world record atlantic crossing sailboat

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

How Comanche took more than a day off the transatlantic record

• Elaine Bunting
• November 15, 2016

The supermaxi Comanche broke the transatlantic record for monohulls (west to east) in July 2016, taking more than a day off the record. Here's how

No sailing record has a more storied history, or is harder to beat, than the transatlantic record. At a time when sailing records are being divided into smaller currencies and made with greater frequency, this is the big one. Ever since 1905, when Scots skipper Charlie Barr reduced it to 12 days in Wilson Marshall’s 56m/185ft three-masted schooner Atlantic , it has been a grand and famous prize.

On 28 July this year a new high water mark for this famous record was set when the 30.5m/100ft supermaxi Comanche crossed the finish line of the historic course from Ambrose Light, New York to The Lizard Point in Cornwall. She had finished a job for which she was built. The crew completed the 2,880-mile course (sailing 2,946 miles, only 66 miles farther than the Great Circle distance) in 5d 14h 21m and, in doing so, Jim Clark’s super-machine and her all-star crew bettered the previous record by well over a day.

See the full report from July on Yachting World.

The record Comanche broke is notoriously hard. That is why the last incumbent, Mari Cha IV , had hung onto it since 2003. Comanche , unlike the 42m/138ft Briand-designed schooner that preceded her, is an insanely powerful contraption with massive beam at the stern, long reverse sheer, a mast well abaft 50 per cent of the boat length, a towering, narrow mainsail and a long boom overhanging the stern. Comanche was built for raw speed with the wind abaft the beam.

But to break the record, the yacht needed mainly reaching conditions to take her all the way across, riding only one weather system. And it had to be the right kind of low pressure, not too fast and not one that would fizzle or be blocked before it reached Ireland.

“We needed a low pressure that was strong enough to make it all the way to the English Channel,” explains Stan Honey, the team’s navigator. “The question for Comanche was: could we find a system that was slow enough that she could stay in front of it?”

Honey went back to 2004, downloaded historical weather data in GRIB format and ran the boat’s polars starting every six hours from June through November for every year since. “What I found,” he says, “is that there was, on average, only two [suitable] systems per year.”

In June, Comanche returned from the Newport-Bermuda Race. Skipper Ken Read had his pick of 30 of the world’s best sailors, to be on a rolling rota over a three-month period, ready to go at a moment’s notice. Boat captain Casey Smith prepared Comanche . She had always been designed to sail in manual configuration, as world speed sailing records forbid the use of stored power, so the hydraulic pit winch and sail controls could instead be powered by rotary pumps.

One of the things Stan Honey had discovered was: “If you succeeded, it [would be on a weather pattern that] was reaching and running, so we took fewer sails and removed the daggerboards.” Taking the boards out saved 400kg. Upwind sails that would not play a part in record conditions were left ashore.

Twice the weather looked as if it was shaping up right. There were two near-misses when airline tickets were bought and crew were on their way to the airport only to find that the forecasts had changed. But in July a suitable weather window appeared, and continued to improve. This was a low that was travelling slowly by virtue of an old warm front left over and a weak leftover low on the north-west edge of the Azores High.

At the right speed for Comanche , and with a low probability of overtaking her, it could potentially carry her on south-westerlies all the way. It was Code Green.

Her crew headed out from New York late in the evening of 22 July. After all the planning – six long years from concept to this point – Ken Read was not aboard. He had a prior commitment to commentate at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth. The team decided to go ahead. “It was helpful for us all to know how rare this weather was,” says Stan Honey.

The first few nights at sea were difficult and there were times when the record hung in the balance. First, Comanche had to negotiate a line of thunderstorms. Behind these the wind fell light and they slowed. A hold up of an hour or two may not seem that critical, but it was worrying for the crew because it increased the odds that they might fall off the back of the low pressure system. Typically, this is how records fail: a breakage or some other delay kicks you out the back door.

But past that the boat was, Casey Smith remembers, “ripping along”. They were doing 550-mile days; they were blasting. Though it was mainly grey and overcast, that did not dampen the mood on board. True to the forecast, the sailing was, Smith says, ideal.

There were 17 crew on board, the fewest Comanche had ever raced with. Since conditions were not expected to vary greatly, they weren’t going to be doing many sail changes. Smith remembers doing only five sail changes during the record. “Normally we might do that in a day,” he says.

The only sails used apart from the main were the A3, Comanche’s VMG-style running sail, up “90 per cent of the time” and the FRO, or fractional reaching Code 0.

Comanche’s actual track is in black. The theoretical optimum route from the GFS HO weather analysis is in blue.

Coming on home

At times there was fog, and the radar and AIS watch was intensified. “Fog is always the case with transatlantic records, as you’re doing it in the warm sector,” says Stan Honey. “It’s all grey and every bone in your body tells you you are going to get pasted, but because you are travelling along with it you don’t.”

When the record had its hairy moments, it was because the breeze faded. “Once we cleared out of the top of Newfoundland and through the ice areas that was our lightest period of the race, 15-18 knots,” says Smith. “We had to be very careful. But we were still doing 18-20 knots [of boat speed] and the breeze soon built up.”

But was it rough? Smith just laughs. “Maybe we are going to have to tell people we had 5m seas. No, it was as calm as I’ve seen the Atlantic. We wouldn’t have seen a swell over 2m. Although between the warm and cold front we had lousy visibility, the wonderful thing is that you get flat water and because you are moving with the system seas are just starting to build.” He thinks the maximum wave height was even less. “Never more than 1.5m,” he declares.

“It seemed to be that we were so well lined up on the system that we’d advance to run out of wind down to below 20 knots and then the wind would slowly build up and then run out. That’s how much on the front edge of the system we were. We’d poke out of it and come back in,” says Smith. “ But in flat water and breeze, doing 500+ mile days, we were just coming on home.”

A big, hollow drum

It never got especially cold on board. According to Casey Smith some of the crew did not wear boots at any point on the way across, only deck shoes. But the water temperature dropped to 9°C so perhaps that is merely a measure of their hardiness. Honey laughs that he knows a Kiwi sailor who wore Crocs rounding Cape Horn – and it’s not an indication of fair weather.

On the other hand, the safety routines aboard were stringent. Crew had AIS beacons, strobes, always wore harnesses and tethers, and were clipped on “the whole time. No one comes on deck without a harness or lifejacket,” says Smith.

Apart from sandwiches for the first day, food was all freeze-dried. There was “not a huge amount of joking; it was a level, calm group and super-professional. Everyone was very focused,” says Smith. But on board it was noisy: the boat is a big, hollow carbon drum. And it’s wet, although the worst of the water and wind was kept off the driver and trimmers by an offshore dodger.

Coming into the English Channel in low, grey cloud and fog, Comanche ’s crew were well ahead of the record. The ideal had been to take as much as a day off Mari Cha ’s record, but when they fizzed past Lizard Point, not stopping, but carrying on to the Solent, they had improved the benchmark time by 1d 3h 31m. They had done the whole Atlantic, just shy of 3,000 miles, at an average speed of 21.44 knots.

Transatlantic by numbers

Record course: Ambrose Light to The Lizard, leaving Nantucket Shoal and Cape Race to port

Great Circle distance: 2,880 miles

Distance sailed: 2,946 miles

Average speed on theoretical course: 21.44 knots

Average speed on actual course: 21.93 knots

Peak GPS speed over ground: 21.5 knots

Average wind: 21.5 knots (TWS)

Average true wind angel: 130.5°

Peak true wind speed (TWS): 32.2 knots (ten-second average)

Could it be bettered?

As soon as a record has been broken it’s customary to ask if it could be bettered, and for Comanche that is a valid question. This is a yacht capable of even more. “For sure,” is Casey Smith’s judgement. “We had periods of light wind, below 15 knots for 24 hours, and if we had had even five more knots of wind we would have taken another 12 hours off the record.

“There is no reason why you wouldn’t have another go.” Stan Honey agrees, but with caveats. “If we had had a somewhat faster system we could easily take another ten hours off the record. But then it is kind of like playing with fire: if you have a system you can barely keep up with, it is a low probability bet. It might take two or three attempts.

“These records are the most frustrating for us. The crew hates it because it feels as if the world is passing them by; the navigator hates it because he’s working every day, and the owner hates it because it’s costing a lot of money!”

Which is why Comanche ’s Atlantic record is so colossal: complete success at their first shot. “This was as good as it gets,” Honey says. “It’s to the credit of Ken Read and the owner, and it’s a real honour to sail with these guys. They really are an extraordinary group; some of the best sailors in the world. You look around and everyone is just really happy to be sailing with each other.”

Jim Clark and his wife, Kristy Hinze Clark, were not aboard for this record, but when they finished Clark said: “ Comanche was built to break ocean records and the guys have once again powered our fantastic fat-bottomed girl to another title. I am so proud of the entire team and everyone involved in the entire programme from top to bottom. Kristy and I are over the moon.”

