| view the route |
Many thanks
to all of you who sent in messages of support and congratulations...
here
are just a few of them...
Fantastic job. Well done. As a one time Jet Services crew, I'm just hugely pleased that you took the record by a big slice and not by an hour or two. This will take some beating, whatever the boat. Best wishes Andrew, Seahorse Magazine:
To Steve, Ben, Gino and
all the crew. Since years we are following attempts on the Atlantic Record,
we are really amazed by your fantastic performance and your tenacity to smash
that record. Congratulations, bravo, well done !!!!! Hope to see you in a short
time, to share a small piece of your happiness.
Fran¨ois Seguin
Windward and The Race Record HQ
DEAR STEVE AND ALL CREW
CONGRATULATION AND ALL
OUR BEST ENTHOUSIASTIC THOUGHTS FOR THIS AMAZING ACHIEVMENT. YOU DESERVED IT
AND ARE THE TRUE SYMBOLS OF THE SPIRIT WE WANTED TO SHARE TOGETHER WHEN WE CREATE
THE RACE. NO DOUBT THAT THIS OCT 10th 2001 WILL BECOME A SYMBOLIC HISTORIC DATE
WHICH WILL HELP EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE AIMING FOR IN THE FUTURE.
THE COUNTDOWN FOR THE RACE 2004 CAN START TODAY ! ALL THE BEST TO YOU GUYS ENJOY
IT A MAXIMUM IT'S ONCE IN A LIFE TIME AND THAT'S YOURS
Bruno Peyron and all The Race Team
Congratulations Steve,
Stan, Ben, Gino, Peter...
You guys did an incredible job. As tough as it was for us, being on the beach
watching, it certainly was inspiring to see you break the 24 hr record too.
You've set the bar mighty high for us next year. Enjoy your celebration, you
have definitely earned it. Would love to hear more details when you get back.
Congratulations again.
All the best, Larry Rosenfeld and Cam Lewis Team Adventure
A l'attention de Steve
Fossett & son Zquipage. Je tiens ^ vous fZliciter vous & votre Zquipe pour cet
extraordinaire record qui ^ mon avis ne sera pas battu avant longtemps.
Olivier de Kersauson
PrZsident du TrophZe Jules Verne
congratulations
simply awesome
i am very very happy for you guys
best regards
nick moloney
CONGRATULATIONS to Steve
and all the Crew of Playstation.
Good Sailing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _/)
Mark Cooper
Steve
bravo bravissimo
fantastic
all the best
Philippe Bourguignon (Club Med)
WOW! Fantastic! What a
Show!
Warmest congratulations to Steve and all the crew of Playstation for their outstanding
accomplishment.
Bravo, guys! Multihulls Rule!
Mark Mattison
New Canaan, Conn.
Congratulations to Steve,
Stan and the Playstation crew from the Pyewacket team. You guys have shown that
you are the best.
Robbie Haines and Stan's "other" team on Pyewacket
Congratulations to the
entire PlayStation Team
Your new records stand as a Testament to the resilience of an entire nation.
While racing has slowed to a crawl in Steve Fossett's home of Southern California,
a new light has been shed on American Sailing.
Thank you and Race On,
The Cast and Crew at YachtRacing.com
Dear Steve,
On behalf of our CEO Marie Christine Lombard, I would like to congratulate you
and your team for your extraordinary performance !! This is the result of a
strong team Spirit and high proficiency! Well done!!
Richard Gamberini TNT- Jet Services
CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOURSELF
AND YOUR CREW. IT IS A FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE !
WE WILL TRY TO BREAK THIS RECORD NEXT SPRING BUT IT COULD BE HARD....
ALAIN THEBAULT
SKIPPER OF L'HYDROPTERE
Congratulations to you
all.
It's an awesome record that will stand for a long time. Please pass on my best
to the boys We'll be having a few quiet ones down here tonight to celebrate!
