UNITED STATES: CREW OF SAILING VESSEL "SKANDIA" PREPARE FOR WEST-EAST ATLANTIC RECORD-BREAKING CROSSING ATTEMPT

Record ID: 337416

  • Title: UNITED STATES: CREW OF SAILING VESSEL "SKANDIA" PREPARE FOR WEST-EAST ATLANTIC RECORD-BREAKING CROSSING ATTEMPT
  • Date: 28th March 2000
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 28, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS, SKANDIA SAILBOAT IN NEW YORK HARBOUR (3 SHOTS) 0.20 2. VARIOUS, SKANDIA CREW RAISING THE SAIL (3 SHOTS) 0.44 3. TRAVELLING SHOTS: SKANDIA SAILING IN NEW YORK HARBOUR (2 SHOTS) 0.54 4. SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) LUDDE INGVALL, SKIPPER OF SKANDIA, SAYING, "She was
  • Embargoed: 12th April 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA3BKMUGZRGKVVFQI6RIKHKWYQV
  • Story Text: Skandia, an 80-foot monohull sailing vessel, will
    attempt to break the record for the fastest West-East crossing
    of the Atlantic Ocean soon.The vessel sailed into New York
    Harbour on Tuesday (March 28.)


    As the crew of Skandia make last minute repairs, and
    wait for the right weather, they are consistently training
    their skills in hopes of breaking the speed record.They will
    sail in mid-April from Sandy Hook, near New York, to Lizard
    Point, at England's western tip.The current record for
    sailing the approximately 4 thousand miles across the Atlantic
    Ocean is 8 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes and 41 seconds.That
    record has been held by MARI-CHA III of France, since October
    24, 1998
    The skipper of Skandia, Ludde Ingvall, is a former
    Navigation and Mine officer in the Finnish Navy.He is a
    succesfull yachtsman who broke the transatlantic sailing
    record once before.In 1997 he skippered Nicorette, a Swedish
    Grand Mistral class boat to break the 92 year old record.But
    since his record was broken in 1998, he is on a mission to
    become the champion again.

    Ingvall says that a combination of things can help him
    break the record, including the weather and the crew.And he
    says that the 79 foot long Skandia is designed for
    record-breaking.

    Ingvall said, "The concept is that like a small boat, like
    a surfboard, like a windsurfer, she has got so much sail area
    to her displacement, that she can surf."
    Ingvall said he expects to average 20 knots during his
    transatlantic crossing.

    Skandia is built of carbon fibre on a foam core.The beam
    is 5.36 meters and displacement is 16.8 tons.The structures
    and part of the inside are reinforced by carbon/glass.The
    keel structure is made of aluminum and anodized in a silver
    colour.The deck has a very open layout with no compromises
    for racing.Skandia's racing mainsail and all racing jibs are
    made of kevlar.The mast is 34 meters, and the boom is 11
    meters.

    There are 18 crew members aboard Skandia.The crew is
    international, made up mostly of South Africans, Australians,
    and New Zealanders.Along with their technical abilities,
    Ingvall credits the crew's teamwork to making them a success.

    "First I choose my team as compatibilities and the skills
    they have both in sailing and the technically.And after
    that, it's a matter of team-building," he said.

    Ingvall and some of the Skandia crew members took
    journalists and guests on a sail in New York Harbour on
    Tuesday (March 28.) During the sail, Skandia reached speeds
    of up to 18 knots.Ingvall said that at that speed, "we would
    break the record by a half-day.
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