Jean Luc Van den Heede has confirmed that his recent Channel crossing of 11 hours 44 minutes 12 seconds aboard the 27m aluminium monohull, Adrien, has broken the world record. However, because he refuses to pay the ‘900 fee, his achievement will not be added to the record books.

Van Den Heede set sail from Cowes on 12 August and managed to knock three hours off the speed record but a refusal to pay the record-breaking fee means that the record will not be officially recognised. “I refuse to pay the WSRCC the ‘900 ransom claimed to make it official. I find the bill a bit high for 150 miles of sprint.” Says Den Heed. “My aim was to continue the tests and I am very happy with the performance given by Adrien in weather conditions which were not the most favourable.”

However, despite the lack of recognition, this recent achievement puts Van Den Heede on pace once again following last year’s failed attempt at the non-stop singlehanded global challenge when he was forced to retire due to keel problems.