Regards
Sean Regan
Steve, Ben and the team
Fantastic - what words can
describe such an achievement! Unbelievable that you carved so much time off
the TransAt Record! All Kiwis that remember you and had some small part in the
original construction of PlayStation will be proud that YOU FINALLY DID IT!!
Bathe in the glory now and we will toast you at the Posonby Cruising Club tonight.
Pat Regan (proud Dad of Sean)
Steve and rest of the Team,
well done and thank you for a incredibly good show.
You just set the ultimate sailing record in my mind! Your experience in this
field clearly shows.
Richard Brisius
Atlant Ocean Racing
ASSA ABLOY Racing Team
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO
ALL CREW. GLAD TO HAVE YOU HOME SAFE AND SOUND.
LOVE ANN & KEITH ASTON (SHAUN BIDDULPH'S MOTHER)
Steve,
Well done to you and to your team for your superb performance !
Amicalement
Laurent Bourgnon
Dear Steve and crew,
Bravo! Well done! Bravo!
Fantastic!!!
We are very proud and delighted to have been beaten in such an impressive manner
by a magnificent boat in the hands of such an outstanding crew. Your performance
is extraordinary. The record will still be there in 2012... You are the best
successor that we could have hoped for.
Congratulations to you and your entire crew.
Dominique Conin,
Navigator aboard Jet Services during the 2 records set in 1988 and 1990
CONGRATULATION, STEVE !!!!
Beno"t Heimermann
L'Equipe/Paris
In these times, it's wonderful
to hear of great news!!!
I live in RockawayBeach NY, most of us hear need good news these days. We have
lost so many loved ones at the WTC. So as you can see, this is Great news it
takes me away for a moment, from all this tragedy.
Thank you, God Bless
Sean Gillan
NYC Police Officer
On behalf of all the Committee
Board of the Monaco Yacht Club, I just wanted to send my congratulations to
you and all your crew aboard PlayStation on your fantastic new World Record
Bernard d'Alessandri
Yacht Club de Monaco
Please convey my congratulations
to Steve and crew on the magnificent achievement of the new record W-E passage.
I've been following their many attempts ever since we met at the reception I
was able to provide at the NYYC prior to the first attempt.
All the best, Jim Gibson
Congratulations Steve and
Crew. Great to see you got the boat sorted out and going fast. Thank you mission
control for the e-mails and coverage.
Regards
Marcia and Jerry Phillips Calistoga, California.
"So long Plymouth. Hello Southampton."
12.10.01 Brief Update: Many thanks to Robin, Angela, and the entire friendly and extremely helpful staff at Mayflower Marina for their warm welcome, and for a very pleasant (if short) stay in Plymouth.
PlayStation is now being moved to Southampton (to arrive early Saturday), from where preparations will begin for her next record adventure. Watch this space for details!
Please see the 'Pictures' button on the front page for some photos of our arrival Wednesday in Plymouth (shot by Mark Pepper), plus a few shots from on-board, taken by the crew during the record run and as they crossed The Lizard.
Many thanks, too, for all the kind messages - to Steve, the crew and even to this website - which have been pouring in. We will post some of them on Monday. (We're taking the weekend off.)
October 10th 2001 - 10.47.23 GMT
PlayStation Smashes TransAt Record
4 days 17 hours 28 mins 6 secs
Mission Control, UK 10 October 2001
American skipper Steve Fossett and his international crew aboard 125' maxi cat PlayStation have set a remarkable new W-E TransAtlantic world sailing speed record (subject to official ratification by the WSSR Council). They set the new time of 4 days 17 hours 28 mins 6 secs against the official WSSRC course distance of 2925 nm. This beats the previous record of 6d 13h 3m 32s set 11 years ago by Serge Madec on Jet Services 5 by the huge margin of almost 44 hours.
Shortly after passing the finish line at The Lizard an elated Steve Fossett said, "This is enormously satisfying. We put it all together; an extremely fast boat in PlayStation, ideal weather and a crew who sailed brilliantly."
