TEAMORIGIN team aboard 100ft Supermaxi ‘Speedboat’ prepare for the Newport to Bermuda Race

[Source: Team Origin] Well only one day to go now before the start of the Newport to Bermuda race and the 100ft supermaxi ‘Speedboat’s’ inaugural race debut. SPEEDBOAT is owned by Alex Jackson, designed by Juan K, skippered by Mike Sanderson (also Team Director of TEAMORIGIN) and has a number of the TEAMORIGIN America’s Cup sailing squad onboard. If the wind plays ball, it is hoped that SPEEDBOAT will achieve line honours and may also have a shot at the unofficial race record set by Hasso Platner’s ‘Morning Glory’ in 2004 of 48 hours, 28 minutes and 31 seconds.

The team aboard Speedboat have been in Newport for a week or so and managed to do some training by competing in the New York Yacht Club regatta last week-end and doing one overnight offshore.


Mike Sanderson, Skipper, commented “We have now sailed the boat for all of seven days, and in those few days we even managed to get some racing in!! This just highlights the amazing job that the guys designing, building and preparing the boat have done. For the New York Yacht Club annual regatta last weekend it was just about trying to get to know the boat, and what better way then to put a supermaxi through a 2 mile Windward leeward race series!!! There is no doubt by us battling through that experience that we will be better off for our ultimate goal for the Newport to Bermuda race. Our overnight trip on Tuesday night further tested the boat, especially when we had a 47 knot gust! The couple of days since are being used to get her ready for what can be a very tough ocean race.”

TEAMORIGIN team members sailing aboard SPEEDBOAT include Mike Sanderson, Stan Honey, Robbie Naismith, Neal MacDonald, Julian Cressant, Robert Greenhalgh, Mike Mottl, Chris Brittle, Justin Slattery, Nick Bice and Pawel Bielecki.