Comanche transatlantic crew: a who’s who of sailing

Casey Smith (AUS), boat captain Stan Honey (USA), navigator Tony Mutter (NZL), trimmer Dirk de Ridder (NED), main trimmer Chris Maxted (AUS), boat crew Jon von Schwarz (USA), grinder Juggy Clougher (AUS), bow Julien Cressant (FRA), pit Nick Dana (USA), bow Pablo Arrarte (ESP), runners Pepe Ribes (ESP), bow Peter van Niekerk (NED), trimmer Phil Harmer (AUS), grinder Richard Clarke (CAN), runners Robert Greenhalgh (GBR), main trimmer Shannon Falcone (ATG), grinder Yann Riou (FRA), media

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Comanche sets a new RORC Transatlantic Race record and win the IMA Trophy

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3 speed records smashed by Comanche

Comanche breaks the transatlantic speed record.

Sailing superyacht Comanche has set a new record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean after completing her latest Transat on July 28.

The 30.45 metre carbon-fibre yacht sailed from New York’s Ambrose Lighthouse to the UK’s Lizard Point in 5 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds. This new speed record for a sailing monohull, which is subject to ratification, shaves 27 hours off the previous fastest time previously set in 2003 by Mari Cha IV (which has since been refitted and renamed Samurai ).

Prior to Comanche ’s departure from New York on July 22, skipper Ken Read, president of North Sails, said: “We have been on standby for a few weeks now and have almost left on three separate occasions since the end of June. But now the right conditions have presented themselves.”

Read’s media commitments at the 2016 America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth meant he could not be on board for the record-breaking crossing. In his absence, Comanche ’s crew was led by Casey Smith.

The success of  Comanche  – the sailing yacht built to win  – follows her  second place finish at the 2014 Sydney Hobart race .

This Transatlantic speed record is just the latest in a remarkable series of records broken by  Comanche .

Comanche sets a new 24-hour distance record

The Transatlantic speed record comes 12 months after Comanche set a new 24-hour distance record for monohulls. The record was broken during the 2015 Transatlantic Race after  Comanche covered 618.01 nautical miles in 24 hours.

Her average speed was recorded as 25.75 knots, on the cusp of some strong southwesterly winds in the North Atlantic. The 24-hour distance record has since been ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

Comanche sets a speed record at Les Voiles de St Barth

After she failed to win the 2014 Sydney Hobart race on her maiden regatta, the first half of 2015 saw  Comanche come into her own and deliver in every conceivable way.

In an April showdown with a fleet of some of the world’s finest sailing yachts at  Les Voiles de St Barth 2015 ,  Comanche  established a speed record in the Maxi I class with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes and 4 seconds, taking all line honours in her division.

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Crazy or sane? Record attempt for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic

• Katy Stickland
• May 18, 2022

Andrew Bedwell is planning to smash the record for sailing the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic. His vessel, Big C is just over 1m/3.2ft long

The smallest boat to cross the Atlantic was 5ft 4inches, sailed by American sailor, Hugo Vihlen in 1993.

Many have tried but failed to break this record. But sailor Andrew Bedwell believes he can regain this most unusual of crowns for Britain.

The 48-year-old solo skipper is no stranger to sailing in small craft or pushing the limits.

In 2015, he finished the Jester Baltimore Challenge aboard his 23ft Hunter 707, Outlaw .

The following year, Andrew sailed around Britain singlehanded in his 6.5m (21.3ft) Mini Transat 241 Blue One.

Big C will be sailed using dual furling headsails, outriggers and an A frame mast. Credit: Andrew Bedwell

This was eclipsed by his most extreme challenge to date – sailing 241 Blue One from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Iceland and into the Arctic Circle and back in 2019.

The yacht has no creature comforts – which Andrew actually prefers, being of the Roger Taylor school of ‘back to basics’ sailing.

He slept no more than 20 minutes at a time on a beanbag (the boat had no bunk) and had a bucket as a toilet.

In May 2023 he plans to push himself further and attempt the record for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic.

The 1,900 mile voyage will start in St Johns, Newfoundland and finish off Lizard Point in Cornwall.

He expects it to take 60 days (that is what he has told his wife) but admits it might take longer, as he will be at the ‘mercy of the weather ‘.

‘There will be days when the wind s are not favourable and I just have to chuck out a sea anchor which is mounted on the bow and just furl everything in and sit there. These will not be the pleasant days,’ he noted.

For now, Andrew is concentrating on finalising his vessel – Big C, which was designed and built by Liverpudlian sailor Tom McNally, a legend in micro-yachting who died in 2017 from cancer.

Tom McNally with his boat Big C which he planned to sail across the Atlantic and back. Andrew Bedwell has now modified the boat to make his own record attempt. Credit: Lorraine McNally

Tom set the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic record in 1993 in his 5ft 4.5 inch boat, Vera Hugh . It was broken by Hugo Vihlen.

Andrew, who has run a boat repair business, has modified Big C himself. The boat is built out of GRP with a foam core. He has modified McNally’s plans, making the boat smaller and essentially custom building the vessel for his height.

Even so, at 6ft tall, he still can’t stand up in the craft when the dome is down and will have to follow exercises provided by a physiotherapist to keep his legs functioning.

‘When my backside is sitting on the floor, my head is literally an inch away from the dome at the top and being just over a 1m long, I can only stretch my legs out about two-thirds of the way,’ explained Andrew.

‘I do appreciate the nice things in life but I prefer to rough it and making my life harder for myself; this seemed the ultimate challenge, especially as it is my 50th birthday next year. There is no toilet on board so in fact my only comfort on board Big C will be a flannel, which will be heavily tied on to the outside and hanging overboard.’

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The boat has 12 watertight compartments – eight internally and four externally – as well as open and closable vents. Once fully sealed, Big C only has 40 minutes of air inside before Andrew would pass out.

Food has been worked out by a nutritionist and will be made by Andrew’s wife, before being packed into the craft.

‘I don’t want to say vile, but the food is not the most flavoursome. We will pack it outside of Big C in the external tanks to increase stability and internally, using the external food first.’

Big C ‘s keel will hold 5 litres of drinking water and there is a manual watermaker to top up the tank which will be operated by Andrew’s right hand.

Power will be provided by solar panels on the back of the craft, and there will be a hand-cranked generator which will be operated by both Andrew’s left and right hand.

The main compartment will have AIS, VHF radio and a small chartplotter to keep power consumption down.

Big C will begin sea trials in mid-June ahead of the challenge in May 2023. Credit: Andrew Bedwell

Big C is a ‘downwind, tradewind vessel’. She has twin rudders (in case one breaks) dual furling headsails, outriggers and an A frame mast.

‘We have twin furling headsails, you can furl them or unfurl them. I can unfurl them from inside, I can sheet them from inside. We will be relying on the tradewinds,’ said Andrew, who is from Scarisbrick, Lancashire.

In heavy weather , Andrew will use a full harness to strap himself to Big C . He will also have a full support crew to track and guide his passage.

Andrew Bedwell will be trying to break the record set by American sailor Hugo Vihlen in 1993 in his 5ft 4in boat, Father’s Day . Credit: Tom Meaker/Alamy Stock Photo

Big C will start sea trials in mid-June, and Andrew has several longer passages planned before the record attempt.

He is also looking for sponsors. He had hoped the drinks firm, Red Bull would back him but the firm declined saying of the challenge it was ‘inspirational, but mad’.

‘My 9 year old daughter thinks it is incredible. I hope she is proud. My wife thinks I am absolutely crackers,’ said Andrew. ‘But you have to push yourself. Life is about challenges and there are an awful lot of people going through life thinking ‘I wish I had done…’ I’ve gone the other way and say I will do it.’

The Big C Atlantic Challenge will be raising money for Cancer Research in tribute to Tom McNally.

Who was Tom McNally?

Liverpudlian Tom McNally was intent on setting records for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic.

He achieved his goal in July 1993 when he sailed the 5ft 4.5 inch boat, Vera Hugh , from Lisbon, Portugal to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida via Puerto Rico, despite a cracked hull and having run out of water and food.

The boat was partly built out of an old discarded wardrobe and the hatch was made out of an old washing machine door.

Tom beat the world record set by American sailor Hugo Vilhen in 1968 after he crossed in April Fool, which was 5ft 11in.

But Tom’s glory was was short lived when Vilhen sailed the 5ft 4in Father’s Day from Newfoundland to Cornwall in 105 days, reclaiming the crown in September 1993.

Tom McNally designed Big C himself. Credit: Ajax News & Feature Service / Alamy Stock Photo

Undeterred, Tom tried to take it back.

In 2002 he attempted, but failed, to cross the Atlantic in the tiny 3ft 10.5in Vera Hugh – Cancer Research. Having sailed 800 miles from Gibraltar to Gran Canaria, the boat and all his equipment was stolen from the harbour at Mogan.

