Round the world in 50 days

Frenchman Bruno Peyron, the first sailor to break the 80-day round-the-world record and win the first Jules Verne Trophy (in 1993), reestablished a commanding lead for the fastest sailboat circumnavigation. Skippering his 120-foot maxicat Orange II, Peyron broke Steve Fossett’s 2004 record aboard Cheyenne (ex-PlayStation) by a week, arriving off Ushant Island, France, to establish a mind-boggling record time of 50 days 16 hours 20 minutes. The vessel, despite hitting a whale off Argentina and damaging one of its rudders, averaged 22.2 knots. The vessel also holds the 24-hour multihull speed record of 703 miles, established in August 2004.