Both ABN Amro boats look to have set new 24hr monohull records with runs of 538 and 533 miles
So much for throttling back, both ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) and ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) have their foot to the floor, and both boats have broken the monohull 24-hour world speed record of 530.19 nautical miles set by movistar on her delivery from Australia earlier this year.
At 1600 GMT today, ABN AMRO ONE had sailed 538 nautical miles in the preceding 24-hour period and ABN AMRO TWO had covered 533 nm. The speeds and distances of both boats are still climbing and both records are subject to official ratification by the Word Sailing Speed Record Council.
“We are totally over the moon out here on ABN AMRO ONE. The boat is on fire and the guys are doing a fantastic job to have broken this record is just awesome. We all know that anything can happen at any time but as we stand we are happy with how things are going and we are very pleased to eating up the miles as fast as this,” reported skipper Mike Sanderson.
On ABN AMRO TWO, navigator Simon Fisher wrote: “We are absolutely charging along now, on record pace. Without a doubt this is definitely life at the extreme. The whole boat is shuddering and shaking as we crash through one wave to the next. All the winches and blocks are screaming and cracking like cannon fire under the load. Water is pouring down the deck and into the hatch so we have to bail out every half an hour or so to avoid turning the leeward side of the boat into a swimming pool.”
“On deck it’s like standing in front of a fire hose and you have to hang on to stay in the cockpit. Only an hour ago, Bicey (Nick Bice) was swept off the stack (of sails on the windward side of the boat) and down the cockpit whilst trimming.”
“However, despite all this hardship and hassle right now, there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be right now. This is me at my happiest, tearing through the south Atlantic with the speed in excess of 30 knots. It’s a difficult feeling to describe, a mixture of adrenaline and excitement, fear and apprehension. We are pushing the boat to its limit but it’s in control and for now we’re the fastest on the track,” concluded Fisher.