In 2009, he planned a double Atlantic crossing in his purpose-built 3ft 10inch boat, The Big C , to raise money for Sail 4 Cancer.

His route would have seen him sail from Cadiz to the Canary Islands, and on to Puerto Rico. Tom was then planning on sailing north along the eastern seaboard of the USA before heading back to him home port of Liverpool.

Sadly, illness thwarted his plans.

After battling cancer for more than eight years, Tom McNally died on 12 June 2017 at the age of 77.

Enjoyed reading Crazy or sane? Record attempt for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic?

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StarTribune

July 24, 1979: across the atlantic in a 10-foot sailboat, english port welcomes white bear solo sailor.

By BRENDA INGERSOLL and PETER ACKERBERG

Minneapolis Star Staff Writers

Sally Spiess visited her husband, Gerry, early this morning.

It wasn't an ordinary get-together.

Spiess, 39, White Bear Lake, was about to set a world record by completing an Atlantic crossing in a 10-foot boat, the smallest ever to complete the voyage. Spiess appeared in good health, despite being swept overboard in the early days of his voyage.

United Press International reported that Spiess edged Yankee Girl close to the towering 40-foot Falmouth pilot launch Link, to talk to his wife and his parents, Louis and Jeanette Spiess of St. Paul.

His mother looked down into Yankee Girl and said, "Let me congratulate you. Your housekeeping looks superb, the boat looks clean and tidy – you must have had a nice trip."

Spiess, sporting a beard after his long trip, gave a tired smile, and said, "That's only half of it. The first two weeks were sheer hell."

Spiess said 20-foot waves had pounded his boat creating "valleys in the ocean which almost enveloped us."

He said he was swept overboard one day early in the voyage.

"I was saved by my lifeline. It held fast. I gave a tremendous pull and managed to haul myself back on board Yankee Girl.

"It was a terrible half hour. I knew I had to make it back to the boat. I never had any worries after that. What could have been worse?"

But Mrs. Spiess told The Star in a telephone interview that although she was concerned for her husband's safety throughout the trip, "I was eased by the fact that I know the man that build that boat and the years of effort and study he put into its construction. I never considered myself a potential widow."

He looks fine, she said. "He's grown a beard since I last saw him. He's lost a little weight – in fact he's thinner than I've ever seen him.

"I'm sure he's looking forward to stepping on land. His immediate request was for a steam bath."

Plans for the future are "completely up in the air at this point," she said. "We'll stay in England for a week to 10 days."

A flotilla of boats flying the U.S. flag and blowing horns flocked around Spiess's boat about a mile from shore at 11 a.m. today. Residents of Falmouth were preparing a gala reception for Spiess at the Royal Yacht Club.

Spiess designed his wood-fiberglass boat "for the optimum food and water carrying capacity," his wife said. "He brought a lot of tinned food, granola and beef jerky, which we prepared at home in our kitchen.

"He also took much tinned milk, dried fruit and, in the beginning, he was able to carry fresh fruits and vegetables as well."

The six-foot-wide boat has a narrow bunk, a small chart table, a tiny galley and an emergency four-horsepower motor.

Mrs. Spiess, assistant branch manager at Analysts International Corp., Edina, said the second worst time of her husband's trip occurred "last night when he was in the heavy shipping lanes. He has a radar reflector (to alert other craft of his presence), but last night he did not sleep. He wanted to get out of the shipping channel."

The final hours of Spiess' journey were described by a British Coast Guard official as among the most dangerous of the voyage because shipping lanes approaching the southern coast of England are crowded with tankers and freighters. Visibility was only one-half mile last night.

"He likes a challenge, and he's dreamed about this for quite a while," said Bill Mezzano, a friend of Spiess who used to work with him at the 3M Co.

Spiess, 38, who had been a technical instructor at 3M, left the company early this year to prepare for the voyage, Mezzano said.

"He's not doing it for the publicity, he's not doing it for anybody but himself," Mezzano added.

Spiess avoided loneliness on his voyage by taking several volumes by Mark Twain, a tape-recorder and recordings of radio shows.

"I realized how unpleasant it was to go alone," Spiess said in 1970 after a sailing trip in the Gulf of Mexico. "There is nothing lonelier than a week or so at sea in a small boat. Some people can be alone for long periods of time, but I guess I'm not one of them."

The Spiesses, who have been married almost 17 years, "have always sailed," Mrs. Spiess said. Spiess has built four sailboats, three of his own design. He has tried twice to sail around the world. One voyage was halted because of bad weather, the other because he got sick.

Spiess left on his latest trip with instructions to his wife not to worry until 90 days had passed. He predicted the crossing would take 60 days under favorable conditions.

The 1979 Guinness Book of World Records lists a 12-foot boat as the smallest before this to cross the Atlantic west to east. That boat, the Nonoalca, captained by William Verity of the United States, went from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Tralee, Ireland, in 66 days in 1966.

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TransAtlantic Speed Record: Will it Ever be Broken Again?

Posted by Greg Trauthwein June 22, 2015

Will the prestigious TransAtlantic speed and endurance record ever be broken? Should it?

Twenty five years ago headlines around the world announced a new world record, the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, by a ship built in Australia.   

Incat Tasmania reports that June 23, 2015, marks 25 continuous years that Incat built fast ships have held the record for the fastest Transatlantic Crossing.  

On 23 June 1990 Hoverspeed Great Britain, a ship (Incat hull 025) built by Incat in Tasmania, for operation between England and France by Sea Containers Ltd, broke the record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a commercial passenger ship. The crossing from Ambrose Light at New York commenced at 7.30pm on June 19, 1990 ending her 2922 mile trip at Bishop Rock in the UK on the morning of 23 June.  

The Hales Trophy is awarded to "The Ship which shall for the time being, have crossed the Atlantic Ocean at the highest average speed".. …So it is not simply reaching the highest speed momentarily, the right to fly the Blue Riband is a test of endurance as well, because the high speed needs to be maintained over the entire crossing (naturally slower at the beginning with a full fuel load and becoming faster at the end of the journey).

The previous record had been held for 38 years by the SS United States (1952 - 1990), prior to the SS United States win, the great liners vied for the honour to fly the Blue Riband. The Incat built high speed catamaran Hoverspeed Great Britain, which broke the record winning  the Hales Trophy on 23 June 1990, held the record and the owners held the Trophy, until 1998 when another Incat built ship Catalonia took the record in June 1998, then just a month later in July 1998 yet another ship built by Incat, CatLink V broke the record. It was the first time in the history of the transatlantic records (dating back to the 1860s) that three ships to win the trophy in succession had been built by the same shipyard.

There have been no challenges to the record which was set in July 1998, and none in sight.  The current record is 41.284 knots (76.5 km/ per hour) average over two days, 20 hours and 9 minutes. The Hales Trophy is a heavily gilded ornate trophy over one metre in height and is on display in the Fast Ferry Museum located at the Incat shipyard in Hobart.  The ship then known as Hoverspeed Great Britain is now operating as Cosmos Jet for Sea Jets in Greece.  

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Published on July 27th, 2023 | by Editor

In pursuit of trans-Atlantic record

Published on July 27th, 2023 by Editor -->

New York, NY (July 27, 2023) – The maxi trimaran Sails of Change set out today in an attempt to break the trans-Atlantic record. Yann Guichard and his 11-strong crew arrived in the United States the day before to take advantage of a favorable weather window.

In their sights is the record set by Pascal Bidegorry in August 2009 aboard the same boat (previously called Banque Populaire V) of 3 days, 15 hours and 25 minutes.

The maxi trimaran had arrived on the US east coast last May to prepare for one of the most prestigious records in the sailing world: crossing the Atlantic from west to east.

“It’s one of the most incredible records to go after, along with the Jules Verne Trophy and the 24-hour record,” said Guichard.”To beat it we need to maintain an average speed of around 33 knots throughout the attempt.

“As soon as we landed, we got together on the boat to get ready and cast off. The record period is between July and early November so we wanted to be ready, while keeping an eye of the most favorable weather window.”

Many of the 11 sailors joining Guichard had been on stand-by last winter for an attempt at the round-the-world Jules Verne Trophy. “There’s a great state of mind — everyone decided to come at the last moment,” said Guichard. “We all want to give it our all and try our luck.”

They have an incredible tool at their disposal: the largest ocean-racing trimaran ever designed at 37 metres long and 23 metres wide. Sails of Change holds two Jules Verne Trophies (2012, 2017), the Discovery Route record between Cadiz and San Salvador (2013), and a prestigious win in the Transat Quebec – Saint Malo (2016).

Sails of Change passed the Ambrose Light, the startling line for the attempt outside of New York Harbor, at 13:10:08 UTC (09:10:08 EDT), and is now heading for Lizard Point on Great Britain’s southwest coast, a course of 2,880 nm across the heart of the North Atlantic.

The weather window identified by the Sails of Change team offered the right conditions for the attempt. “The two weather models seem to be aligned,” explained Guichard. “We should set off ahead of a low-pressure system forming on the east coast which will move northwards.