Navigator Stan Honey added, "I'm absolutely delighted. It is an honour to sail with Steve and these guys."
PlayStation crossed the start line at Ambrose Light, NY on Friday (5 October) at 17.19.17 GMT and maintained an incredible 25.78 knots average speed all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, finishing at 10.47.23 GMT today (Wednesday 10 October). A new 24 Hour speed record of 687.17 nm was also set during the period 22.00 GMT 6 October - 22.00 GMT 7 October.
PlayStation and her jubilant crew are now sailing to Mayflower Marina in Plymouth. All media and supporters are welcome to greet the boat dockside and join us for the celebration.
PlayStation's TransAtlantic
Crew
Steve Fossett (USA) Skipper
Stan Honey (USA) Navigator
Ben Wright (AUS) Watch Captain
Dave Scully (USA) Watch Captain
Gino Morrelli (USA) Boat Designer/Crew
Peter Hogg (NZ) Crew
Shaun Biddulph (UK) Crew
Dave Calvert (USA) Crew
Paul Van Dyke (USA) Crew
David Weir (USA) Crew
For pictures please look under Pictures on www.fossettchallenge.com or contact Mark Pepper (tel +44 7860 288 508 or email info@marinepics.com) or Mark Greenberg (email mgvisions@aol.com)
For TV news release please contact Medialink (tel +44 20 7554 2748 or +44 20 7554 2777 or +44 20 7554 2740) or Carlton TV (tel +44 1752 333 018)
October 09th 2001 - 10.00 GMT
Finish Line Almost in Sight for Fossett
PlayStation Aims to Pass The Lizard Wednesday Morning
Latest Position 9/10/01 17:00GMT Lat: 51 00.030 N, - Lon: 15 19.880 W
Mission Control, UK 9 October
2001 1700 GMT
Maxi Cat PlayStation continues her remarkable passage, remaining well on course
to break the E-W TransAtlantic record. Skipper Steve Fossett and his 9 man crew
are maintaining good speeds and have approximately 400 nm to sail to the finish
line.
Mission Control estimate they will pass The Lizard mid morning tomorrow (Wednesday). From there they will continue on to Plymouth docking at Mayflower Marina a couple of hours later. ..
Please follow the boat by clicking on Progress & Tracking.
TransAt Record in Sight for PlayStation
Wednesday Finish for Fossett & Crew
Fossett's Target - Under 5 Days
Latest Position
9/10/01 10:00GMT Lat: 50 56.960 N, - Lon: 19 52.120 W
Mission Control, UK 9
October 2001 10:00 GMT
With winds remaining at 25 knots+ overnight, monster cat PlayStation
has maintained excellent speeds of between 25-28 knots in her quest to break
the longstanding NY-UK TransAtlantic record. Skipper Steve Fossett and his crew
are now on course to smash the current time of 6 days 13 hours 3 mins 32 secs
set by Serge Madec on Jet Servcies 5, 11 years ago.
By 10:00 GMT this morning they had approximately 565 nm to reach The Lizard, UK - meaning they could cross the finish line as early as 07:00 Wednesday morning, taking more than a day off the existing time.
Navigator Stan Honey revealed the secret of their success, "The weather front that has been carrying us along still appears as though it may be progressive enough to make it the rest of the way to the English Channel, which doesn't always happen."
Steve Fossett: "PlayStation has finally come into her own. We are able to sail at her full potential with an experienced crew. We're taking full advantage of this great weather pattern, and hope to post an outstanding time."
After passing The Lizard, PlayStation will head for Plymouth (Mayflower Marina), docking about 4 hours after crossing the line. All media and supporters are welcome to join us.
