Photos: ‘Lending Club 2′ Boat Departs Bermuda
The crew of the Lending Club 2 left Bermuda this evening [April 20] after sailing the 635-nautical miles from Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda in a record setting time of 23 hours, 9 minutes, and 52 seconds.
Minister of Community, Culture and Sport Patricia Gordon Pamplin visited the departing crew and was invited on board, and some people lined the St. George’s Dinghy and Sports Club property watching as the trimaran prepared for departure.
A Bermuda Yacht Services tender assisted the boat as it pulled away from the dock and in to St George’s Harbour, before proceeding out through Town Cut Channel where more spectators gathered at Gates Fort to wave good bye to the crew and watch them head out to sea
They arrived on the island at about 2.00am this morning, with their time of just over 23 hours decimating the old record of 38 hours, 35 minutes, and 53 seconds set in 2000.
Slideshow of Lending Club 2 leaving this evening:
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The record for the Newport to Bermuda passage had previously belonged to the late adventurer Steve Fossett for 15 years. Fossett’s record time of 38 hours, 35 minutes and 53 seconds was achieved on the 125’ catamaran Playstation in 2000 at an average speed of 16 knots.
“Steve Fossett was a great sailor who I had the honor to sail with on Playstation,” said Breymaier. “We are very happy to honor his memory with such a fast time!
“He would have been content to see his mark bettered with such a great time. We’re thrilled with the record we set today – it’s fantastic to have the wind at our back as we head to the Transpac.”
This new record follows after Lending Club 2’s record-setting passage earlier this month from the Isle of Wight to France, and with the Newport to Bermuda record under their belts, the sailors now plan to aim for their third record.
The Lending Club 2 arriving in Bermuda, and a brief interview with the sailors
Co-skipper Renaud Laplanche chartered the the 105-foot maxi-trimaran for the 2015 season with the express goal of conquering the three speed sailing records: Cowes to Dinard, Newport to Bermuda, and the Los Angeles to Honolulu race.
With two of those records successfully set, the Lending Club 2 will remain at Newport Shipyard until the end of April. The yacht will then head to New York for a week before sailing through the Panama Canal to arrive in San Francisco in June, and then aim for third record setting journey.
The same team that set the first two records will be on-board as they attempt to break the third: co-skippers Renaud Laplanche [FRA/USA] and Ryan Breymaier [USA], Jan Majer [USA], Boris Herrmann [GER], Roland Jourdain [FRA], Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant [FRA], Stanislas Delbarre [FRA], and Quin Bisset [NZL].
Click to enlarge photos:
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Bon Vonage to “Lending Club 2″ and crew: co-skippers Renaud Laplanche [FRA/USA] and Ryan Breymaier [USA], Jan Majer [USA], Boris Herrmann [GER], Roland Jourdain [FRA], Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant [FRA], Stanislas Delbarre [FRA], and Quin Bisset [NZL].
May your next leg be safe and “Lending Club 2″ succeed in break this record from Los Angeles to Honolulu as well
Thanks for dropping off de package, safe trip back.
That’s not a sailboat, that’s a rocket ship! Beautiful.
A boat & crew that is on a dedicated mission. No 8 hour workdays, 6 week sick allowance, months of holiday & unannounced days off for meetings for them.
Yes, absolutely, except that it’s 14 weeks sick allowance, not 6. Hard to believe, I know.
I guess when you rub shoulders with Billionaires or you are a Multi-Millionaire there’s no need.
Get-out-of-here….. 14 weeks sick allowance P/A???
Definitely – some big $$$ sitting in the water there!! Of course that trimaran was built with the full intention of going around the world – to set new sailing records!! I wonder where the boat was built and who put the $$$ up to build her!! Also, I noticed that most of the crew are from the EU + 2 Americans and a Kiwi!