"Orange II", back in the North Atlantic, rushes towards the goal
The French skipper Bruno Peyron, supported by his 13 crew members, breaks all previous best marks along the way during his round-the-world record attempt.
On Sunday morning Peyron steered the 120-foot cat "Orange II" for the second time during the record attempt over the zero degree of latitude and is now sailing again in the North Atlantic. It took him 40 days, 19 hours and 5 minutes to get from the start line at the Ile d'Ouessant.
He was a whopping 9 days and 8 hours faster than the American Steve Fossett, who set a new world record for circumnavigating the globe with his 125-foot Kat "Cheyenne" (formerly "Playstation") with 58 days and 9 hours a year ago. If nothing breaks on board the "Orange II" during the remaining 3,000 nautical miles to the finish line and the wind systems are not completely unusable, it could be that Peyron misses Fossett's time by almost 10 days.
Along the way, the French catamaran has also set a new record for the route from equator to equator, past the three large capes. The required 33 days and 16 hours only have to be ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.
"Despite the great times we have to continue sailing very carefully," said Bruno Peyron in an interview with his shore crew. Firstly, according to Peyron, something can always break if you don't concentrate fully on the matter in hand, and secondly, his ship in the North Atlantic will have to fight sometimes chaotic weather conditions.
Anyway. Peyron leads Fossett's record attempt with 3,350 nautical miles. The devil would have to go if Peyron didn't wrest his favorite record from the American. But he can now console himself with a new flight world record (first one-handed and non-stop around the world).