“Throughout the crossing the wind will be from the south, southwest. The whole crossing should be on a starboard tack with only one or two gybes. The conditions will put us well within the record time.”

Guichard seeks to reclaim the record he previously held as one of the crew that lowered the time in 2006 to 4 days and 8 hours with Orange II, and again in 2007 on Groupama 3 in a time of 4 days and 3 hours.

Sails of Change crew: Yann Guichard (skipper) Duncan Spath (helmsman) Benjamin Schwartz (navigator) Xavier Revil (watch leader) Jacques Guichard (watch leader) Thierry Chabagny (helmsman-trimmer) Grégory Gendron (trimmer) Loic Le Mignon (trimmer) Thibault Julien (trimmer) Christopher Pratt (helmsman-trimmer) Clément Giraud (bowman) Pieter Tack (bowman)

Tags: records , World Sailing Speed Record Council , Yann Guichard

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Father’s Day – the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic

11.06.19  –  By: Lindsey Skinner  –  In: News , People

All boats are designed and made with a specific purpose in mind, whether it is for leisurely trips along the river or for speed and agility to win races. Father’s Day , the boxy bright red boat in our Boat Hall, is no exception. She was designed to be small – as small as possible. Her designer and maker, Hugo Vihlen, allowed enough room for everything he needed to sail across the Atlantic Ocean – no room for luxuries, no room for non-essentials and barely any room for him.

A Korean War fighter pilot and former Delta Airlines Captain, Vihlen previously made an 85 day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1968 in what was then the smallest boat to have made the journey, the 5ft 11 inch sailing boat April Fool . To Hugo’s dismay his arch rival Tom McNally seized the World Record in 1993 by making the Atlantic crossing in a 5ft 4 ½ inch boat.

Determined to reclaim the record Hugo set out alone later that same year to cross the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Falmouth, having been banned from launching in the United States by the Coastguard, who declared his boat unsafe. This time he was in his plywood and fibreglass vessel Father’s Day , his home-built boat, which was, crucially, half an inch shorter than McNally’s.

During the crossing Hugo had to sleep on his back with his knees bent: he woke every hour to check his heading and general sailing conditions, as a consequence of which he never drifted more than 10 miles off course. After facing everything the Atlantic could throw at him, and some close encounters with large ships, Hugo arrived in Falmouth 105 days later. He could hardly walk, had lost 34 pounds in weight, but he had recaptured his record.

His reception on arrival in Falmouth was hardly a hero’s welcome. One of the waiting journalists found him a pasty to eat while his boat was towed to a local yacht club. When the party arrived at the yacht club for a celebration tea they found it closed as he wasn’t expected, so a member of the public produced a bottle of champagne to toast his success.

What better time to look back at Hugo Vihlen’s daring achievements than on Father’s Day. 16 years later, along with his boxy bright red boat Father’s Day , he, perhaps unsurprisingly, still holds the World Record for sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in the smallest boat.

Father’s Day is currently on display in our Boat Hall.

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He’s gonna need a bigger boat.

A sailor’s record-setting quest to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the smallest boat ever ended in tears when the 3-foot 10-inch boat began taking on water shortly after his departure and smashed on a seawall as it was being hauled out for repairs.

Andrew Bedwell, a 49-year-old sailor and sailmaker from England spent three years outfitting his micro yacht named “Big C” and finally set out on the planned 1,900-mile voyage from Newfoundland to the southern tip of England last weekend.

In a video posted on Instagram the day before his Sunday departure, Bedwell appeared positively chuffed to be on his way.

“So, tomorrow’s the day!” he said with a twinkling eye, before telling followers how they could track his progress across the deep.

But within hours of his grand departure, Bedwell explained in a decidedly more muted video that he’d been forced to return to port. The Big C began taking on water, a problem he suspected was brought on by last-minute modifications he’d made.

Undeterred, he said he was shortly heading back out to the harbor to assess the situation.

On Monday, Bedwell posted a tearful video describing the tragedy. Through shuddering sobs, he explained how Big C had “basically sunk” by the time he’d returned to the harbor. The boat was filled with “half or three quarters of a ton or a ton of water” and had to be lifted out by her framework instead of with straps run under the hull.

“We lifted her up, got her up to the harbor wall. And the framework gave way…” Bedwell said, gasping for air between sobs and pulling at his hair in agonized despair. “And she dropped down onto the harborside, and basically it destroyed the boat.”

“Big C is no more. She can’t carry on. I can’t do it. I’m sorry, Um, I’m just. I…” Then the message cut off.

Bedwell captioned the video “Big C – the end of a dream.” His accounts have gone radio-silent since.

The decline was a startling and raw display for Bedwell, a salty Sir Edmund Hillary-looking Brit who’s previously sailed to the Arctic in a 21-foot boat and always appeared the consummately stolid seaman in his countless Instagram posts and media appearances promoting the Big C journey.

But his inconsolable state was more than understandable — for the past three years Bedwell had dedicated all his energies to preparing for the trip. He raised thousands in funding and sponsorship. He had planned to donate proceeds to cancer charities in honor of his parents.

Bedwell purchased Big C itself from the daughter of Tom McNally, according to Yachting World , a sailor who once set the record for a trans-Atlantic Crossing in the world’s smallest vessel in 1993 before being beaten out by a competitor. McNally had built Big C to reclaim the record but died of kidney cancer in 2017 before he could mount the voyage.

Once in his hands, Bedwell undertook a considerable overhaul of Big C. He modified elements of the hull design to increase stability and speed, doing his own metal and fiberglass work along the way to machine one-of-a-kind parts for his one-of-a-kind boat.

The boat’s keel was outfitted to store fresh water, and the inner wall of the hull was designed to maximize compartment space that he filled with enough vacuum-sealed packs of a bizarre raisin and beef jerky recipe of his own creation to last the more than 90 days he expected to be at sea.

Big C’s cabin was only big enough for cramped sitting and sleeping in a tight fetal position, but Bedwell managed to rig it with comfortable seating and chose efficient clothing like a long mariner’s overcoat which served as both a warm waterproof jacket and sleeping bag.

Bedwell placed a domed weather-proof hatch window over the cabin, used an outrigger system to maximize sail space, hooked up the running lights and navigational computers to solar panels, and let his 10-year-old daughter Poppy decorate the interior with drawings of their family.

In the video announcing Big C’s demise, Bedwell thanked his supporters for their support and apologized for how the adventure ended.

“I don’t know what to say to everyone who’s supported and helped me. You’ve all been incredible.”

Asked whether he planned to mount another record attempt, Bedwell told The Post “It’s still early days.”

“It has to be a new vessel though as there’s lots of damage on Big C, so it’s speaking with current sponsors and I’ve had some very kind offers from a lot of people who can assist with a new vessel.”

One of Poppy’s decorations inside Big C was a hatch filled with urgings that her dad return safely and soon, listing the “cuddles,” the “tickles,” and the “trampolining” she’d miss while he was away.

On it, she also printed a message in green marker with a reminder to her dad: “Always try your best and never give up!”

