Record Run to Bermuda
Sailing at an average speed of 27 knots, the San Francisco-based CEO of Lending Club, Renaud Laplanche, with co-skipper Ryan Breymaier and the crew of the 105-ft trimaran Lending Club 2, set a new record for the 635-mile course from Castle Hill Lighthouse in Newport, RI, to Kitchen Shoal Beacon in Bermuda. The new record, subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council, is 23 hours, 9 minutes, 52 seconds.
The previous record for Newport to Bermuda was held by the late Steve Fossett for 15 years. Fossett’s time of 38 hours, 35 minutes and 53 seconds was set in 2000 on the 125-ft catamaran PlayStation, sailing at an average speed of 16 knots.
Just four days ago, the WSSRC ratified Lending Club 2’s record-setting early-April English Channel passage from Cowes to Dinard. The big tri covered the 138 miles at an average speed of 26.36 knots in 5 hours and 15 minutes.
“We set our sights on three speed sailing records for the 2015 season: Cowes-Dinard, Newport-Bermuda, and the 2,215-mile Transpac,” said Laplanche, who had surpassed 40 knots during the passage. “With two new world records now under our belts, we’re more primed than ever for the Transpac.”
Laplanche chartered the 105-ft trimaran, which was originally launched as Groupama 3 in 2006, for the record attempts. The boat will arrive in San Francisco in June after sailing through the Panama Canal.
Videos of the record-breaking runs can be viewed on YouTube.