Jim Clark’s 100ft purpose-built record-breaker Comanche rockets southward shortly after the start of this year’s Newport Bermuda Race, which it completed in a mere 34 hours 42 minutes—crushing the previous record of 39 hours 39 minutes set by Rambler in 2012. According to skipper Ken Read, the critical moment came early on when navigator Stan Honey found a way through the light winds of a high-pressure ridge straddling the rhumb line just south of Newport. After that, Read says, “We were averaging 28 to 29 knots and our highest speed was 32 knots.” For more on the race and Comanche’s record run, visit bermudarace.com.
