The Trimaran MOD70 PowerPlay, led by Peter Cunningham and skippered by Ned Collier Wakefield, has completed the original Fastnet course of 595 nautical miles in a new world record of 25 hours 04 minutes 18 seconds.
* Subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council
Shortly after noon on Monday April 5, with a strong and very cold north wind. PowerPlay began its Fastnet record attempt on the Squadron line in Cowes.
PowerPlay soon reached Lands’ End and crossed the Celtic Sea at speeds in excess of 30 knots.
PowerPlay circled the famous Fastnet lighthouse and raced through the night.
On Tuesday, April 6, at 1:42 p.m. 19 seconds BST, PowerPlay reached the Plymouth Breakwater, where the team celebrated their incredible 25-hour, 4-minute, 18-second run.
The historic 595nm tour begins at Cowes IOW, around Lands’ End, across the Celtic Sea, around the Fastnet Lighthouse off the coast of Ireland and ends at the Plymouth Breakwater.
Fastnet Course Record PowerPlay Team: Peter Cunningham, Ned Collier Wakefield, Tom Dawson, John Hamilton, Paul Larsen, Jack Trigger, Miles Seddon, Martin Watts.
The PowerPlay race is more than two hours faster than the record set by Phaedo3 in 2015. The first Fastnet Race was in 1925 and was won by Jolie Brise, which took more than six days to complete.
“It was somewhat ambitious, but the conditions were right and the team was ready to go,” said Peter Cunningham. “The PowerPlay crew was fantastic. Miles (Seddon) did a brilliant job sailing, we had two wonderful drivers at Ned Collier Wakefield, who set up the boat and runs the program, and the fastest navigator on Earth, Paul Larsen, who drove in incredibly bad conditions. ”
“We didn’t leave much, we were pushing really hard and everything lined up,” commented PowerPlay skipper Ned Collier Wakefield. “I’m not going to lie, it was pretty crowded, especially in April with an arctic north with snow all around. With the apparent wind we saw 50 knots over the deck, and we reached a top speed of just under 40 knots. The guys did a brilliant job. , changing sails every half hour. It was tough, physical and very cold. As a team, we have done more than 50 Fastnet races, we love the course and doing it faster than before. It’s really cool. “
