About Thomas Coville
Born 1968. Thomas Coville is a French sailor.
Thomas Coville (; born 10 May 1968) is a French yacht racer.
Coville was born in Rennes. He participated in significant offshore races and record attempts. In April 2012, he achieved 7 circumnavigations of the world, on mono or multihulls, single-handed or as sought-after helmsman. He held the around the world sailing record single-handed on the trimaran Sodebo Ultim in 49 days 3 hours 7 minutes and 38 seconds, until his record was broken by François Gabart in 2017 on trimaran Macif.
Race achievements Source: Thomas Coville on trimaran Sodebo arriving in Brest, France the 15th of July 2008. 1985-1991 : skipper of Polytechnique on the Tour de France à la voile 1997 : 2nd of the Mini Transat 1998 : Winner of the Route du Rhum on monohull with Aquitaine Innovations 1999 : Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre, with Hervé Jan on monohull Sodeb'O 2001 : 6th of Vendée Globe 2000–2001 in 110 days and 7 hours 2004 : 2nd of The transat on trimaran ORMA Sodeb'O 2005 : Winner of the Oryx Quest on Doha 2006 with skipper Brian Thompson. 2006 : 3rd of the Route du Rhum on trimaran ORMA Sodeb'O. 2010 : 3rd of the Route du Rhum on trimaran ORMA Sodeb'O 2012 : Volvo Ocean Race, aboard Groupama 4, with skipper Franck Cammas.
Records and attempts Source: 2008 : 24 hours distance record single-handed on Sodeb'O with 619,3 milles. 2008 : North Atlantic crossing (west to east) (New York – Cape Lizard) single-handed. 2008-2009 : Attempt on the around the world sailing record single-handed on the trimaran Sodeb'O in 59 days, 20 hours, 47 minutes and 43 seconds (2 days more than Francis Joyon's record) 2011 : Attempt on the around the world sailing record single-handed on the trimaran Sodeb'O in 61 days, 7 minutes and 32 seconds (3 days more than Francis Joyon's record). 2016 : 24 hours distance record single-handed on the trimaran Sodebo Ultim with 714 nm (29,75 knots). Thomas Coville is the first sailor to beat the 700 nm mark in 24h single-handedly. 2016 : around the world sailing record single-handed on Sodebo Ultim in 49 days 3 hours 7 minutes and 38 seconds (7 days less than Francis Joyon's previous record). 2017 : North Atlantic crossing (west to east) (New York – Cape Lizard) single-handed on Sodebo Ultim in 4 days 11 hours 10 minutes and 23 seconds (28.35 knots, 15 hours less than Francis Joyon's previous record).
Crewed 1997 : Jules Verne Trophy with Olivier de Kersauson, skipper of Sport-Élec 2009 : Trans-Mediterranean (Marseille-Carthage), in 17 hours 8 minutes 23 seconds, with Franck Cammas skipper of Groupama 3. 2010 : Jules Verne Trophy with Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama 3 2020 : During his attempt for the Jules Verne Trophy, December 5 of 2020, Thomas Coville on Sodebo Ultim 3 covered 889.9 miles in 24 hours (37.1 knots average).
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Important facts
People in Thomas Coville's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Thomas Coville's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Thomas Coville?
French yacht racer
When was Thomas Coville born?
Thomas Coville was born on 10 May 1968 in Rennes.
What is Thomas Coville's occupation?
Thomas Coville is a sailor.
What nationality is Thomas Coville?
Thomas Coville is French.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Thomas Coville. https://biography.guide/thomas-coville/
MLA: "Thomas Coville." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/thomas-coville/.
Chicago: "Thomas Coville." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/thomas-coville/.
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