Posted on 02/07/2004 8:16:20 AM PST by socal_parrot
Amid torrential rain and under dark skies, American adventurer Steve Fossett and his crew have set sail from Plymouth in their bid to smash the round-the-world sailing record.
The billionaire American skipper and his 11-strong crew have been in Plymouth Yacht Haven since December preparing equipment for their attempt to beat the Jules Verne record in the 125ft monster catamaran Cheyenne.
Since planning started, two crew members have dropped out and another two have joined, due to the long delays inevitable in such endeavours, as crews must wait until weather conditions are just right.
But according to navigators on the team, and weather reports, the weather pattern is in place right now for the perfect sailing conditions. The team aims to set off from the official start-finish line between The Lizard, Cornwall, and Ushant, northern France, between 3am and noon today.
From there, the team will sail on down to Brazil, past South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, then back up the Atlantic to pass Brazil again, and finally sail back to Plymouth.
Team spokesman Stuart Radnofsky said: "You need a very good pattern for the first week to get going, and after that you are into the basic seasonal climate and just cannot predict the weather beyond that.
"So when you are going for a record you have to take advantage of that first week because you have no idea what is coming afterwards. Once the crew hit the Southern Ocean that is when they will see the most extreme weather conditions, but they are lucky in that they have a very large boat to withstand it."
This is Mr Fossett's first attempt to beat the Jules Verne record of 64 days, eight hours and 37 minutes, set by Frenchman Bruno Peyron in 2002. The world record bid is funded largely by Mr Fossett himself, with additional sponsorship from Michelob Ultra.
The former businessman, who has homes in California and Colorado, holds ten of the 13 world record speed sailing records. He hopes to complete the journey in 60 days, taking the boat at about 25 knots through all weather conditions. He hit the headlines 19 months ago when he managed to fly a hot air balloon solo around the world in 16 days.
Standing on the quayside yesterday next to the massive bulk of the boat that will be his home for the next two months at least, Mr Fossett said he was determined that this trip would be one to remember.
"We really need a good weather pattern to allow us to sail the first week fast, and we have been waiting for that since January 2, so today is a good day," he said.
"I am pretty nervous about the trip and I presume the crew is too, because it's a fairly difficult weather pattern.
"What you get in return, though, is a sense of achievement doing something like this that has not been done before in the time we aim to do it in."
There are two Westcountrymen on board the boat, both of whom hail from Salcombe in the South Hams.
Mark Featherstone, 43, has been working within the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for 18 years.
He has been awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal for services to lifesaving at sea.
Brian Thompson, 41, is one of three watch captains on board Cheyenne. Before setting sail he said: "I have always wanted to sail around the world, and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.
"I have no doubt that it will be very hard work - we are living in very cramped conditions, with the same people, for two months. We will hardly ever see dry land and live on dried food that looks a bit like rat pellets.
"But there is nothing that can beat the feeling you have when you sail into dock having beaten the record.
"And in the meantime we are expecting to see dolphins, whales and some fantastic sunrises and sunsets. I am very much looking forward to it."
asimpson@westernmorningnews.co.uk
That's a very ambitious goal, even for a boat that size. I've sailed offshore on 15 meter yachts from the U.S. to Europe, a good average, speed wise, was 7.5 to 8 knots ... or approx. 180 nautical miles in a 24 hour period. This is a multi-hull that, to some extent, skims across the surface of the water but maintaining an average speed of 25 knots will be tough. That, by the way, translates into 600 nautical miles in a 24 hour period.
Next pool! If the total will be 60 days, on what day will the damage to his boat/crew be so extensive that he can not continue? And, THEN, how much will it cost us to rescue him? Direct costs, only, not the cost of the suits he'll bring against the USN for not saving his boat, etc.
Fossett has already done the world solo in a balloon, as well as with a partner. He holds numerous flying speed records, as well as glider records. He's done the ironman marathon, swam the channel, and is worth a billion. The adrenaline junkie king.
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