Solo Around Australia Record Attempt

6500nm around Australia

In the first week of May 2010, Ian Thomson will set off to break the current Solo Around Australia Record for monohulls which stands at 68 Days 8 Hours and 30 minutes set by David Beard aboard the 35ft Skaffie II.

After the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race, Ian will return to the Whitsundays to make final arrangements before departing in the first week of May from Airlie Beach in the magical Whitsunday Islands. The new target is 50 days.

Our choice of vessel for this campaign is a Wellbourne 12m. Custom built for shorthanded sailing, it is very quick on the race course and as this is a World Record and not a cruise we wanted something very quick so the creature comforts are few and far between. At 40ft it is powerful and is well suited to downwind sailing which we hope I will be doing a lot of.

Interior wise it is very sparse as it is built for light weight racing. One of the features that allows it to be short handed is that it has ballast tanks of 900 liters so rather than having crew on the rail you can pump water into the side to hold it upright. It has a large bowsprit for the code zero and spinnakers, both forestay and staysails are on furlers and has a very large mainsail similar to a Class 40. Twin rudders gives it plenty of steering bight and this vessel is built to perform.

Around Australia Record Course - On 22nd May 2001 the World Sailing Speed Record Council (http://www.sailspeedrecords.com) has set a new rule 10M.

"A skipper may nominate any starting/finishing point on the Australian mainland that is acceptable to the WSSRC. The vessel may sail either way around the continent as defined. Course: The course must enclose the whole of Australia and the following islands or capes: Ince Point on Wednesday Island of the Thursday Island Group (Queensland), Melville Island (Northern Territory), Montebello Islands (Western Territory) and South East Cape (Tasmania)."

The Current Records held are:

Outright Record - Geronimo - 17 Days, 12 hours, 57 minutes 5 Seconds. (110ft Tri)

Full Crewed Multihull - Geronimo - 17 Days, 12 Hours, 57 Minutes 5 Seconds. (110ft Tri)

Solo Multihull - No Record has been attempted

Full Crewed Monohull - KAZ - 37 Days, 1 hour, 23 Minutes, 7 Seconds (53ft Mono)

Solo Monohull - Skaffie II - 68 Days, 8 Hours, 30 minutes (35ft Mono) NB: Not ratified by WSSRC