After 1800 miles and 7days, 4hours, 29m and 4s at sea, Artemis Ocean Racing established a new monohull record for the fastest time round Britain and Ireland last night. The Owen Clarke designed Open 60 crossed the Cowes finish line of RORC’s Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race at 22:29:40s BST, about 140 miles ahead of her nearest competitor.
Navigator Will Oxley, fresh from his exploits aboard Australian entry Brunel during the Volvo Ocean Race, reported experiencing similarly ‘fast, wet and furious’ conditions during the latter parts of the circumnavigation. The boat and her crew were firehosed by both sea and sky as they travelled on ‘a great sleigh ride’ down the North Sea. Whilst idea for big boat record-breakers, the conditions have been tough on the smaller and less-experienced boats and crew: of the 28 yachts which started the race last Monday 7 August, 9 have retired as a result of the tough windy conditions.