PlayStation to Depart NY 23/08/00

by Fossett Challenge on 21 Aug 2000 Record setting American yachtsman Steve Fossett and his 11 man crew aboard the 105-foot maxi-catamaran PlayStation plan to depart New York on Wednesday morning (23 August) - their target is the 10-year old TransAtlantic NY-UK sailing record.

Steve Fossett: "This is a really tough record - 20 attempts have been made on this record over the past 10 years but we have been waiting 6 weeks for weather and we think this pattern is good enough."

The current record of six days, 13 hours, three minutes and 32 seconds is held by Frenchman Serge Madec (Jet Services 5 - 1990). The original 1905 record of 12 days, by the schooner Atlantic, stood for 75 years. Between 1980 and 1990 it was broken seven times.

We plan to issue further departure status Tuesday pm (GMT).