Record Attempt | Record Attempt |
| Tuesday, 14 November 2006 | |||||||||||||
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27,000 miles in 70 days – That’s the challenge British yachtsman Tony Bullimore has set himself when he sets sail from Hobart, Tasmania in October aboard his 102ft catamaran Doha on a solo round the world record attempt. Timeline estimate for Tony’s record attempt after starting from Hobart:
The course will take Bullimore straight down into the Southern Ocean where the westerly winds in the Roaring Forty latitudes will slingshot him across the first 5,000 mile stage to Cape Horn. He will then follow the South American coast northwards and across the Equator from where he must pick his way through the calms of the Doldrums and those associated with the Azores high pressure system to round the island of Flores before returning southwards to the Cape of Good Hope. He will be guided throughout by American weather router Lee Bruce, who will be advising him about impending weather systems on a daily, if not hourly basis. Once in the Indian Ocean, the British yachtsman will rely on Bruce to help him to avoid the worst of the Roaring Forty winds that will speed Doha towards Cape Leeuwin marking the Western tip of Australia, and passed the point where Bullimore famously spent 5 dark days capsized during the 1997/8 Vendee Globe Race. Once across the Australian Bight, he must navigate his way through Bass Strait and back to Hobart - all in 70 days! The course has been sanctioned by the World Sailing Speed Record Council www.sailspeedrecords.com/ which will time Bullimore's start and finish from Tasmania and monitor his progress around the world. The distance is exactly the same as if he started from Ushant on the north west tip of France where Dame Ellen Macarthur, the current record holder began her 71 day voyage last year. Bullimore is not the first to attempt a round the world record starting in the Southern hemisphere. In 1988 Australian yachtsman Jon Sanders returned to Perth after sailing three times around the world non-stop, though unlike Bullimore’s chosen route, he rounded St Peter and St Paul Rocks in the northern hemisphere. Also in 1988, Australian yachtswoman Kay Cottee won fame as the first woman to sail alone around the world non-stop in her 11 metre sloop First Lady. Starting from Watsons Bay Australia, she cruised back into Sydney Harbour 187 days later to be met by tens of thousands of well wishers. Further details and pictures are available from: Team Bullimore Press OfficeTel: +44 (0)1243 555561 Fax: +44 (0)1243 555562 E.mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Website: www.teambullimore.com |
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