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Pyewacket shatters U.S. record

Pyewacket

HAMILTON, Bermuda -- The maxi Pyewacket has broken the Newport Bermuda Race record, shaving almost four hours off the previous time.

Roy Disney, Senior's 22.5-metre (75ft) vessel finished the 635-mile ocean-racing classic with an unofficial elapsed time of 53 hours 39 minutes and 22 seconds.

The previous record was set in 1996 by George Coumantaros in the maxi Boomerang, which finished second and broke her own record.

The Newport Bermuda Race, starting from Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the longest established offshore races in the United States.

There was a record 182 entries for the 43rd running of the race which was organised jointly by the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

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Pyewacket, a Reichel and Pugh design, was built by Goetz Custom Boats of Bristol, Rhode Island, and launched in 1999.

In April 2002, she dominated the Antigua Sailing Week to win the third Caribbean Big Boat Series, which comprises the Heineken Regatta in St. Maarten, the BVI Spring Regatta and Antigua Sailing Week.

Roy Disney, Junior, sails on board with his father. After winning the Antigua Race Week he said: "Although he writes the cheques and he is the boss, we do take turns at helming.

"He does however, have a lot of business concerns so I step in when he can't make it. We also work well together on the boat because he's a much better downwind driver than me."