Skills

Professional sailor and ocean adventurer

Personal description

Sailors like Thomas Coville are our source of inspiration and we have had the pleasure of working with Thomas for several years. He is well known for his “can do” attitude and his positive approach to everything. During his solo sailing he works, eats and sleeps in our products. His feedback is invaluable to us in the process of developing and improving performance sailing gear - one Around the World solo record attempt equals several years of normal wear and tear to our sailing gear.

Records / achievements:

24 hours singlehanded record:  Thomas covered 628,5 nautical miles at an average speed of 26,2 knots (2009)

Trans Atlantic singlehanded record, New York to Lizards point, in 5 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds (2009)

Thomas is ready for the Route du Rhum, the singlehanded race across the Atlantic, starting from Saint Malo, Spain on 31. October and finishing in Pointe-à-Pitre in the Caribean.

Following the Route du Rhum, Thomas will prepare for his next Around the World singlehanded world record attempt... with a target departure of December 20, 2010.

His goal is to beat IDEC’s and Francis Joyon’s fantastic record for solo sailing around the world – 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes and 6 seconds.

Thomas’ Boat:

Boat Speed shipyard built this 105-foot trimaran especially for Thomas in Sydney, Australia. It’s the same wharf that built B&Q for Dame Ellen Mac Arthur, who sat the record before Francis Joyon. The design comes from the well-known and merited due Nigel Irens and Benoît Cabaret. The important structural analysis done by John Level has helped ensure that Thomas the optimal weight-to-safety ratio in his search for winning speed.

The boat has been under constant improvement since delivered in 2007 in order to find the perfect trim and balance… in an never ending quest for speed. New curved dagger boards that act as hydro foils have just been added to help lift the hull clear of the water.

Launched: June 2007

Home port: La Trinitè Sur Mer

Designed by: Nigel Irens / Benoît Cabaret

Structural calculations: John Levell

Built by: Boat Speed

Length: 32 m (105 feet)

Width: 16.55 m (55 feet)

Weight: 12 tonnes

Depth: 2,50 m

Main sail: 240 m2

Genoa: 158 m2

Jib: 48 m2

Stay sail: 93 m2

Gennaker: 325 m2

Max Speed: Frightening