Porto Cervo, Sardinia,
Sunday
AN Italian speedboat, which its backers say will revolutionise sea
travel, knocked nearly a day off the previous record for a powered
eastbound crossing of the Atlantic today.
''There are no words to describe how it feels whizzing across water at
120 km (65 miles) an hour,'' said the captain, Cesare Fiorio. ''This
type of boat will revolutionise sea travel in the same way as jet
engines did for aircraft.''
The Destriero made the journey in a time of 58 hours, 34 minutes, the
Costa Smeralda Yacht Club said.
The previous record was 79 hours, 54 minutes, set in 1990 by the
British vessel Hoverspeed Great Britain.
Travelling at an average speed of 53.9 knots, the Destriero or
''Charger'' arrived at the Bishop Rock lighthouse off the Scilly Isles
at 0414 GMT today after a trouble-free 3106-mile crossing.
The 67-metre monohull craft, powered by three aero-derived gas
turbines delivering over 50,000 hp, is a prototype vessel for what its
backers believe is a growing market for fast ferries in the
Mediterranean.
A study by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, which constructed the
Destriero at its Muggiano yard in La Spezia, has predicted the ferry
business in Europe is set to grow 30% over the next five years.
It said the potential market for fast ferries could be worth nearly $2
billion.
The Destriero becomes the second Italian boat to have held the Blue
Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing. The passenger liner Rex held
the westward record for two years after crossing in 1933 at an average
speed of 28.92 knots.
An attempt by the Destriero to beat the westbound record on its
outward journey was foiled by bad weather last month.
Backed by financier Karim Aga Khan and Gianni Agnelli, boss of
automaker Fiat, the Destriero was built to coincide with the 500th
anniversary of the discovery of America by Genoa-born Christopher
Colombus.
One of the first sponsors to congratulate the crew was the Italian
Post Office which has associated itself with the record attempt in a bid
to shake off its image as the slowest postal service in the developed
world.
The vessel carried a Post Office logo on its hull and took dozens of
commemorative letters along for sale to collectors.--Reuter.
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