WOW one week would mean they sailed a little over 300 miles per day..THAT'S AWESOME..A 36 foot Catalina usually will take 18-19 days (average 120 miles a day)..
Look up for Thomas Coville, he just pulverised the world record with a trimaran, alone on a 102ft boat (supposed to be handled by a 10 persons crew...). So it's doable for an extremely experimented sailor. However, to compete in the Vendée Globe race, you have to be on a monohull. (BTW in french, in this context, you say "concourir" not "concurrencer")
Yes, a trimaran can sail safely in an ocean race like the Vendee Globe. Actually, the around the world speed record for a sailing vessel is held by a trimaran. However, I don't think l'Hydroptère is the best design for that kind of voyage. The outriggers are too small and the main hull very narrow which means there isn't much space for crew accommodations and spare parts. Also, it is probably more fragile than the maxi tris designed for that kind of racing. Ocean racing trimarans are built very robust to take a lot of pounding.
