The Race Latest News - 14/11/00

by Stuart Radnofsky on 14 Nov 2000 America’s most successful multi-hull skipper, Steve Fossett, has now parted company with one of the greatest record-breaking yachts of recent history, the trimaran Lakota.

Fossett has sold the sixty-footer to the Atlant Group in Sweden. Since purchasing Lakota from Florence Arthaud in May 1993, Steve and his team have set 10 official world records and 6 race records.

Steve Fossett's records on Lakota sailing single-handed are:

Newport-Bermuda 41h 51m
Transpac 7d 22h 38m
Pacific Ocean (Yokohama-San Francisco) 20d 9h 52m

Lakota records with crew (skipper Steve Fossett) are:

Pacific Ocean (Yokohama-San Francisco) 16d 17h 21m (world record)
Round Britain and Ireland 5d 21h 5m (world record)
Round Ireland 44h 42m (world record)
Transpac 6d 16h 7m (world record)
Newport-Ensenada 7h 35m (world record)
Pacific Ocean East to West 19d 15h 18m (world record)
Hawaii-Japan 13d 20h 9m (world record)
Round Isle of Wight 3h 35m (world record)
Ft Lauderdale-Montego Bay 2d 20h 8m (race record)
San Diego-Puerto Vallarta 62h 20m (race record)
Long Beach-Cabo San Lucas 3d 2h 59m (race record)
San Francisco-Santa Cruz 4h 41m (race record)

The new owners will re-name the boat to race in the 2001 Scandinavian series. Fossett plans to skipper Lakota on one last race for the new team: the Gotland Rund on 2 July 2001.

'All of our attention is now focused on PlayStation (125’ catamaran) and so it was time to sell Lakota', Fossett explained, 'but we think she deserves a place in yachting history'.