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Smallest Power Boat to Cross The Atlantic: Florida brothers set world record (Video) TAMPA, FL, USA -- Two brothers, Ralph Brown, 50, of Spring Hill, and Robert Brown, 51, of Merritt Island, managed to cross the Atlantic in a in a Suzuki powered 21' Flats Boat, that Ralph's company Dream Boats, Inc designed and built, from Tampa, Florida to the Limehouse Marina in downtown London - setting the new world record for the Smallest Power Boat to Cross The Atlantic. )      .   The Brown brothers crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a 21'1'' powerboat, without a cabin or a keeel.   The previous world record was a 21'4'' powerboat that had both a cabin and a keel. There were actually two seperate boats 21'4" that made the voyage, both were primarly designed for that voyage.   Flrida brothers did it in a stock FLATS BOAt, no cabin, no keel drafting a lot less than a foot.   "There were times we were afraid for our lives, but we never thought for once we wouldn't make it," Ralph Brown said. )      Ralph and Robert started their adventure from Tampa, Florida, and continued up the US east coast, to Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland.   They undertook the voyage to honor Robert's former Marine comrades who died in 1980 in a botched mission called Operation Eagle Claw, in which several branches of the military attempted to liberate the American Embassy in Iran after terrorists took the ambassador and his staff hostage.   Their open fishing boat separates itself from other smaller boats that have made the crossing is that it does not have a cabin, a keel, a sail, or an escort and it had to carry its own fuel. )   While experts said it was impossible to survive the 7000 plus miles of open ocean, the Brown brothers stepped off their tiny open fishing boat at 6:40 pm, London Time, Friday, September 4, 2009 at the Limehouse Marina in downtown London. .   The "I Am Second" voyage team attended a reception with the wounded heroes that have been evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan.  This is not the first time Ralph and Robert Brown have set a World Record. In 2007, their 1400 mile adventure started from North Carolina to Bermuda and back to NYC. They were awarded the " "                                Penny Dean (USA) Honor open water swimmer (1996). FOR THE RECORD: 1978 Established English Channel crossing record (England to France, 7 hrs. 40 min.); 1979 Professional Marathon Swimming Circuit (Women’s World Champion); four Catalina Channel crossings (1976-1977); 12 WORLD RECORDS; Head Coach: U.S. National Long Distance team (1984-1988); Head Women’s Swimming and Water Polo Coach: Pomona College since 1979. When she was ten years old, she came within 400 meters of swimming the length of the Golden Gate Bridge.  But tired and with the water a frigid 52 degrees Fahrenheit and the escort boat an arms reach away, Penny Dean made a decision that would determine the course of her life for the next thirteen years and make Marathon swimming history – she got out.  It was an understandable decision for a ten year old, but once on shore she mistook her mother’s look of guilt that she had pushed her daughter too hard and into failure, as a look of disappointment.  She had let pain and fatigue distract her from her goal, and she vowed never to let that happen again.  From that summer day in 1965, Penny Dean embarked on a challenging course that thirteen years later would lead to one of the greatest marathon swims in history. She had a head start – she had been swimming since the age of 20 months in both San Francisco and Santa Clara – hot beds for swimming in California. She competed in AAU swimming for seventeen years in both pool Nationals and Long Distance Open Water Nationals, winning the Three Mile National Championship in 1971.  As a swimmer for Pomona College, she was a six-time All-American.  By 1976, she swam from the mainland of California to Catalina Island in the overall world record of 7 hours, 15 minutes 55 seconds – 1 and 1/2 hours under the former record.  The next year she set the world record from the island to the mainland on her way to a 50 mile double crossing of the Catalina Channel in 20 hours and 3 minutes.  These swims set the stage for her greatest challenge. Tennis players have Wimbledon; runners have the Boston Marathon; swimmers have the English Channel.  Penny not only wanted to be amongst the successful eighteen percent of swimmers who actually complete the English Channel, she wanted to break all the records.  The water was 55 degrees, the tides were challenging and the channel is vast to the lone swimmer.  A core of inner toughness kept her swimming, and a remarkable 7 hours, 40 minutes after she left England, her toes scraped against the sand of the French coast with a greeting committee of a few shocked shell hunters.  Her time broke the world record by 1 hour and 5 minutes and was so impressive that it took another sixteen years before Chad Hundeby broke her record in September of 1995.  Penny proved once again that women can swim faster and longer than men in Marathon Swimming. She continued her long distance swimming career for another three years, winning at Lake St. John, LaTugue, Lakes Memphremagog and Paspebiac in Quebec, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, setting women’s world records in most of them. She was Women’s World Professional Champion in 1979 accumulating 1,000 points over her next rival. Penny became a Professor of Education and Head Swimming Coach at Pomona College, but not before serving as the U.S. National Team Coach of Open Water Swimming from 1988 through 1991, Head Coach of U.S. teams to the 1991 Pan Pacific Championships, 1991 World Championships, 1982 and 1990 Windermere Championships, 1990 English Channel Race, 1984 and 1989 Catalina Channel Race and coach of nine solo Catalina Channel crossers.  She was president of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America from 1985 to 1987 and served on the NCAA Swimming Committee.  She has presented numerous international clinics on marathon and open water swimming, written articles for swimming publications and authored “How to Swim a Marathon,” with printings in 1985, 1988 and 1992, and “History of the Catalina Swims,” revised four times since 1985. Penny has been a pathfinder in her swimming career.  Studying law, she receives her Ph.D. in 1996.  She stands as the tallest and proudest five-foot-two inch, 125 pound marathon swimmer the world has known.  What the world did not  know was that she swam her way to victory with no anterior artery blood supply to her left arm.  She used the other part of her body for that – her guts. Sailing, monohull, fastest Atlantic crossing Cruise ship rescues 68 migrants and finds 5 bodies in boat adrift in Atlantic Ocean Spanish rescuers say that a cruise ship has rescued 68 migrants and found five bodies in a wooden dinghy that was drifting off the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean MADRID -- A cruise ship rescued 68 migrants and found five bodies in a wooden dinghy that was drifting off the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Spain's maritime rescue agency said Thursday. It said an oil tanker traveling from northwestern Spain to Brazil spotted the drifting boat on Wednesday afternoon about 815 kilometers (506 miles) south of Tenerife, one of the seven islands in the Canaries archipelago. Spanish authorities diverted the Insignia, a cruise ship, to rescue the migrants. The Insignia crew also recovered three of the five bodies on the dinghy. The remains of two people were left at sea because of bad weather hampering their recovery. It is unusual for cruise ships to make rescues of migrants on the Atlantic route, but the dinghy “was a long way out and they could be in danger,” said a maritime rescue’s spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity under departmental rules. One of the passengers on the cruise ship, Steve Dilbeck from Huntington Beach, California, said they were not told about the dead. “They did say the boat had been at sea for 20 days," Dilbeck told The Associated Press in a text message. “We were diverted in the evening and took us two hours to reach them. They were brought on board and placed in the Insignia Lounge, which is where they have all their shows.” “The area has been closed off to passengers. Told they had them remove their clothes and put on jumpsuits. Then they asked passengers if they had shoes and clothes they could donate, particularly for men. Their announcement said 62 were men, with the rest women and children,” he added. The Marshall Islands-flagged Insignia had left Mindelo, a port city in Cape Verde, on Tuesday. Its operator, Miami-based Oceania Cruises, did not immediately comment on the rescue. The Spanish rescue agency emailed a statement saying the Insignia is expected to arrive on Friday at the port of Santa Cruz, Tenerife. The Canary Islands is a destination for boats packed with migrants departing from northwestern Africa on a perilous Atlantic route in search of a better life in Europe. Spain's Interior Ministry says a record 55,618 migrants arrived by boat — most of them in the Canary Islands — last year, almost double the number of the previous year. More than 23,000 have landed so far this year, the ministry said. The Spanish nonprofit organization Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) says more than 5,000 migrants have died so far this year through May while trying to reach Spanish coasts, most of them on the Atlantic route. The figure for all 2023 was 6,600, more than double the number for 2022. Associated Press writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report. Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration Trending Reader Picks Quadruple murder suspect caught after 2 days Jun 20, 3:41 PM 7-year-old boy shot dead outside his front door Jun 20, 10:53 AM Russia obliterates front-line Ukraine towns Jun 20, 2:12 AM 580,000 glass coffee mugs recalled after injuries Jun 20, 11:27 AM New horned dinosaur species discovered Jun 20, 8:07 AM ABC News Live 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events Cruising Forums Cruising Forum Bosun's Locker The Multihull Club Living Aboard Marine Industry Vendors The Poop Deck CL Yacht Club Forum News/Announcements Cruiser's Market Regional Cruising Med, Atlantic, Caribbean SE Asia, Red Sea, Indian Ocean Pacific & Australasia General Marine Weather Message Buoy (Contact) General Messages Overdue/Distress Reports Position Reports To Absent Friends Cruising/Sailing Wiki Cruising & Sailing Wiki Discussion Recent Photos Forum Listings Register - it's FREE! Cruising Crew Wanted Crew Positions Wanted   > > 05-01-2012, 12:55 AM   , online edition of Latitude38. Because these links often disappear fairly quickly, below is the text from that link. April 30, 2012 – San Diego aboard which Mavromatis was skipper. was part of the 213-boat fleet in the Lexus Newport to Ensenada Race, a 125-mile overnight race put on by the Newport Ocean Sailing Assocation. 