One of the fastest sailing yachts in the recent Transatlantic Race 2015 — a 2,800-mile sprint from Newport, R.I., to The Lizard, on the southwestern coast of England — is the high-tech racer named Comanche.
The 100-foot monohull was built and launched by Maine builder Hodgdon Yachts last year, and she flies, as seen in this video taken on board as the crew was crossing the Atlantic. In fact, she set a new 24-hour distance record for a monohull during the race, covering 618.01 nautical miles in 24 hours (a 25.75-knot average speed), making Comanche the fastest monohull in the world.
This was the 30th running of the Transatlantic Race since three New York Yacht Club members sponsored the first in 1866. A fleet of 38 boats — ranging in size from 40 to 140 feet and in age from 10 months to 100 years — departed Newport in one of three starts (June 28, July 1 and July 5). They spent from one to three weeks crossing the Pond.
For more information, visit the race’s website. And look for a feature on Comanche in an upcoming issue of Soundings.
