Route du Rhum

[capta]

Young French skipper Tom Laperche on the giant blue Ultim multihull SVR-Lazartigue crossed the finish line of the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe off Pointe a Pitre, this Saturday at 22 h 31 min 40 sec (local time) to complete a conclusive victory. That's an average speed of 27.18 knots!
There was a time in my life when I could have gotten by cat napping for 6 or 7 days, but at 27.18 knots, I just don't know.

 

[jssailem]

Did you participate in that challenge back in the 70s?

 

[Will Gilmore]

22h 31m is not an onerous stretch to stay awake, as long as you're well rested when you start. If you are 10h into your sail, and you have an auto-pilot of some sort, it is conceivable that closing your eyes for a ten minute stretch on the high seas could work, but at 27 knots, ten minutes will get you half way to the horizon while another vessel doing 27 knots could cover the other half before you opened your eyes again. You would need a lot of faith in your radar alarm.

Ocean going cargo ship's have cruising speeds up to 24 knots. Just imagine.

-Will