FASTEST EVER AROUND-THE WORLD VOYAGE ATTEMPT TOUCHES INDIA

Dated 26th April, 2002 - Mangalore

Spirit-of-Cardiff, a small, high-speed powerboat from United Kingdom, manned by a four-man crew, has today reached Mangalore.  This 10mt long boat is on an attempt to set a new world record for the fastest ever circumnavigation of the globe by sea.  Alan Priddy, one of the worlds most experienced endurance powerboat skippers, leads the very experienced crew comprising of Steve Lloyd, Clive Tully and Alan Carter.  Having set out on this voyage from Gibraltar on the 7th of April, 2002, Spirit-of-Cardiff's route has so far taken her down the Mediterranean to the Suez Canal, through the Red Sea and touching the ports of Malta, Port Said (Egypt), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Aden (Yemen) and Salalah (Oman).  SOC left Salalah on 22nd April, 02 and her entry into Mangalore Port waters was logged in today at 02-34 hrs IST by the official time-keeper of SOC at Mangalore, Yashwanth Kangen - owner of Mahasagar Boats.  The distance of 1250 miles (2000 kms) between Salalah and Mangalore has been covered in 3 days 13 hours and 4 minutes.  This in itself is a new world record for the fastest voyage time between the ports of Salalah and Mangalore.   This run is also a new world record for the longest ever unsupported ocean crossing by a RIB (the Rigid Inflatable Bottom kind of boat).   

During the initial planning by the SOC crew it was both Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram ports that SOC was to touch in India.  However, Mangalore was finally chosen as the only port of contact in India after Alan Priddy got in touch with Yashwanth Kangen and found that everything he required for a service halt could be arranged by Yashwanth in Mangalore.  Over nine months of e-mail interaction between Alan and Yashwanth have gone into planning out the nitty gritty of this service halt.   

SOC departed Mangalore at 12-37 hrs IST today heading down south after attending to engine maintenance and taking on fuel and provisions.  After rounding Srilanka, SOC continues on her route to Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, then across the Pacific via Russia and Alaska.  The USA is followed by Mexico, Guatemala and the Panama Canal.  From there the final part of the route runs from Jamaica up the Eastern USA to Nova Scotia and  Newfoundland, then on to the Azores before returning to Gibraltar - where she is expected sometime before the middle of June 2002.  

The current record for the fastest voyage around the world is held by Cable & Wireless Adventurer and stands at 75 days.  You can keep track of Spirit-of-Cardiff's progress during the coming days by visiting the website:www.spirit-of-cardiff.com 

The above is a news report from the Times of India of 29th April, 2002.   The Sunday Express, other leading dailies and regional television channels too have carried the news.