Riding To A Record
Yachting World|August 2018

Akzonobel Set a New Race Record When the Crew Covered 602 Miles Through the North Atlantic in 24 Hours. Navigator Jules Salter Tells Justin Chisholm How They Did It

Riding To A Record

Ten years ago, in the stormy South Atlantic en route to Cape Town from Alicante, the VO70 Ericsson 4 hitched a breakneck ride on a fast-moving low-pressure system to set a 24-hour record distance for the round the world race.

On that opening leg of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race the Ericsson 4 crew, led by Brazilian skipper Torben Grael and guided by British navigator Jules Salter, touched speeds of 30-plus knots and clocked up 593.23 miles – tantalizingly close to the 600-mile threshold – before being forced to slow after a rudder strike threatened to sink the boat.

Ericsson 4’s record remained intact during the next edition. Then when the smaller and ostensibly slower VO65 class was introduced for 2015, many believed that remarkable run was unlikely to ever be bettered.

Fast-forward to May 2018. This time in the North Atlantic, on Leg 9 from Newport to Cardiff, as a nine-strong crew on the AkzoNobel VO65 put in a rampaging 24-hour run that shattered the Ericsson 4 record and established a new benchmark distance of 602.51 miles.

The man at the nav station on board the Dutch-flagged boat this year was once again Jules Salter. How did it feel to break his own record after ten years?

“It’s not a very nice feeling when someone breaks your record. So it’s pleasing to get the chance to be the one doing it. This transatlantic leg is a real favourite of mine as it’s one of the oldest sea routes in the world and generally you know you are in for some fast sailing. There was quite a lot of anticipation and I knew everyone on board was really up for it.

Denne historien er fra August 2018-utgaven av Yachting World.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August 2018-utgaven av Yachting World.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA YACHTING WORLDSe alt
wallywind 110 launches
Yachting World

wallywind 110 launches

The first example of Wally Yacht's new wallywind performance cruising range launched this summer, during the iconic Italian brand's 30th anniversary year - and in time for its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
Irish skipper wins Figaro
Yachting World

Irish skipper wins Figaro

Irish solo skipper Tom Dolan took a historic victory in this year's La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, winning the solo multistage offshore race overall only the third non-French competitor ever to do so.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
Youth AC puts on a show
Yachting World

Youth AC puts on a show

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's team won the UniCredit Youth America's Cup after a highly absorbing series comprising 12 international teams racing the one-design AC40s off Barcelona.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
ATLANTIC BEYOND
Yachting World

ATLANTIC BEYOND

SAILING THE SECOND EXPLORATION 60 ON A WEST-TO-EAST ATLANTIC CROSSING WAS IDEAL FOR A RIGOROUS TEST OF GARCIA'S NEW NOWHERE YOU CAN'T GO FLAGSHIP

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2024
UNCONTROLLED
Yachting World

UNCONTROLLED

HELPLESSLY APPROACHING AN UNINHABITED ISLAND IN THE GALAPAGOS WITHOUT ENGINE OR ELECTRONICS, JON VAN TAMELEN FEARED BEING IMMINENTLY SHIPWRECKED

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2024
SECRET ISLAND
Yachting World

SECRET ISLAND

BEYOND THE FORBIDDING ENTRY RULES OF TAIWAN IS A CULTURE RICH IN SEAFARING HISTORY AND STUNNING LANDSCAPES, FINDS CAMERON DUECK

time-read
10 mins  |
November 2024
LAND OF THE BIRDS
Yachting World

LAND OF THE BIRDS

SKIP NOVAK DESCRIBES THE PERILS, CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF A CRITICAL EXPEDITION VOAYGE TO SURVEY SOUTH GEORGIA'S ENDANGERED WANDERING ALBATROSS

time-read
9 mins  |
November 2024
FIRST STEPS TO BLUEWATER
Yachting World

FIRST STEPS TO BLUEWATER

YOU CAN GET INTO WORLD CRUISING FROM A STANDING START AND EXPERIENCE THINGS NO OTHER TRAVELLERS DO. CATHERINE LAWSON AND DAVID BRISTOW TALK TO FOUR COUPLES WHO PROVE IT

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2024
HARD CHOICES
Yachting World

HARD CHOICES

IN AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM HER NEW BOOK, PIP HARE REVEALS WHAT DROVE HER ON WHILE RACING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN OCEAN IN THE 2020 VENDÉE GLOBE.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
INTO BATTLE
Yachting World

INTO BATTLE

COULD THIS BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE VENDÉE GLOBE EVER? HELEN FRETTER FINDS OUT WHAT THE SKIPPERS WILL BE FACING.

time-read
10 mins  |
November 2024