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Peter Cunningham’s MOD70 ‘PowerPlay’ Sets Fastnet Course Record

There’s been a shortage of fleet racing in the past year, but ‘the clock’ is one competitor that never left the course. Lloyd Thornburg’s MOD70 Phaedo3 has held the record for the 595-mile Fastnet course since 2015. Like all records, it sat there waiting to be broken. Peter Cunningham and his crew aboard the MOD70 PowerPlay thought this week was a good time to give it a shot. Their not-yet-ratified time of 25 hours, 4 minutes and 18 seconds took two hours off the record set by Phaedo3 and now awaits the next challenger.

2021 04 05 Fastnet Needles 2
PowerPlay passes the Needles at the west end of the Isle of Wight.
© 2021 Lloyd Images

They took off this past Monday morning, a little after midday, with a cold northerly blowing. For most people, sailing in a cold northerly in April in the Northern Hemisphere is worth skipping. However, if you’re trying to break a record on a primarily east/west course, those are just the right conditions. Sailing the 595 miles in 25 hours takes an average speed of about 24 knots, although top speeds reached the 30s — surely the MOD70 crew didn’t get much rest until they returned to Plymouth.

Powerplay Fastnet Record.
A southerly might be warmer, but a chilly April norther looks right for breaking a Fastnet record. Check out the Yellow Brick course here.
© 2021 Yellow Brick
Powerplay Fastnet
PowerPlay is in flat water and big breeze, and under control, as she heads toward Fastnet Rock.
© 2021 Lloyd Images
Powerplay Crew
Peter Cunningham, second from right along with crew Ned Collier Wakefield (skipper), Tom Dawson, John Hamilton, Paul Larsen (driver), Jack Trigger, Miles Seddon (navigator) and Martin Watts.
© 2021 Lloyd Images
Powerplay
You may remember PowerPlay as she strutted her stuff across the Bay in 2019.
© 2021 Latitude 38 Media LLC / John

The MOD70s Phaedo3, Maserati, Concise 10 and PowerPlay have been a powerful force in the record-hunting world. PowerPlay has just knocked off one of the tougher records on a very challenging course.

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