Throwback Thursday: PSP Logistics sets new race record
20 November 2014
“It was the best experience of the whole race,” explains 23 year-old Tristan Grigalis from Leicester, UK, who circumnavigated on board PSP Logistics in the last edition of the race. In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we reflect on the team’s triumph in setting a new race record.
Two and a half weeks and 4,000 miles of racing in challenging conditions on the way to Albany from Cape Town saw PSP Logistics have a marvellous race, smashing the golden ‘300 miles raced in 24 hours’ mark with a 310.5-mile run and averaging a speed of 12.94 knots, whilst also setting the new fastest time for the Ocean Sprint of 18 hours and two minutes.
The Ocean Sprint is an area set between two lines of longitude or latitude where the team to pass through this course the fastest is awarded with an additional two points.
“At 25 knots from just behind the beam, we were averaging good speed coming into the Ocean Sprint and with the medium weight up for the previous 20 or so hours, we felt confident that we would have a good shot at it,” explains Tristan.
“It was a slight gamble between taking the shortest route but being slower or taking a longer route that had better Velocity Made Good. We took the latter and it paid off so we were pretty happy.”
At the time, PSP Logistics skipper Chris Hollis remarked that the wind gods were smiling on his crew that worked tirelessly to keep the team pushed to the max.
Tristan adds: “We kept the biggest kite we could handle up and helmed as hard as fast as possible throughout the night. It was an incredible 24 hours, I loved it. We were right on the edge and hurtling along. We were all pretty stoked when we learnt about the record and the Ocean Sprint victory. There were lots of high fives when our hard work had paid off.”
PSP Logistics’ 310.5 miles in 24 hours record still stands following the completion of the Clipper 2013-14 Race.
To find out more about Leg 3, the Southern Ocean Sleigh Ride, click here
To watch the fleet race to Albany in the last edition, click here
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