October 08th 2001 - 17.00 GMT
PlayStation Rolls On
Fossett's Big Cat 550+ Miles Ahead of TransAtlantic Record Pace After 3 days
Latest Position
8/10/01 17:00GMT Lat: 50 30.770 N, - Lon: 31 03.740 W
71 hrs 40 mins 43 secs
after start
635 nm covered over
past 24 hours
995+ nm to The Lizard finish line
Mission Control, UK 8 October 2001 1700 GMT: Following Sunday's excitement of breaking the 24 Hour Record (subject to official ratification by the WSSR Council) with 687.17 nm achieved from Saturday to Sunday night, Steve Fossett, PlayStation and crew powered on through their third day out, maintaining an amazing 600+ mile daily pace across the North Atlantic as they follow a near great-circle route towards The Lizard, UK.
George Caras of meteorologists Commanders Weather commented on the conditions ahead: "PlayStation has had a great run - and is still running ahead of the cold front - with strong southerly winds at 30-35 knots since the start."
"Tonight they will start to see a more southwesterly component with wind speed beginning to diminish to about 22-24 knots, but with a building sea state. Right now this front looks good to push them all the way across."
At just under 3 days from the start (71 hrs 40 mins 43 secs) and with only 1000 nm to the finish, PlayStation was approximately 550 nautical miles ahead of the 1990 pace of current TransAt record holder Jet Services 5 (record: 6d13h3m32s).
October 08th 2001 - 11.00 GMT
PlayStation TransAt Express Roars On Towards England.
Fossett and Crew Recapture 24 Hour Record with 687.17nm run.
Latest Position
8/10/01 11:00GMT Lat: 50 09.880 N, - Lon: 35 10.680 W
64hr 40min 43sec after leaving New York 1675.03 nm total Great Circle distance covered 1181+ nm total Great Circle distance to The Lizard
8/10/01 11:00 GMT Mission
Control UK
Still averaging speeds of over 25 knots, American skipper Steve Fossett's maxi-catamaran
PlayStation and her 10 man crew remain strongly ahead of schedule to
break the 11 year old TransAtlantic sailing record held by Serge Madec on Jet
Services 5 (6d 13h 3m 32s). This (Monday) morning, 64 hours into the attempt,
they were some 400 nm ahead of Madec's pace, with approximately 1180 nm to sail
to the finish line at The Lizard, UK and promising weather conditions ahead.
Additionally, a new 24 Hour Sailing Record was set Sunday afternoon, recapturing the traditional, "bragging rights" first claimed by Fossett and PlayStation in March 1999 and currently held by Grant Dalton's Club Med in 2000/2001.
Steve Fossett:: "Our focus for the past 2 days has been on making progress on this TransAt - but getting the 24 Hour Record back from Grant is pretty nice, too. PlayStation is once again the fastest sailboat in the world."
At 687.17 nm, PlayStation's 24 Hour run from 22.00 GMT 6 October - 22.00 GMT 7 October sets (pending ratification by the WSSRC) a new world record. (Dalton and crew set the current record in the Southern Ocean at 655.13nm on 7/8 Feb 2001 during The RACE.)
In an email to Mission Control this morning, navigator Stan Honey described weather conditions:
"We're finally out of the Labrador current, so the boat has warmed back up and the fog has lifted. So far we are staying ahead of our gale/cold front. It is intensifying, but it has slowed down a bit. Often when boats adopt the weather strategy that we are using (trying to cross the Atlantic preceding a cold front) the front goes stationary just before the English Channel, and a potentially good passage goes to rot right at the end in light air."
"This could of course still happen to us, but the pattern looks pretty good (i.e. just progressive enough) so that we might carry our breeze to the English Channel."
"Saturday, when we passed Sable Island, we went close to two oil platforms. Both platforms warned us of the incoming 50 knot gale, and were surprised to hear that we were out there precisely because of the incoming gale, although we were not intending to stick around to see the centre of it."
October 08th 2001 - 11.00 GMT
PlayStation TransAt Express Roars On Towards England.
Fossett and Crew Recapture 24 Hour Record with 687.17nm run.
