Mast height 32 m (105 ft) Launched 2007 | Length 30 m Beam 16 m | |
Designer(s) Nigel Irens & Benoit Cabaret Displacement 11 t (11 long tons; 12 short tons) Sail area 350 m (3,800 sq ft) (upwind)520 m (5,600 sq ft) (downwind) | ||
IDEC 2 was an ocean racing trimaran skippered by Francis Joyon and sponsored by groupe IDEC. She is currently named Qingdao China.
Contents
As IDEC 2
The main goal of Francis Joyon was to regain the single-handed round-the-world record from Ellen MacArthur. The yachtsman from Locmariaquer did so, in January 2008, beating her record by more than two weeks, and even managed to get the second best time around the world behind Orange II and in front of crewed sailboats such as Cheyenne, Geronimo and Orange.
As Qingdao China
By 2016 the IDEC 2 had been sold and renamed Qingdao China. She was used by Chinese sailor Guo Chuan in an attempt to break the world record for a solo crossing of the Pacific, sailing from San Francisco to Shanghai. Chuan set sail from San Francisco on 18 October 2016, but the US Coast Guard was notified after they lost contact with him on 25 October some 600 miles off the Hawaiian island of Oahu. A team from the USS Makin Island reached the yacht on 27 October, finding it adrift with a damaged sail, with no sign of Chuan, but with his lifejacket still aboard. The crew removed his personal belongings, and left the yacht for later salvage.
Records
