New record for Spirit of Cardiff

The £2m Spirit of Cardiff project has records in sight

A power boat crew are celebrating after setting a new record on a nautical journey from Cardiff to Gibraltar.

The Spirit of Cardiff reached its destination on Tuesday morning, setting a new record of 68 hours, 33 minutes and 50 seconds for the journey by powerboat.

As well as setting a record, the crew have been preparing for 2002, when they will attempt to break the record for circumnavigating the globe.

After a refuelling stop at the British colony, the Spirit of Cardiff set off on the next leg of its journey to break the record from Gibraltar to Monaco.

We came into Gibraltar and saw the sun rising, had a nice cooked breakfast and are now heading towards Monaco

Clive Tully

It aims to break the record of 36 hours and 58 minutes set by the Cable and Wireless Adventurer in 1998.

Crew member Clive Tully said the adventure to Gibraltar was an important test for boat and crew in the build-up to the round-the-world trip in 2002.

"We were forced to cut our speed and increase fuel consumption on Saturday because of heavy head seas in the Bristol Channel," he said.

"But that improved on Sunday when we crossed the Bay of Biscay."

"We came into Gibraltar and saw the sun rising, had a nice cooked breakfast and are now heading towards Monaco."

Four months ago, the crew circumnavigated the British Isles in a record five days, six hours and five minutes.

They were the first power boat crew to circumnavigate the British Isles, and in 1997 the first crew to cross the North Atlantic in an open inflatable boat.