Position 7/10/01
22:00GMT Lat: 48 43.070 N, - Lon: 43 19.440 W
Present Spd - 29.1kts
Mission Control UK -
Averaging over 600miles per day 2 days out from NY, Skipper Steve Fossett's maxi-catamaran PlayStation and her 10 man crew remain ahead of schedule to break the 11 year old TransAtlantic Sailing Record. Plus a new 24 Hour record has been set in the process, recapturing the traditional, "bragging rights" first claimed by Fossett and PlayStation in March 1999 (580.23nm - superseded several time by Club Med in 2000-2001).
Steve Fossett:: "After completing our second day of this attempt at 17:19GMT and - assuming that Jet Services 5 (June 1990) had sailed at a constant speed - we were 383nm ahead of their run, with a little more than 1600nm to reach The Lizard.
Our focus for the past 2 days has been on making progresss on this TransAt - but getting the 24 Hour Record back from Grant is pretty nice, too.
PlayStation is once again the fastest sailboat in the world."
Navigator Stan Honey spelled it out: "Our 24 Hour run from 22z 6 October - 22z 7 October was 687.17nm which (pending ratification by the WSSRC) should be a new record. We recall that Grant Dalton and crew on Club Med set the current record in the Southern Ocean at 655.13nm (7/8 Feb 2001) during The RACE.
We are still managing to stay in front of our cold front/gale. The wind is currently 33knots from SSW, and we are sailing at about 30 knots. It is foggy now, because of the warm southerly wind blowing over the cold Labrador current, but we are nearly past Flemish Cap, and the water should be warming.
Salty Brown Slurry for lunch - again."
(A special note from Mission Control: Due to popular demand a selection of Peter Hogg's favourite recipies for preparing Salty Brown Slurry will be published in the very near future. Watch this space.)
Serge Madec (France) and crew aboard the catamaran Jet Services 5 set - and have tenaciously held - the existing TransAtlantic record at 6 days 13hrs 3min 32sec since June of 1990.
October 07th 2001 - 08.00 GMT
| Position 7/10/01 18:00GMT (48hrs from the start, 48.05.120 lat, 46.05.860 long, 1259.17 dist from start) |
PlayStation Continues Strong Progress on TransAt
Lat: 46 11.700
N, - Lon: 52 25.500 W
Present Spd - 26.5kts
- First day distance covered:
595.4 nm
- Starboard daggarboard
takes a knock, but no damage identified.
Sunday October 7, 2001: Skipper Steve Fossett's 125' (38m) maxi-cat PlayStation and her 10 man crew pressed on at 25-30 kts through their second night at sea, after a first day total distance of nearly 600 nm was achieved. By 0600GMT this morning (36 hours 40 mins at sea) the distance was 931.64nm.
Navigator Stan Honey reported on Saturday: "For our first 24 hours we made a good 595.4 miles, at an average speed of 24.77 knots. This puts us 155 miles ahead of Jet Services, if we make the (certainly inaccurate) assumption that she sailed a constant speed.
For now we are able to stay ahead of the gale that we departed in front of. We are holding about a constant pressure of 1012 mb. The sky remains clear and the sea flat, which makes for astonishing sailing in 32 knots of true wind speed, sailing at 32 knots of boat speed.
We hit something earlier today with the starboard daggerboard, but were not able to identify any damage with our underwater scope."
PlayStation co-designer and crewman Gino Morrelli added: "We still enjoy rather flat seas and nice sunny weather - and not to cool at night yet. We are looking forward to another nice night tonight, with most of a full moon to light up our way.
We still are weaving our way through ships and some oil rig platforms today. Most of the guys we pass can not believe we are a sail boat going 30kts.. I saw a couple sets of Atlantic dolphin, but we are going so fast they do not chase us."