's tracker had stopped transmitting at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, but trackers frequently have glitches so little was made of it until Eric Lamb of Vessel Assist spotted a debris field. The bodies of Mavromatis' three crewmembers — William Reed Johnson Jr., 57, Joseph Lester Stewart, 64, and Kevin Rudolph, 53 — were located quickly yesterday, and all had reportedly suffered terrible injuries. Considering the fact that looked as if it had "gone through a blender," according to Lamb, and that other racers report seeing a freighter in the vicinity around the time the tracker stopped working, it's suspected that a freighter or other large ship ran over the little boat that night. "We haven't discounted that possibility," said Bill Fitzgerald, the Coast Guard's lead investigator for San Diego. "We're still tracking down any vessel that may have been in their area." , reports having a close encounter with a freighter in the same vicinity and time as 's tracker stopped working. "We were farther offshore, about 10-12 miles west of the Coronados," says Lawler. "Around 1:30 a.m., I went on watch and saw a freighter bearing down on us at what was probably 20 knots. His range lights were lined up and I could see both red and green bow lights. I didn't have time to get on the radio, so I grabbed my two million-candlepower spotlight and aimed it at the ship. That caught his attention and he took a hard left turn to take our stern. He passed about 1/4 mile behind us." Lawler, who circumnavigated aboard his North Wind 47 , says the wind was light, the seas were a little lumpy, and visibility was good. How sad, and how scary. I wonder whether the boats would have had such close encounters if there were AIS transceivers on their boats. I wonder if future ocean races will require them. | | = , , 05-01-2012, 02:28 AM   - Yoda What we're doing - The and the . 05-01-2012, 03:55 AM   . , , , : Mediterranean, Black Sea, Atlantic 05-01-2012, 02:02 PM   , Sausalito, Ca. 1964 facebook.com/svskippingstone 05-01-2012, 04:38 PM   : San Diego 05-01-2012, 04:45 PM   05-01-2012, 04:58 PM   It is for that reason, though, that I think that AIS might be a life-saving bit of gear for the lonely little sailboat. 05-01-2012, 07:50 PM   05-01-2012, 08:55 PM   | | = , , 05-01-2012, 08:56 PM   - Yoda What we're doing - The and the . 05-03-2012, 01:05 PM   SPOT GPS reported positions that indicate that the boat sailed straight into an island. See the article 's SPOT Messenger GPS track shows the boat on a constant course and speed for more than three hours — leading them directly onto the rocky shore of North Coronado Island. This almost certainly eliminates the possibility that was hit by a ship, which had been the most prevalent initial speculation." | | = , , 05-03-2012, 01:46 PM   . , , , : Mediterranean, Black Sea, Atlantic 05-03-2012, 06:42 PM   story--I can see from the track that it looks like the boat drove herself right onto the island. I don't understand this on several levels--people choose to go either inside or outside the islands and that boat looked to be aimed to go through the middle? When you choose "outside" I suppose you can find yourself very close, but you'd think that someone who is manually pushing the "send" button on their Find-me-spot device would also be tracking their own progress and see that they're getting close to the island. I didn't know the Spot could automatically send position data. Also--it is fairly benign seas around the Coronados compared to many places one could drive into shore. People often anchor in 40-50 ft deep water between the islands. It is amazing to think that a boat would be ground up into little bits so quickly by the usual wave action on the islands there. Finally, it's not a long arduous race they were in--its quick and fun. How the crew could fall asleep so that the boat sail unattended? I don't understand that one either. I worry about all the fishing and commercial traffic near those islands so even though everything points towards a mistake and the boat grounding on an island, I will look forward to the investigation's findings. I hope we all learn something from this tragedy that can help keep us safe in our travels. Fair winds, - Yoda What we're doing - The and the . 05-03-2012, 09:47 PM   : San Diego Thread Tools Posting Rules post new threads post replies post attachments edit your posts is are code is are are are Similar Threads Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post JeanneP General Cruising Forum 4 08-24-2011 09:21 AM JeanneP The Poop Deck 10 11-28-2010 09:48 PM JeanneP General Cruising Forum 9 06-18-2010 08:05 PM Lighthouse Overdue & Distress Reports 21 02-18-2008 11:33 AM Lighthouse General Cruising Forum 7 12-01-2007 04:09 PM Miscellaneous Autos & Motorcycle RV & Travel Trailer Our Communities Our communities encompass many different hobbies and interests, but each one is built on friendly, intelligent membership. » More about our Communities Automotive Communities Our Automotive communities encompass many different makes and models. From U.S. domestics to European Saloons. » More about our Automotive Communities RV & Travel Trailer Communities Our RV & Travel Trailer sites encompasses virtually all types of Recreational Vehicles, from brand-specific to general RV communities. » More about our RV Communities Marine Communities Our Marine websites focus on Cruising and Sailing Vessels, including forums and the largest cruising Wiki project on the web today. » More about our Marine Communities - - - - - - - Catalina Crossing US Outrigger Championships Sep 7 & 8, 2024 Registration Race Information Divisions Intent to Race/Canoe Requests Paddlers Looking for a Seat Race Logistics Schedule of Events Canoe Moorings Travel & Accommodations Wahine Flyer Hotel Information Transportation to and from Catalina Island Visiting Crew Information Waivers How to Register Insurance Requirements Race Merchandise Chase boat skippers. See past winners Featured Topics Featured series. A series of random questions answered by Harvard experts. Explore the Gazette Read the latest. College sees strong yield for students accepted to Class of 2028   Outstanding FAS staff honored at Dean’s Distinction celebration Everyone knows their name John Lowry. Courtesy of John Lowry Why row from Boston to London? Because it’s there. Spaulding Rehabilitation physician, team taking new route, aim to set records  Samantha Laine Perfas Harvard Staff Writer Editor’s note: The row from Boston to London was interrupted on June 6 by a series of increasingly serious mechanical failures, including issues with the boat’s desalinator and its electrical system, which took down communication, navigation, and lights. The crew was airlifted by the Coast Guard and flown to a base on Cape Cod. They hope to eventually attempt the crossing again. John Lowry, a physician at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation at Mass General Brigham, recently set off on an attempt to row across the North Atlantic on a route that begins in Boston and has never been tried before. He and his crew are doing so to raise funds for various charities, and hopefully to break some records. Lowry, who is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School, spoke with the Gazette about the upcoming quest and shared why it’s always a good idea to push yourself to do hard things. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Has anyone rowed across the Atlantic Ocean before? The whole endeavor of ocean rowing got its start back in the 1960s. Two individuals crossed the North Atlantic in opposite directions and became the first people to cross the Atlantic solo. They both finished relatively close to the Apollo 11 moon landing, so it kind of got lost in the news. But since then there have been subsequent trips taken across, although it was still viewed as a fringe sport, not really sponsored by anybody, just people who were interested in adventure. Everything was sort of DIY.  In the last 20 years, it has become more of an established — probably still fringe — sport. But the technology has improved tremendously. The boats are purpose-built for ocean rowing. They’re more seaworthy, lighter, more durable, and also able to carry modern electronics aboard, including for communication and GPS. Navigation has made this more accessible to broader participation. In the Atlantic, the primary route is off the coast of Africa to the Canary Islands to Barbados to the Caribbean. It’s part of a larger race series that takes place, usually December into January. And every year a couple of hundred people go. It’s a well-supported, sponsored, sanctioned event. The South Atlantic is warmer, and it’s a bit calmer than the North Atlantic.  Tell us about what makes your trip unique. What we’re doing is unsanctioned. We’re going as an independent team, not under the auspices of a larger race or organization. There are four of us. I’ve known Capt. Bryan Fuller since we were about 5 years old. And he did the  Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge  in the South Atlantic about 12 years ago. Before the pandemic, he hatched the idea of doing the North Atlantic journey — going west to east — but the pandemic locked things down. There were shifts in the original crew, and I joined the effort about a year ago. We’re also joined by champion rower Elizabeth Gilmore and Klara Anstey, a rower from Wales.  If we’re successful, we’ll be the first human-powered crossing from Boston to the U.K. [Past North Atlantic crossings began in New York.] We will also be the first mixed crew (in terms of gender) ever to cross the North Atlantic. We’re hoping to break the North Atlantic record for speed.  How long do you expect it to take? The London Calling Row Team pushed off for a 24-hour test run. The crew includes Captain Bryan Fuller, First Mate John Lowry, Elizabeth Gilmore, and Klara Papp Anstey. Courtesy of Jennifer Powell We leave on June 1 and hope to reach the Isles of Scilly — which are the first U.K. territory we’ll encounter, just south of Cornwall — in or under 42 days. From there, we stop the clock. Then we proceed up the English Channel and up the Thames to downtown London. We expect that will take us another week or so. Technically, it will be the most difficult part of our row because the currents and tides in the English Channel will make it especially arduous.  Logistically, how do you manage rowing as a four-person crew for that long?  We’ll be on a seagoing schedule, meaning that there will be watch time — where we’re also rowing — and time off watch. The shifts will be anywhere from one to four hours, with the average shift length being two hours of rowing, two hours off. At night, in the interest of getting a bit more sleep, we’ll be on for four hours and off for four hours. But the boat will be rowed 24 hours a day. How big is the boat? The boat itself is 28 feet long and not quite 5½ feet wide. There are compartments in the bow and the stern. We’ll be hot bunking, so if one person is rowing the other can have the compartment. That being said, at 5’ 10”, I still have to pretty much be in the fetal position to be able to get in and sleep. There is room for two people in each compartment if conditions become rough or unsafe and we must take refuge. What will you do for meals? Each of us — for the length of the trip — is budgeted 180 freeze-dried meals, just like you would buy at REI. We’ll have a jet boil to boil water. You add it; wait 10 minutes; and then have a meal for which hunger increases your appreciation.  