World record : longest distance covered in 24 hours on a Class40
July 10th, 2024
Photo credit : Guillaume Pirouelle
Guillaume Pirouelle, Alexis Loison, and Jules Ducelier, skippers of the Class40 Sogestran - Seafrigo (#197) for the Transat Québec / Saint-Malo 2024, broke the record for the longest distance covered in 24 hours on a Class40 on July 9th: 440 miles covered in 24 hours, averaging 18.34 knots and reaching peaks over 29 knots!
At that time, they were in 10th position in the Transat Québec Saint-Malo, riding the back of a powerful depression and fighting to climb up the rankings.
The previous 24-hour distance record on a Class40 dated back to April 2024 during the Niji 40 transatlantic race. On Acrobatica, Italian skipper Alberto Riva and the French sailors Jean Marre and Benjamin Schwartz had surpassed the 435 nautical mile mark.
Torn between pride and compassion, the skippers sent a special thought to the crew of Acrobatica, whose boat shipwrecked on the same day as the new record.
Guillaume Pirouelle: "It’s a strange feeling, torn between the pride of having achieved this record and the sadness for the Acrobatica crew who held this title and whose shipwreck and race abandonment we learned about. The conditions are tough, and every day the ocean reminds us that it is master here. We are relieved that the sailors are safe."
As of July 10th, the Class40 Sogestran-Seafrigo is in 8th position, continuing to face this major depression. "We’ve been getting shaken up since yesterday, life is very basic, we eat what we can find and take turns sleeping every two to three hours; but we’re not giving up!" declares the crew.
Estimated arrival in Saint-Malo on July 15th!