French solo sailors begin quest to circle the world in just 50 days

Under bright winter sunshine in the Brittany port of Brest, the first such race on super-powerful but relatively fragile trimarans got underway.

The Edmond de Rotshchild, helmed by Charles Caudrelier, was the early evening leader with an advantage of a few nautical miles.

Caudrelier, Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue), Thomas Coville (Sodebo), Armel Le Cleac'h (Banque Populaire), Anthony Marchand (Actual) and Eric Peron (Adagio) were the six men to cross the starting line in their 32-metre-long crafts.

In mild conditions for a Breton Sunday in January, the six giant multihulls began to fly on their foils, the side appendages which allow the boats to rise above the water to reach breakneck speeds.