Sailing his race boat Macif in the Vendee Globe (solo, non-stop around the world) Race, French sailor François Gabart has set a new solo distance record, reeling off an incredible 545.3 miles in 24 hours in the southern Indian Ocean. To set that record, Gabart, at age 29 the youngest sailor in the race, averaged 22.72 knots over the 24 hours.
“I can’t really explain why I’m going so fast in the same weather conditions as the others…," Gabart said. "Maybe my sail settings are different from Armel’s. I’m sailing at 22 to 26 knots, and it should be like that for several more hours. It’s very noisy but you get used to it, same for how much the boat shakes. These things become familiar conditions, the norm.”
Amazing to think that you could get used to sailing that fast, especially when it comes time to go to sleep. Being 29 years old probably helps!