30 years ago, it was the European "Intrum Justitia" that set a then-fabulous 24-hour record in the Ocean Race predecessor Whitbread Round the World Race. British skipper Lawrie Smith and his crew covered 428 nautical miles on stage two from Punta del Este to Fremantle at an average speed of 17.83 knots - an outstanding distance on the Whitbread 60 boats of the time, but a far cry from today's top performances.
The 641.13 nautical miles from Malizia are a fabulous world. That's more than a fastnet race!" (Tim Kröger)
Hamburg circumnavigator Tim Kröger was a crew member on "Intrum Justitia" during his Ocean Race premiere and remembers: "24-hour records are always something special. Our boat rumbled back then, it was wet, it was cold. But the fulfilment of breaking such a record is gigantic." The eleventh improvement in the 24-hour distance since 1993 was achieved 30 years later by Boris Herrmann's Malizia team.
Tim Kröger says: "The 641.13 nautical miles from Malizia are a fabulous world. That's more than a fastnet race! It's crazy what these boats have achieved today. Absolutely chapeau to Boris and the crew. The record will probably stand for a while ..." Boris Herrmann explained what makes Team Malizia's new record distance special beyond the sailing performance on Whit Monday at the award ceremony for Ocean Race leg five on stage.
Historic record conditions in the North Atlantic
"The conditions were historically unique: smooth seas, perfect angles. It will never be like this again in a race." With a wink, the Hamburg-based "Malizia - Seaexplorer" skipper added: "This record will stand for at least another 30 years." Team Malizia beat the previous 24-hour monohull record of the much larger centipede "Comanche" by 22 nautical miles.
Shortly before the Malizians, Kevin Escoffier's Team Holcim - PRB had already managed to beat the "Comanche" record of 618.01 nautical miles from 2015 with 640.91 nautical miles. However, the joy on "Holcim - PRB" lasted less than 24 hours, as Team Malizia in the North Atlantic managed to cover even more distance immediately afterwards.
Over the past three decades, the list of 24-hour monohull records includes a whole series of well-known racing yachts with prominent crews whose performances bear witness to the development of records:
- 1994: "Intrum Justitia", 64 feet, Lawrie Smith (GBR), 428 nautical miles, average speed: 17.83 knots
- 1997: "Toshiba", 64 feet, Dennis Conner (USA), 434 nautical miles, average speed: 18.1 knots
- 1997: "Silk Cut", 64 feet, Lawrie Smith (GBR), 449.1 nautical miles, average speed: 18.71 knots
- 2002: "illbruck", 64 feet, John Kostecki (USA), 484 nautical miles, average speed: 20.16 knots
- 2003: "MariCha IV", 140 feet, Robert Miller (GBR), 525.7 nautical miles, average speed: 21.9 knots
- 2005: "Movistar", 70 feet, Bouwe Bekking (NED), 530.19 nautical miles, average speed: 22.09 knots
- 2005: "ABN Amro One", 70 feet, Mike Sanderson (NZL), 546.14 nautical miles, average speed: 22.75 knots
- 2006: "ABN Amro Two", 70 feet, Sebastien Josse (FRA), 562.96 nautical miles, average speed: 23.45 knots
- 2008: "Ericsson 4", 70 feet, Torben Grael (BRA), 596.6 nautical miles, average speed: 24.85 knots
- 2015: "Comanche", 100 feet, Jim Clark/Ken Read (USA), 618.01 nautical miles, average speed: 25.75 nautical miles
- 2023: "Holcim - PRB", 60 feet, Kevin Escoffier (FRA), 640.91 nautical miles
- 2023: "Malizia - Seaexplorer", 60 feet, Boris Herrmann (Hamburg), 641.13 nautical miles, average speed: 26.71 knots
According to the experts, the foiling Imoca generation is far from reaching the end of its possibilities with these latest 24-hour distances. Yacht designer Guillaume Verdier said in an interview with the Imoca Class Association when asked whether the current record could be beaten in the foreseeable future: "Sure, yes. Is the question about the condition of the yachts today? The aerodynamics of these boats are pretty rubbish, to be honest. There is a lot that can be done to improve them." In Verdier's view, future Imoca generations will lead to even more dramatic results on the race courses of the seas.
