Fatsest Yacht in the World

[Guest]

Tracey Edwards and the crew of Maiden II(formerly Club Med) is now awaiting ratification of their 24 hours run record from the World Speed Sailing Council. They actuially sailed 697 nm in 24 hours and 2 mins, but in a previous period of 23 hours 56mins they had covered a fraction under 695 miles.
Whichever is accepted they have beaten Steve Fossett's record of 687 miles in 24 hours which he took from Grant Dalton sailing in Club Med.
Fossett has offered his congratulations.

 

[tome]

A truly staggering performance - almost 1400 miles in just 2 days, and an average speed close to 30 knots. Wow! I've sailed at 20 knots for almost 10 minutes and thought I was on the limit.

Marvellous achievement, and sporting of Steve to offer his congratulations ahead of ratification

 

[longjohnsilver]

Some going, an average of 29kts! Bet it was exhilerating.

 

[coliholic]

Fantastic achievement to average 29 knots for all that time. Surface drives, props or jets? Perhaps Priddy needs whatever it is they've got.

 

[LadyInBed]

Ho! it was Fastest not Fatest - nm

 

[bedouin]

Indeed a fantastic performance.

However it is worth bearing in mind that Maiden set out specifically to break the record, whereas IIRF Fossett set the previous figure during "The Race" last year - with much more kit on board and only half way through a gruelling race; and without the chance to pick the ideal weather and course!

 

[tcm]

Well done Tracey! (cynical)

I hope she wins an award! Truly a marvellous achievement....and all from the comfort of her own home! Get somebody else to build a boat, get somebody else to pay and get somebody else to sail the thing. Fab! Wonder when the actual crew and skippers on board the boat are gonna get a mention?

 

[Guest]

Facts not PR

If there is a 'fastest yacht', it must be Yellow Pages Endeavour (AUS) at 46.42 knots in 1993.
The co-skippers of Maiden II are/were Helena Darvalid (SWE), Adrienne Cahalan (AUS) and Brian Thompson (GBR). Helena and Brian are ex-Lakota and Playstation on which they obtained much experience. It may be shorter than in the release or could even fail to score.
The announced distance run of Maiden II in 24 hours is not yet ratified and apparently has to wait until the authorities receive all data.
Lastly Tracy is spelt like this and has no 'e'. This should be well known since she is industrious in pushing her own name forward as frequently as possible.

 

[Guest]

Re: Facts not PR

Quotation from Steve Fossett's letter of congratulations to the crew of Maiden II.....
"This record really defines the fastest sailboat - and the fastest sailors - in the world, and you should be extremely proud".

 

[tcm]

Re: Facts not PR

So, not a letter to T Edwards at all since the letter of congratulation specifically mentions the boat and its crew. Good! Unlike most other sports, sailing remains predominantly an issue of "doing it".

 

[Jeremy_W]

Tracy

When did "Tracy bashing" become an official sport? She is leading the project and raising the money - without that you can't play. Part of fund-raising is having a high enough public profile to gain access to Board Rooms: Tracy has that because she has skippered a yachts in a Whitbread RTW and a Jules Verne. As you point out journos still regularly mis-spell her name which hardly fits with being "industrious in pushing her own name forward as frequently as possible". Most RTW sailors hate the fundraising part of the job with a vengeance and would far rather be at sea.

Where did Helena Darvelid gain the experience that got her a place on Lakota and Playstation? Sailing with Tracy Edwards on Royal & SunAlliance. And, like Adrienne Calahan, she's come back for more - which hardly fits with the image of Tracy as publicity-crazed, taking credit for others' work!

 

[bedouin]

Re: Tracy

Without being unfair on Tracy - she is going for "cheap" publicity. Neither of the two "records" she has set recently have been recognised as major records before now. No one else had done the Antigua to Newport, and I don't think anyone else had tried a stand-alone attempt on the 24 hours.

However she is not alone in this - I would class Fossetts claiming of a "Fastnet Course Record" in exactly the same category.

It is a side-effect of the big-money sponsorship these people need to attract that they have to keep themselves in the public eye. Much though I personally think that these are not "proper" records, they do help to raise the profile of sailing and so must be a good thing.

 

[Jeremy_W]

Re: Tracy

"Without being unfair on Tracy - she is going for "cheap" publicity." Absolutely, she needs to be generating media coverage at the same time as pushing out sponsor packs and approaching companies.

"Much though I personally think that these are not "proper" records, they do help to raise the profile of sailing and so must be a good thing." Absolutely - and when Tracy lands the big bucks for a shot at the Jules Verne, nobody will remember the lesser records. They will have served their purpose as the bait which landed a major sponsor. And do feel free to call me a cynic, but that's the way Public Relations is played in the big, bad World.