For additional information contact: Kate Edge or Stuart Radnofsky at Project 100 Communications Ltd/Steve Fossett Ocean Challenge - tel: +44 (0) 1727 836238 / 844616 email: p100sport@aol.com
Picture editors may also contact Mark Greenberg on - Mgvisions@aol.com
For other action photos of PlayStation see - www.pixsail.com and www.martin-raget.com
October 06th 2001 - 08.00 GMT
12hrs 40 min 43sec from start.
Lat: 41 48.070
N, - Lon: 65 48.700 W
Present Spd - 24.3kts
6 October 01, UK Mission Control: PlayStation Skipper Steve Fossett and crew have been averaging almost 25 kts through the first 12-3/4 hours of their TransAtlantic attempt, having covered 315nm in excellent weather.
Navigator Stan Honey described overnight conditions in an e-mail this morning:
"So
far so good. We are sailing along far enough in front of the gale, so that the
conditions are delightful. We are in a Southerly, but at the rapidly forming
gale's front edge, so the sea is flat and the sky perfectly clear. We're sailing
along at about 28 knots in a 30 knot wind - with a 3/4 moon lighting up the
sea.
If crossing the Atlantic were always this pleasant, there would be hundreds of boats out here. Cheers, Stan"
Skipper Steve Fossett added later: "PlayStation is just an awesome machine. We spent the night sailing in the moonbeam at 25 to 30 knots. Speed of the water rushing past at night is quite a sight.
After 18 hours we have averaged 25.39 knots on course, which puts us 114 miles ahead of the Jet Services 5 record pace. But we still have plenty to worry about with changes to the weather forecasts and lurking danger of hitting an object in the water."
October 05th 2001 - 19.50 GMT
PlayStation is GO for TransAtlantic Record Attempt
Start line
Passed at 13:19.17 EDT (17:19.17 GMT)
New York, NY, USA 5 October
-
Skipper Steve Fossett's 125' maxi-catamaran 'PlayStation' left her berth
at Chelsea Piers in New York City Friday morning, sailed past the Statue of
Liberty and through NY Harbour in preparation for her latest attempt on the
elusive TransAtlantic sailing record. As the wind shifted S-SW and came up to
14-15 kts, Steve and crew passed the official start line at Ambrose Light at
exactly 13:19.17 EDT (17:19.17 GMT).
The target for the 2925 nm passage is the 11 year old record of 6 days 13 hours 3 mins 32 secs, held by Frenchman Serge Madec and crew sailing Jet Services 5. Making over 20 kts, Fossett and his 10-man crew are heading east across the Atlantic towards 'The Lizard' in Cornwall, England, the traditional finishing point at the southern tip of the UK mainland. Steve, navigator Stan Honey and meteorologists Commanders Weather believe they have a promising weather pattern:
Steve Fossett: (Yesterday)"We are going out ahead of a low - which could become a monster low. If we sail fast ahead of it, we should have good winds all the way. If the low catches us we will be fighting 15 foot seas and winds up to 50 knots."
Steve Added:"This is possibly the toughest record in sailing. Over 20 attempts have been made on it since 1990. But if our weather predictions are correct, this will be our best opportunity this year."
PlayStation's TransAtlantic
Crew
Steve Fossett (USA)
/ Skipper
Stan Honey (USA)
/ Navigator
Ben Wright (AUS) / Watch Captain
Dave Scully (USA) / Watch Captain
Gino Morrelli (USA) / Boat Designer/Crew
Peter Hogg (NZ) / Crew
Shaun Biddulph (UK) / Crew
Dave Calvert (USA) / Crew
Paul Van Dyke (USA) / Crew
David Weir (USA) / Crew
For ongoing record status/updates/information
(plus background, records, photos, and press release archive)
please see - www.fossettchallenge.com
or contact: Kate Edge or
Stuart Radnofsky at Project 100 Communications Ltd/Steve Fossett Ocean Challenge
-
tel: +44 (0) 1727
836238 / 844616 email: p100sport@aol.com
Picture editors may also
contact Mark Greenberg on - Mgvisions@aol.com
For other action photos of PlayStation see - www.pixsail.com and www.martin-raget.com
October 04th 2001 - 17.00 GMT
PlayStation
Plans Friday (5 Oct) Departure
Mission Control, UK 4 October 2001 PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett has advised his crew that they are remain Code Green for a NY-UK TransAtlantic departure but that the start time has been delayed slightly due to the weather..
