Around the world sailing record
Date Time Skipper Yacht Type Crew
2017 29 j 09 h 10 min Francis Joyon IDEC sport multihull Crewed
2011 32 j 11 h 51 min Loïck Peyron Banque Populaire V multihull Crewed
2005 33 j 16 h 06 min Bruno Peyron Orange II multihull Crewed
2015 34 j 08 h 02 min Yann Guichard Maxi Spindrift 2 multihull Crewed
2016 35 j 13 h 52 min Francis Joyon IDEC sport multihull Crewed
2010 36 j 02 h 03 min Franck Cammas Groupama 3 multihull Crewed
2017 30 j 04 h 45 min François Gabart Macif multihull Singlehanded
2016 35 j 21 h 38 min Thomas Coville Sodebo Ultim multihull Singlehanded
2008 41 j 09 h 14 min Francis Joyon IDEC multihull Singlehanded
2005 52 j 18 h 40 min Ellen MacArthur B & Q/Castorama multihull Singlehanded
2017 52 j 02 h 25 min Armel Le Cléach Banque populaire Monohull Singlehanded
2013 55 j 01 h 19 min François Gabart Macif Monohull Singlehanded
Intermediate records -- From Equator to Equator
From the Atlantic Ocean : Equator = > Cape Agulhas ( South Africa ) = > Around Antarctica = > Cape Horn = > Equator
The first around the world sailing record for circumnavigation of the world was Juan Sebastián Elcano and the remaining members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray (1898). The current record holders are IDEC 3, skippered by Francis Joyon in 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds for a crewed journey, and François Gabart with Macif in 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes and 35 seconds for a solo journey. Most races or solo attempts start from Europe. Due to the configuration of the continents, sailing around the world consists of sailing on the Southern Ocean around the Antarctica continent, passing south of Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin. Since 1918 the Panama Canal is an option but the locks must be entered and exited using engine power. Large stretches of the canal can be crossed under sail power. Sailing around the world can be done by two directions: eastward or westward. The dominant winds and currents (outside tropical areas) make the voyage eastwards on the Southern hemisphere faster, most skippers and yachts who race prefer this route. Today, the multihulls perform much better than monohulls and hold the best times. Leisure yacht skippers who prefer tropical seas more often go westward, using the trade winds (and the Panama canal). The Jules Verne Trophy is awarded to the skipper who breaks the outright record, starting from an imaginary line between the Créac'h lighthouse on Ouessant (Ushant) Island, France, and the Lizard Lighthouse, UK.