'Lectronic Index

Previous 'Lectronic Edition

Orange Denied after Brilliant Transatlantic Attempt

August 25 - Lizard Point, UK

Orange
Gilles Martin-Raget/Orange

Frenchman Bruno Peyron, his crew, and his 120-ft maxi cat Orange came up a mere 30 minutes short after a spectacular first attempt to break Steve Fossett and maxi cat PlayStation's transatlantic record. You have to hand it to Peyron, for he went after what we consider to be sailing's most difficult record to break, and came so very close. If we remember correctly, it took Fossett six attempts to set his mark of 4 days and 17 hours, an average speed of 25.78 knots. If nothing else, Peyron and his cat became the first to sail over 700 miles in 24 hours.

San Diego Sailor Saved from Flipped Tri off Kauai

August 24 - Kauai, HI

Hawaii papers reported that last Thursday night Gregory Bennett's 31-ft tri capsized some 25 miles off Kauai, while he was on his way to visit his son on Oahu. One of the hulls struck something and broke open. The flooded hull destroyed the tri's stability, and she flipped over. Bennett says the scariest part was having to dive beneath the boat to get his EPIRB. As it turned out, he was saved by passing fishermen so quickly he didn't even have time to get a sunburn. Noting that it was his 57th birthday, the San Diego resident found the timing "cosmic."