Gitana 13

Hong Kong - Lionel Lemonchois and the crew of Gitana 13 have cast off the docklines for yet another record attempt. This time, it's the old clipper route from Hong Kong to London known as the "tea route," a 14,000+ mile marathon that will give the crew a chance to think of days of old as they cover the same shipping route that connected East and West for centuries. It looks as though Gitana 13 is the first Maxi (certainly of its class) to attempt this record, currently held since 1990 by Philippe Monnet.

We have received more photos in from the crew of the maxi-catamaran Gitana 13 in Yokohama Japan. As you have read here at YachtPals.com Gitana 13 added the North Pacific crossing to its list of conquests this week by sailing the 4,482 theoretical miles from San Francisco to Yokohama in just 11 days 12 minutes and 55 seconds.

Lionel Lemonchois hours after beating the world sailing record San Francisco to Yokohama on Gitana 13

11 days 12 minutes 55 seconds, what do you think of your new time?
“It’s a great time and we’re really happy. Given the weather conditions before we set out, I told myself that if we did it in 12 days it would be a good performance already. And, to look at our average speed over the actual distance covered is very honourable.”

Just in: Gitana 13 has reached Yokohama with a time of 11 days 12 minutes 55 seconds, smashing the previous record from San Francisco, and setting the bar very high for future challengers.

We're in touch with the Lionel and the crew, and will have more on the historic trip once they've had a chance to get through the fanfare and have a rest.

Our congratulations to the crew, both those onboard and those in support. We hope you're not getting bored with all this record-breaking!

YachtPals.com was honored to be invited aboard Gitana 13 to meet her skipper, and watch as the catamaran was rigged to break the world sailing record from San Francisco to Yokohama. Watching the crew ready this world record sailboat is a rather humbling experience. The size of the catamaran and her massive sails is far beyond what most of us are familiar with, and watching her rigged with ease is truly an amazing sight.

Gitana 13 - San Francisco to Yokohama

Gitana 13 has now spent over nine days at sea and is now positioned less than 500 miles from the finish in Japan. However, the last few hours at sea, in this North Pacific record attempt, promise to be a bit intense for Lionel Lemonchois and his ten crew.

The maxi-catamaran Gitana 13 is fast approaching the finish, but vigilance is key aboard the 33 metre sailboat. Indeed, to complete the North Pacific crossing, Lionel Lemonchois and his crew will have a sizeable obstacle to tackle: a disturbance and its associated warm and cold fronts.