El Rambler a
pulverizado el récord de la regata !!!
Rambler smashed the Newport to Bermuda Race record
finishing in 39 hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds on Sunday morning.
George David’s 90ft maxi Rambler clipped a massive
14 hours off the previous best time set ten years ago by Roy Disney’s
Pyewacket.
The new record now stands at 39hr, 39 minutes, 18
seconds (subject to ratification) an average speed of 16knots.
A delighted George David said. “These were perfect
conditions. The most exciting moment was when we hit 26 knots. I’m so pleased
with our performance. We have reduced the record by 25 percent not bad for a
boat that is now ten years old. This Rambler is the best boat I have ever
owned!”
Rambler not only slashed the race record, her crew
also spanked their rivals, with Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente crossing the lighthouse
line one hour 43 minutes behind, followed three minutes later by Shockwave
skippered by George Sakellaris.
On corrected time however, Shockwave beat Rambler
by 33 minutes, followed by Belle Mente in 3rd and Team Tiburon 4th.
Spirit of Bermuda suspended racing on Sunday night
to respond to a medical emergency aboard a fellow Newport Bermuda Race entry.
At approximately 10.29 pm the sloop received an EGC
call from Norfolk requesting assistance for a medical emergency.
After it was determined that Spirit was “the most
qualified asset” in the vicinity to respond to the situation, the sloop lowered
some of her sails, switched on her motor and changed course to respond to a “diabetic
emergency” aboard the American 46ft yacht Seabiscuit whose crewman Nathan C
Owen was reported to be suffering from complications from dehydration.
Spirit motored roughly 65-70 miles northwest
towards Seabiscuit in heavy traffic before Enchantment of the Seas eventually
took over the rescue effort.
The cruiseliner pulled alongside Seabiscuit and
evacuated the sick crewman aboard the double-handed yacht before continuing to
Boston early yesterday morning.
Spirit rejoined the race after returning to the
location where she switched from wind to motor power to respond to the medical
emergency.
The purpose-built sail-training vessel competed
alone in the new “Spirit of Tradition” Division with a crew of 32.
Spirit made landfall in Bermuda last night.
Yesterday morning, Joe Harris and co-skipper
Tristan Mouligne celebrated a fantastic race.
The duo sailed Joe’s double-handed Gryphonsolo2, an
Akilaria RC2 Class 40, to a massive lead over the other yachts in the
Double-handed Division. Gryphonsolo2 finished off St David’s Lighthouse,
Bermuda, at 4:40:26 yesterday morning with an elapsed time of 60:20:26. By
seven o’clock in the afternoon, only two other double-handers had finished.
“We never eased up,” Joe exclaimed. “I hold the
single-handed record in the Bermuda 1-2 Race from Newport to Bermuda at 62
hours and 37 minutes, but sailed that in the 50ft Gryphon Solo. We beat that
time today by more than two hours in a 10-foot shorter 40 footer.
“We never slowed down. We blew out two spinnakers,
but kept on going. Totally soaked and stoked”
On board Gracie, a solid 69-foot McCurdy and Rhodes
sloop sailed by father and son Steve and Simon Frank and a family crew, who
barely got wet. Gracie still stands a provisional first in Class 7 with an
elapsed time of 63:59.33 and a corrected time of 47:55.41.
Llwyd Ecclestone’s Kodiak, the Reichel/Pugh 66 ex Blue Yankee, still
holds onto the lead in Class 8, and is the current front-runner for victory in
the St David’s Lighthouse amateur division on corrected time.
