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Sunday, April 6, 1997
ARRIVES 1:57:58 GMT THIS MORNING OFF LIZARD POINT, ENGLAND
PLYMOUTH,
ENGLAND - In 11 knots of wind and in the darkness of night off the southwest
coast of England, 15 smiling sailors on the racing yacht Nicorette made
history by breaking the 92-year-old trans-atlantic record set by the
American schooner "Atlantic" in 1905. Skippered by Ludde Ingvall,
this 80-ft. Grand Mistral, which left Sandy Hook, N.J. on Tuesday, Mar.
25 at 7:35:29 EST, crossed Lizard Point at 1:57:58 GMT, beating the
long-standing record by over 14 hours, 38 minutes and 50 seconds. The
benchmark record stood at 12 days, 4 hours and 1 minute.
During her 3,005-mi. voyage, Nicorette negotiated icebergs and growlers and narrowly missed a whale spotted 10 yards from her bow. JB Braun, a sailmaker from Marblehead, Mass., was the only American on the international crew of 12 men and three women.
"We did it," said Ingvall. "We sailed our hearts out and made history. This crew has become a real family and I am proud of every one of them. We experienced 100 knot gusts, a whale who had a mind of its own, boredom, exhilaration, and highs and lows, but we persevered and achieved our dream.
"We learned a lot about ourselves," he continued, "and reinforced our respect for the sea. The students we talked to (via the Internet) throughout our voyage provided a great source of inspiration.
Hopefully, we imparted valuable lessons they can use in everyday life. This was an experience of a lifetime."
Link web site : Nicorette