damaged outrigger hull, South of Cape Town |
| 1993 | Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston | ENZA New Zealand | damaged hull, Indian Ocean |
| 1994 | Olivier de Kersauson | Lyonnaise des Eaux | circumnavigation achieved, record not broken |
| 1995 | Olivier de Kersauson | Sport-Elec (ex Charal) | extreme weather |
| 1996 | Olivier de Kersauson | Sport-Elec (ex Charal) | excessive delay |
| 1998 | Tracey Edwards | Royal et SunAlliance (ex ENZA) | broken mast, Southern seas |
| 2002 | Bruno Peyron | Orange (Innovation Explorer) | damaged mast, Ouessant |
| 2002 | Olivier de Kersauson | Geronimo | damaged rudder, Brasil |
| 2003 | Ellen MacArthur | Kingfisher II - ex Orange | broken mast, South-East Kerguelen Islands |
| 2003 | Olivier de Kersauson | Geronimo | circumnavigation achieved, record not broken |
| 2004 | Olivier de Kersauson | Geronimo | damaged gennaker, North Atlantic |
| 2004 | Bruno Peyron | Orange II | damaged starboard crashbox, Spain |
| 2004 | Bruno Peyron | Orange II | damaged starboard hull, Cap Verde islands |
All boats were catamarans apart from Sport-Elec, ex-Lyonnaise des Eaux, ex-Charal and Geronimo, which were trimarans.
From 2004-2005 Steve Fossett held the record for the circumnavigation: 58 days 9 hours 32 minutes 45 seconds. As he did not pay the fee to qualify for the Jules Verne Trophy, he wasn't awarded the prize, but his record was acknowledged by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. However, it is important to clarify that Steve Fossett initial intention was to beat the circumnavigation record following the WSSRC rules, not the JVT rules, which have a key difference since WSSRC allows for external assistance with no obligation of doing the circumnavigation in one leg (see Rules). It is only at posteriori that Steve Fossett record happen to follow the Jules Verne's rules.
