Phaedo^3 sets new Antigua to Newport benchmark

The MOD 70 Phaedo^3 completed the 1560 nm Antigua to Newport passage, reducing the previous mark by approximately 16 hours. By arriving into Newport at midnight Friday, May 8, skipper Brian Thompson (GBR) set a time of 3 days, 5 hours, 55 minutes and 12 seconds. A benchmark time for the passage was recorded by the World Sailing Speed Record Council in May 2002, where Adrienne Cahalan (GBR), Helena Darvelid (GBR), and a crew of 15 on the 110-foot maxi-catamaran Maiden II posted a time of 03:22:31:58.

“We launched out of Antigua on port gybe with a full main and J1 an hour before sunset on Tuesday (May 5),” said Thompson. “Within minutes we gybed and remained on starboard for the next couple of days, blasting along at over 30 knots on flat seas. During our 1st 24 hours we achieved 654 miles which was great. Day two saw some lighter patches but we squeezed between a high pressure system and storms to our west over Florida, where we got a nice slingshot northwards. Four hours of total becalming then six hours of dense fog were followed by a lovely sail into Newport for a fantastic midnight finish”.

The record is subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. Timekeepers were Julian Jildersleeve in Antigua and Bjorn Johnson and John Reed in Newport.

Source: Team Phaedo (report), Billy Black (photos)