We’ll probably be consuming up to 4,000 calories a day, but we’ll be burning through close to twice that. We’ll all be losing quite a bit of weight as we go across, so right now we’re all trying to gain as much as we can. Probably the last time in my life I’ll have that luxury. You recently went on a 24-hour test row. How did that go?  We rowed out of Boston on a Saturday, went north about as far as Marblehead, and turned around. But it was an opportunity for us to test the two-on-two-off schedule and to get a feeling for navigating, especially at night. It went well. I think we gelled as a crew, and it was important to learn how the boat handled. But I think equally if not more important is to know how we work together as a team, to maintain safety and have a good flow. If somebody is walking down the deck from one end to the other, they can’t just do that because it would tip the boat over. There must be a really tight, cohesive coordination. I think that trip gave us a lot of confidence. Why did you decide to participate in this endeavor? Personally, I thrive when I’m challenged. Professionally, I take care of persons who have various disabilities. And one thing that society often does, intentionally or inadvertently, is deny people with disabilities the opportunity to dare to do new things, to take new risks in life. For example, for a wheelchair user, that might mean buying an airplane ticket, figuring out how to travel by air, how to access a hotel transportation. It’s daunting, and for some people, it’s way more daunting than rowing across an ocean. So I’m doing this to bring awareness to the idea that as physicians, it’s a good and healthy thing to help your patients stretch themselves a little bit and to problem-solve ways of pulling things off. And if things don’t work out, understand that “failure” is an opportunity to learn what did not go right and to rectify that.  What will the funds you raise support, beyond the trip itself? I’m  supporting the Spaulding Adaptive Sports Centers [a part of Spaulding Rehabilitation],  whose mission is very closely tied to taking individuals who’ve had various injuries or impairments and putting them in an environment where they may be a little bit uncomfortable and enabling them to succeed. And not only to succeed but have fun doing it. We want to engender the skills and the confidence that transfer into their larger life, to live fuller, more complete lives. The funds will help support the Spaulding networks and the adaptive sports program to help people access equipment and programming. There’s quite a bit of risk associated with this trip. Why is it worth it, to you and the team?  As they say, without risk there is no reward. I can’t wait to meet the person I am when I come back. I think I will have a deeper appreciation for just about everything. And the only way to achieve that is by assuming that risk.  I have college students who tell me they are thinking about medical school. And I tell them the last thing you should ever do is try to talk somebody into becoming a doctor. If you can’t talk them out of becoming a doctor, it’s probably the right choice. And for me, the decision to take this trip was very similar.  I think my other motive in doing this trip is for professionals, particularly healthcare providers and physicians, we get really caught up in the day-to-day routine of what we do. It can be all-consuming, almost to the exclusion of the rest of our lives. And who hasn’t gazed out the window and wondered about that big trip or that project that they wanted to do, but have almost immediately dismissed the idea because they thought it impractical.  I want to challenge that assumption. With careful planning, patience, and commitment, it actually is possible to pull off a big project. And it can be a positive force in one’s career trajectory.  If people want to follow your voyage, is there a way to do so?  Our website is  londoncallingrow.com . Through the website, there will be a link to our dot tracker that will tell you down to about a meter of resolution where we are on the ocean. We also will have Starlink access onboard, so we’ll be able to upload posts and hopefully some photos and video to keep people apprised of our progress.  Get the best of the Gazette delivered to your inbox By subscribing to this newsletter you’re agreeing to our privacy policy Share this article You might like. Financial aid was a critical factor, dean says Awards recognize citizenship, collaboration, exceptional contributions 65 staff members honored as Harvard Heroes for leadership, teamwork, willingness to go extra mile to make University better Testing fitness of aging brain Most voters back cognitive exams for older politicians. What do they measure? Researchers reverse hair loss caused by alopecia Treatment holds promise for painlessly targeting affected areas without weakening immune system Finding right mix on campus speech policies Legal, political scholars discuss balancing personal safety, constitutional rights, academic freedom amid roiling protests, cultural shifts Highest number of people cross English Channel in single day so far this year More than 800 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in a single day – a new record for 2024. It marks the highest single-day figure since 2022. Wednesday 19 June 2024 13:04, UK Some 882 people crossed the English Channel on Tuesday, which is the highest number on a single day so far this year. The new figure, revealed by the Home Office, tops the previous 2024 record of 711 and marks the highest daily total since 29 November 2022, when 947 people arrived. The Home Office also said 15 boats made the journey, suggesting an average of about 59 people per boat. Having 15 boats cross in a single day has only happened twice in the past year - the last occurrence being on 2 September 2023. The number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional total of 12,313, which is 18% higher than the total at the equivalent point last year, when it was 10,472. It's also 5% higher than the total at this stage in 2022, which was 11,690. There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36% on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The government has promised to "stop small boats", but made clear that does not mean there will be zero crossings. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not defined how low a number they are targeting. The tally of crossings since Mr Sunak became prime minister in October 2022 is almost 50,000, now standing at 49,376. Read more: The deadly migrant routes from Vietnam to Europe People smuggler 'at peace' with dying on the job More than 2,000 arrivals have been recorded since the general election was called on 22 May, with 2,431 people crossing as immigration forms a key campaign battleground. As the recent migrant crisis unfolded, 126,658 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel over the past six and a half years, according to data recorded since the start of 2018. Some 81,677 people have made the journey since the government struck the stalled deal to send migrants to Rwanda in April 2022. 👉 Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈 In the early hours of Tuesday, around 85 migrants were understood to have been rescued from small boats in the English Channel. A Home Office spokesperson said on Tuesday: "We continue to work closely with our French partners to prevent crossings and save lives." A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said they had been "coordinating the response" to small boats crossing the Channel on Tuesday morning. The RNLI said: "On Tuesday 18 June, Dover and Dungeness all-weather lifeboats launched to assist with incidents in the Channel." Be the first to get Breaking News Install the Sky News app for free Related Topics Migrant Crisis Migrant crossings We want to smash the Pacific rowing record - using F1 technology T hree Scottish brothers are hoping to become the fastest people to row across the Pacific Ocean, after building a superfast, ultra lightweight boat. Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan MacLean have harnessed technology used by Formula 1 teams to manufacture the 280kg (44 stone) carbon fibre vessel. The trio, from Edinburgh, made headlines in January 2020 when they rowed across the Atlantic Ocean in just 35 days. Their fibreglass boat weighed one tonne. Now they hope to cross the Pacific in about 120 days - 42 days quicker than the record. And they intend to become the first team to make the 9,000 mile crossing without stopping to pick up food supplies. Jamie, 30, told BBC Scotland News their new boat - the first of its kind - will enable them to consistently travel faster than they did crossing the Atlantic. "We are going to be able to average between 0.5 and one knot [one nautical mile per hour] faster all the time," he said. "Our average speed for the Atlantic was 3.3 knots but if you added a knot on to that you could shave off potentially months on a Pacific crossing, which is three times further." The brothers will embark on The Rare Whisky 101 Pacific Challenge next May, when they will leave Lima in Peru bound for Australia. They have been working on the vessel for the last year with specialists in The Netherlands. Ewan, 32, an engineer for Dyson, said the boat was made using a process normally used in the construction of F1 cars or jet wings. He said the hull and the deck were fabricated using a machine called an autoclave - essentially a high pressure oven. It meant that much less epoxy resin, which is very heavy, was needed to bond the carbon fibre and the foam core. Ewan said: "There are carbon equivalents to the fibreglass boat we were in previously. "They would save a bit on the weight but if you compare gram for gram there isn't that much difference to be honest. The boats made from carbon are much stronger. "Usually the vast majority of the weight from a carbon fibre lay up is from the resin but when you use an autoclave you can have a much lighter product at the end." Jamie denied the lighter boat would give them an unfair advantage over other teams who have been unable to make the crossing without stopping to resupply. Previously only solo rowers have been able to complete the crossing without stopping to take on board more food. "I don't know if innovation is cheating," he said. "The appeal to doing the Pacific is it's a longer crossing, it's the same but it's also very different to the Atlantic, it's the same sport but it will be a different beast." Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan became the first three brothers to row any ocean when they crossed the Atlantic in 2020. They also took the record for the youngest trio and the fastest trio to ever row the Atlantic - but their record of 35 days, nine hours and nine minutes was beaten by two hours last year. Other modifications to the boat include a bulletproof mat for the sleeping pod to stop marlin strikes piercing them. It is thought marlin, which have a spear-like snout or bill, do not see rowing boats when they are hunting the fish that shelter underneath them as the hulls are a similar colour to the sky. The MacLean brothers who trialled the boat for the first time this week off the coast of Scotland are also trying to work out how they will be able to remove barnacles during the challenge without having to jump into the water as the Pacific Ocean is Great White shark territory. Jamie said: "Barnacles cause a huge amount of drag. You would lose knots of speed if you let the barnacles build up. It's amazing how quickly they grow and they get quite big too." Brothers become fastest trio to row the Atlantic Brothers take on 3,000-mile rowing test 282 IMAGES British rowers set new world record by crossing Atlantic in 60 days Record attempt for Atlantic crossing in smallest boat ends in tears as 3-foot vessel is destroyed The Smallest Boat to Cross The Atlantic Ocean My World Record Atlantic Crossing on Symphony of The Seas || The Free Guide Brit sailing Atlantic in one-metre boat in world record attempt Sailor Attempts World Record Crossing the Atlantic in Smallest Boat VIDEO 60 Mile Passage STRAIGHT ACROSS the IONIAN SEA St. Thomas view with 4 cruise ships! South Atlantic Crossing: Saint Helena part one Crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a sailboat #shorts #youtubeshorts #sailing #boating #sailboat Standing between 2 HUGE Ships 🚢 #travel Sailing World Boat of the Year 2024 Best Crossover: Italia 14.98 COMMENTS Transatlantic sailing record Transatlantic sailing record. Banque Populaire V, current record holder. Since the five-week voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492, quickly and safely crossing the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and the Americas has always been an important issue. Today, the route has become a classic one among skippers. Comanche, Jim Clark's 100ft super maxi, smashes the transatlantic record Comanche, the 100ft maxi racing yacht built to break records for Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark, has set an astonishingly fast new transatlantic record. In making the crossing in just 5 days, 14 ... How Comanche took more than a day off the transatlantic record The crew completed the 2,880-mile course (sailing 2,946 miles, only 66 miles farther than the Great Circle distance) in 5d 14h 21m and, in doing so, Jim Clark's super-machine and her all-star ... Comanche sets a new RORC Transatlantic Race record and ... The 30.48m (100ft) VPLP Design/Verdier Maxi Comanche, skippered by Mitch Booth, has taken Monohull Line Honours in the 2022 RORC Transatlantic Race, winning the magnificent IMA Trophy. Comanche has set a new race record for the 3,000nm race from Lanzarote to Grenada of 7 days 22 hours 1 minute 4 seconds. Comanche's new Monohull Race Record has ... Comanche Crushes Transatlantic Record (July 28, 2016) - Comanche, the 100 foot racing yacht owned by Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark, has successfully set a new monohull transatlantic record of 5 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes 25 seconds. Transatlantic World Record Crossing the Atlantic in a small outboard. There were numerous attempts, preparations and changed plans. And once the trip was finally under way in 1985, he'd endure a gale, a hurricane and even falling off the boat before reaching Lisbon and going down in the Guinness Book of World Records. The voyage was ill-fated from the start. Hugo Vihlen Hugo Vihlen (born November 13, 1931) is a single-handed sailor who set world records by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in two tiny sailboats in 1968 and 1993. 1968 transatlantic crossing [ edit ] On March 29, 1968, Vihlen departed Casablanca, Morocco , in his 5-foot, 11-inch (1.8 m) sailboat April Fool . The speed awards already broken by Comanche The record was broken during the 2015 Transatlantic Race after Comanche covered 618.01 nautical miles in 24 hours. Her average speed was recorded as 25.75 knots, on the cusp of some strong southwesterly winds in the North Atlantic. The 24-hour distance record has since been ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. Crazy or sane? Record attempt for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic Record attempt for the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic. Andrew Bedwell is planning to smash the record for sailing the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic. His vessel, Big C is just over 1m/3.2ft long. The smallest boat to cross the Atlantic was 5ft 4inches, sailed by American sailor, Hugo Vihlen in 1993. Many have tried but failed to break ... Fastest Atlantic crossing by powerboat 09 August 1992. The fastest crossing of the Atlantic is 2 days 10 hr. 34 min. 47 sec. by the 68 m. (222 ft.) luxury yacht Destriero from August 6 to 9, 1992. The gas turbine-propelled vessel maintained an average speed of 45.7 knots (84.6 km./h. or 52.6 m.p.h.) despite weighing nearly 400 tonnes (882,000 lb). The skipper was Cesare Fiorio (Italy). July 24, 1979: Across the Atlantic in a 10-foot sailboat He designed little "Yankee Girl" to set a world record as the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic Ocean. ... was about to set a world record by completing an Atlantic crossing in a 10-foot boat ... Transatlantic Speed Record: Will It Ever Be Broken The current record is 41.284 knots (76.5 km/ per hour) average over two days, 20 hours and 9 minutes. The Hales Trophy is a heavily gilded ornate trophy over one metre in height and is on display ... In pursuit of trans-Atlantic record >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News In pursuit of trans-Atlantic record. Published on July 27th, 2023. New York, NY (July 27, 2023) - The maxi trimaran Sails of Change set out today in an attempt to break the trans-Atlantic record ... Solo Trans-Atlantic Record Smashed Jul 28, 2018. Original: Aug 17, 2012. (c) C. Launay. British solo sailor Alex Thomson smashed the single-handed monohull trans-Atlantic record by more than 24 hours crossing the finish line July 26 at Lizard Point, off Falmouth in Cornwall, England, reports Soundings Trade Only. The 38-year-old crossed the line at 18:17 British Standard Time ... Father's Day A Korean War fighter pilot and former Delta Airlines Captain, Vihlen previously made an 85 day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1968 in what was then the smallest boat to have made the journey, the 5ft 11 inch sailing boat April Fool. To Hugo's dismay his arch rival Tom McNally seized the World Record in 1993 by making the Atlantic crossing ... Record attempt for Atlantic crossing in smallest boat ever ends in Bedwell purchased Big C itself from the daughter of Tom McNally, according to Yachting World, a sailor who once set the record for a trans-Atlantic Crossing in the world's smallest vessel in ... Transatlantic crossing On 13 June 2003, French rower Maud Fontenoy started an eastward crossing of the Atlantic from Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.She reached A Coruña in Spain on 10 October, becoming the first woman to accomplish this feat.. In 2005, the Vivaldi Atlantic 4 broke the previous rowing record of 55 days and setting a new record of 39 days.. On 26 October 2010, Polish sexagenarian Aleksander Doba was the ... Smallest Power Boat to Cross The Atlantic ... Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the fastest transatlantic crossing made completely under solar power: 26 days 19 hr 10 min by MS TÛRANOR PlanetSolar (Switzerland) and its crew of six from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain to Marigot, Saint Martin. The Brown brothers crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a 21'1'' powerboat ... Penny Dean The information on this page was written the year of their induction. FOR THE RECORD: 1978 Established English Channel crossing record (England to France, 7 hrs. 40 min.); 1979 Professional Marathon Swimming Circuit (Women's World Champion); four Catalina Channel crossings (1976-1977); 12 WORLD RECORDS; Head Coach: U.S. National Long Distance team (1984-1988); Head Women's Swimming and ... Sailing, monohull, fastest Atlantic crossing Sailing, monohull, fastest Atlantic crossing. The fastest ever crossing of the Atlantic by a monohull yacht between Ambrose Light Tower, New York, USA, and Lizard Point, Cornwall, UK, took 6 days 17 hr 52 min 39 sec and was made by Mari-Cha IV, between 2 and 9 October 2003. The yacht was captained by Robert Miller (UK) and sailed by a crew of 24. Three Scots brothers bid to smash Pacific rowing record The brothers set a series of records when they rowed across the Atlantic in 2020 Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan became the first three brothers to row any ocean when they crossed the Atlantic in 2020. Cruise ship rescues 68 migrants and finds 5 bodies in boat adrift in Spain's Interior Ministry says a record 55,618 migrants arrived by boat — most of them in the Canary Islands — last year, almost double the number of the previous year. More than 23,000 have ... Sailboat apparently run over by freighter Sailboat apparently run over by freighter Reported in Lectronic Latitude , online edition of Latitude38. Because these links often disappear fairly quickly, below is the text from that link. Catalina Crossing History of the Catalina Channel Crossing. The first outrigger race held in California was on September 20, 1959. This first race was a long distance race from Avalon on Catalina Island to the Newport Dunes inside the California Coast. The famous Duke Kahanamoku served as the Grand Marshall of the first California Outrigger event and founded the ... Catalina Crossing Catalina Crossing. US Outrigger Championships Sep 7 & 8, 2024. Registration. Race Information. Divisions Intent to Race/Canoe Requests Paddlers Looking for a Seat Harvard doc among crew to row across the Atlantic— Harvard Gazette Editor's note: The row from Boston to London was interrupted on June 6 by a series of increasingly serious mechanical failures, including issues with the boat's desalinator and its electrical system, which took down communication, navigation, and lights. The crew was airlifted by the Coast Guard and flown to a base on Cape Cod. They hope to eventually attempt the crossing again. 882 people detected crossing English Channel on Tuesday in highest Some 882 people crossed the English Channel on Tuesday, which is the highest number on a single day so far this year. The Home Office said 15 boats were detected, suggesting an average of about 59 ... Deaths on migration route to Canary Islands soar to 1,000 a month More than 5,000 people died in the first five months of this year trying to reach Spain by sea, 95% of them on Atlantic Ocean crossings from West and Northwest Africa to the Canary Islands, a new report on the world's deadliest migration route reveals. Mauritania has overtaken Senegal as the main ... We want to smash the Pacific rowing record Now they hope to cross the Pacific in about 120 days - 42 days quicker than the record. And they intend to become the first team to make the 9,000 mile crossing without stopping to pick up food ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht