For this feat Ragamuffin and its crew of 20 will be awarded the Merlin Trophy, dedicated in 2009 by Trisha Steele and named for the Bill Lee-designed and built boat that in 1977 set a new course record that stood for 20 years and ushered in a new age of high speed offshore race boat design.
Since Ragamuffin has a canting keel, stored power is needed to lift the keel blade, and thus the boat is not eligible for manual power-only elapsed time awards such as the Barn Door Trophy.
After starting nearly one week ago on Saturday, July 13th, at Point Fermin in Los Angeles, the Australian team’s total elapsed time was 6 days 8 hours, 17 minutes, 26 seconds for an average speed over the course of 14.6 knots. This is nearly 18 hours off the existing record set in 2009 by Neville Crichton’s Reichel/Pugh 100 Alfa Romeo II, whose average speed on the course was 16.5 knots.
Photo credit: Doug Gifford/ultimatesailing.com
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