Gitana 13

London, UK - The maxi-catamaran Gitana 13 sailed past the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on the River Thames Thursday, setting a new sailing reference record on the Tea Route with a time of 41 days 21 hours 26 minutes 34 seconds from Hong Kong to London.  Lionel Lemonchois and his nine crew sailed over 15,312 miles at an average speed of 15.23 knots on their trusted boat, and the joy on their faces as they arrived in the early hours of the morning clearly showed they were proud of their stellar performance.

Yvan Zedda has taken some incredible photos of the huge catamaran Gitana 13, but this is the YachtPals favorite.   No wonder the world class crew of this amazing sailboat has smashed every record they have set their sights on in the last several months - just watch that yacht fly!

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.