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Edwards' Maiden II sets record

Edwards bought Grant Dalton's Club Med and renamed her Maiden II

LONDON, England -- British sailor Tracy Edwards' Maiden II has broken the 24-hour speed sailing record, covering an incredible 697 miles at an average speed of 29.04 knots.

The 34-metre (110ft) maxi catamaran left Newport, Rhode Island USA, on Monday with a crew of 13 on a delivery trip across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom.

The mixed crew -- seven women and six men -- finished just three miles short of the elusive 700-mile-a-day barrier.

Australian navigator Adrienne Cahalan, working with onshore weather routers Commander Weather, identified a suitable weather window with strong winds and flat sea conditions for the record attempt.

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Although the new record is subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Records Council (WSSRC), American Steve Fossett -- who set the current record of 686.17 miles last October on the 38-metre (125ft) catamaran PlayStation -- sent an e-mail message to the crew within hours of hearing the news.

Fossett wrote: "Congratulations! You have won a real prize. It would have been nice to keep it a little longer! I wasn't really interested in improving our own record before -- but now we'll have to reconsider whether we target this 24-Hour Record -- for a third time...

"This record really defines the fastest sailboat -- and the fastest sailors -- in the world, and you should be extremely proud. Enjoy your success."

Sailing Director Tracy Edwards, 39, who was ashore in England, was thrilled with the result.

"This confirms my belief that this is exactly the right boat to do the job and confirms my obvious belief in the crew. It is an incredible achievement."

Edwards re-mortgaged her home to buy the vessel from Grant Dalton, who called the boat Club Med. She renamed the yacht Maiden II, a reference to her 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race in which her all female crew was a class winner with the vessel Maiden.

She has come out of retirement for a new 2003 Jules Verne attempt after her last try four years ago with an all-female crew ended in disaster after 15,200 miles when her 27-metre (92ft) catamaran Royal & SunAlliance was dismasted close to Cape Horn, South Africa.

Speed Sailing Records:

Outright 24-hour record:

Maiden II. 34-metre catamaran. North Atlantic, June 2002. 697-nautical miles. Average speed 29.04 knots

Monohull 24-hour record:

Illbruck. 18.28-metre. Volvo 60. North Atlantic Ocean, April 2002. 484-nautical miles. Average speed 20.16 knots

Outright sailing speed record (half-kilometre course):

Yellow Pages. Foilbourne catamaran. Melbourne, Australia. 46.52 knots