U.S. Millionaire Beats Transatlantic Record

American adventurer Steve Fossett and the crew of his 125-foot catamaran PlayStation sliced nearly two days off a transatlantic sailing record as they arrived Wednesday off the British coast.

Fossett and the crew of his ultra-light, carbon-fiber catamaran set out from New York on Friday. Crossing the finish line at Cornwall’s Lizard peninsula, Fossett was timed in at 4 days, 17 hours, 28 minutes, 6 seconds.

The record, subject to ratification, beat the previous West-to-East transatlantic sailing record by nearly 44 hours. That mark was set 11 years ago by Serge Madec.

“This is enormously satisfying,” Fossett said. “We put it all together, an extremely fast boat . . . ideal weather and a crew who sailed brilliantly.”

Fossett’s high-tech boat, which is made of the same substance used in Formula One car chassis, also set a new 24-hour distance record of 687.17 nautical miles.

Fossett, a 57-year-old millionaire and former commodities broker from Chicago, also holds records for the longest-duration solo balloon flight plus numerous world sailing records and yacht race records.

PlayStation was designed by famed multi-hull architects Gino Morrelli and Pete Melvin in San Diego, according to Fossett’s Web page, https://www.fossettchallenge.com.