Steve Fossett: "Meteorologists Commanders Weather now call for a start midday Friday, 5 Oct. We will be going out ahead of a low which could become a monster low. If we sail fast ahead of it, we may have good winds all the way. If the low catches us we will be fighting 15 foot seas and winds up to 50 knots."
"Earliest departure from the dock at Chelsea Piers is now 8 am Friday."
October 03rd 2001 - 17.00 GMT
PlayStation
Code Green for Early TransAt Departure
Fossett
& Crew to Depart New York Thursday night/Friday morning (4/5 Oct)
Mission Control, UK 3 October 2001 PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett has told his crew to head to New York immediately and be ready to leave on a NY-UK TransAtlantic record attempt some time tomorrow.
Steve Fossett: "We plan to start our TransAtlantic record attempt between 9 pm Thursday night and 6 am Friday morning (New York time), depending on a wind shift. We expect winds in the SW quadrant throughout the crossing - we wish that there could be more S than W than in the current forecast but the pattern is sufficient for a record time. Let's go sailing!"
Due to the recent attacks on NYC there are restrictions on civilian craft in New York Harbour. PlayStation plans to leave Chelsea Piers before 2 pm on Thursday to beat the 4 pm cut off time at Verrazano Narrows and be ready to head to the start line at Ambrose Light when the winds are right.
October 01st 2001 - 10.30 GMT
Possible TransAt
Record Weather Pattern for Next Weekend (Oct 6-8)
Crew on
Standby
Code
Yellow
1 October 2001, Mission Control, UK PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett advised his crew last night to be ready to travel to Newport, Rhode Island for an attempt on the 1990 TransAtlantic record by Serge Madec on Jet Services 5 (6d 13h 3m 32s).
Steve Fossett: "The Fall weather patterns have started. The Azores High is setting up south of N45 with lows tracking over the top. We expect several chances to start our TransAt over the next few weeks."
"The first start possibility for a Tuesday-Wednesday (October 2-3) departure just did not shape up convincingly, so the next potential for departure now exists mainly this weekend and early next week (October 6-8) on SW winds. This is our preferred wind direction, but it could be foiled by a confused sea."
September 06th 2001 - 18.00 GMT
Fossett TransAt still waiting for record quality weather
Still
Code Red for PlayStation maxi-cat Atlantic
record attempt.
Newport, RI - 7 August 2001: PlayStation Skipper Steve Fossett commented today on the ongoing wait for a suitable pattern for his attempt on the 11 year old TransAtlantic record:
"There is no acceptable wind pattern within our forecastable period of 10 days.
In my conversation with Ken Campbell of Commanders Weather (our official meteorologists for this attempt), he broadly explained that September is a particularly difficult month in which to get a TransAt pattern. This is due to water temperatures being at the annual maximum, which allows the Azores High to push north. October is more promising as water starts to cool and the Fall track of lows sets up across the North Atlantic.
Nevertheless, we are ready to go if a good pattern emerges - and ready to wait until it does."
August 29th 2001 - 11.00 GMT
PlayStation Poised for TransAt Attack
Fossett
& Crew on Weather Standby
Newport, RI 28 August 2001
PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett and his crew are now actively considering
weather patterns for their next attempt on the 11 year old NY-UK TransAtlantic
sailing record (6 days 13 hours 3 mins 32 sec) held by Serge Madec and Jet Services
V. This will be their 4th attempt on the 1990 record.
Steve Fossett: "This is the important record to go after. The TransAt has frustrated two dozen serious attempts including Team Adventure earlier this month. We've had 3 cracks at it since 1999, but now believe we are much more experienced in choosing the right weather pattern and getting as far ahead of the front as possible and staying with it all the way."
"We were looking at a quick departure on Friday or Saturday, but the low has been slow to develop making it unlikely we would be able to get out to the strong southerlies in time to ride the leading edge."
"We'll hold in Newport for now."
July 6th 2001 - 14.00 GMT
PlayStation TransAtlantic Record Start Delayed
Code Red Status as Current Weather Pattern Fails to Emerge
Fossett Announces 'No-Go' for This Weekend
Either Start Record by Mid-July or Push Back to August-September
Mission Control UK, 6 July 01 1400GMT: PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett scratched plans for a weekend start on the 11-year old TransAtlantic Sailing Record when the 'very positive' indications of the past days failed to materialise into an acceptable record weather pattern. Today he advised Mission Control and crew:
"This is disappointing - The pattern which looked excellent a few days ago has now degenerated to totally unacceptable. We will remain prepared for another opportunity to start through mid-July, but beginning 25 July I must be on standby for my 'First Solo' 'round the world balloon attempt from Australia."
"In this case, we will be back on track for the TransAtlantic Record attempt later in August or September".
Steve
July 5th 2001 - 20.00 GMT
Code Yellow
PlayStation TransAtlantic Record Attempt Delayed by Weather
Fossett Announces CODE YELLOW Status for Possible Sunday (July 8th) Start
Mission Control UK 5 July 2001 - 2000 GMT Following consultations with meteorologist Bob Rice, PlayStation Skipper Steve Fossett advised his crew - those already in Newport and those en-route - to be prepared for a delay to the planned Saturday start from New York City due to weakening winds accompanying the cold front ahead of which they hope to sail.
Departure status has been downgraded from 'Code Green' for Saturday to 'Code Yellow' for Sunday - that is to say: there is a possible, but not yet confirmed Sunday start targeting the 11-year old TransAtlantic Sailing Record.
"The prefrontal pattern for a Saturday start has failed. The front weakened and winds are no longer sufficient for a record attempt. This is surprising because the forecasts had shown great consistency for the previous 3 days - but that's weather."
"The next front has picked up some of the strength and shows some promise of record quality. Bob Rice will evaluate the potential of a Sunday start and we will decide early Friday whether to proceed."
- Steve Fossett
July 4th 2001 - 17.30 GMT
Code Green
PlayStation Targets TransAtlantic Record
Fossett & crew to start attempt from New York Saturday, 7 July
New York,NY, USA 4 July 2001: It's "Code Green" again for the world's largest racing catamaran . PlayStation skipper Steve Fossett has announced that the125' maxi-cat will depart from New York some time on Saturday bound for England. Their target is the elusive TransAtlantic Sailing Record - from Ambrose Light in New York Harbour to Lizard Point in Cornwall, England. The benchmark is 6 days 13 hours 3 mins 32 secs, a record held for 11 years by French skipper Serge Madec sailing on Jet Services 5.
Steve has advised his crew that an excellent weather pattern is emerging - and to plan on leaving their current base in Newport, RI for delivery to NYC on Friday (6 July) in preparation for their fourth attempt on this durable record.
Fossett reflected earlier today on the challenge:
"Of course I'm impressed about how difficult it is to beat this record - there have been 21 attempts on it. It has frustrated us 3 times. But we have learned a lot and this time, with a little good fortune and good winds, we have an excellent chance to break it."
Crew will include:
Steve Fossett (USA) Skipper
Ben Wright (AUS)
Gino Morrelli (USA)
Randy Smyth (USA)
Dave Scully (USA)
Pete Melvin (USA)
Peter Hogg (USA)
Chuck Hawley (USA)
Sean Biddulph (UK)
Paul Van Dyke (USA)