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CityJet takes 3/4 of a day off the Round Ireland speed record
"CityJet takes 3/4 of a day off the Round Ireland speed record"
Crossing the finish line at the Kish at 0414 on Fri 6th May 2005, skipper Jean Philippe Chomette and his 7 man crew brought the 60-footer in in 57 hours, 41 minutes taking a full 17 hours 46 minutes off the previous monohull record, set in 2002.
Cautiously optimistic of shaving a few hours off the record when they set off last Tues, no one would have predicted they could make such an impact on the existing one.
With an average speed for the entire trip of 12.2 knots, they averaged 16 knots from Belfast Lough overnight.
As an Irish airline owned by Air France, CityJet's sponsorship of the French yacht is entirely apt, indicating the strength of the ties between Ireland and France.
The company is immensely proud of the success of Jean Philippe and his crew, who will be presented with the Cork Dry Gin perpetual monohull trophy.
CityJet Smashes Round Ireland Record By Over 17 Hours
The CityJet yacht, which set off from Dun Laoghaire earlier this week in an attempt to break the monohull Round Ireland speed record, passed the Kish Lighthouse in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin at 0414 this morning smashing the previously held record by 17 hours and 46 minutes and winning the Cork Dry Gin Perpetual Monohull Trophy.
The 60 foot CityJet yacht left Dun Laoghaire on Tuesday at 1833 and sailing around Ireland clockwise, returned 57hrs and 41 minutes later.
Skipper of the CityJet, Jean-Philippe Chomette said “It has been a exhilarating and challenging 57 hours. It is a tough challenge but with a strong and motivated crew we reached above and beyond our goal. Suffice to say that we are delighted to be the new record holders”.
The Round Ireland record was previously held by the Irish Independent monohull, crewed by Garry Keegan, Stuart Fogarty and Daragh Cafferky. It sailed around Ireland in three days, three hours and twenty seven minutes in November 2002.
The eight-person crew for this record breaking challenge included co-skipper César Dohy, Matthieu Vincent as well as the British former Whitbread sailor and BT Global Challenge skipper Chris Tibbs, a renowned on-board navigator and meteorologist who holds the Round Britain records in both monohulls and multihulls. Also in the crew on mainsail is yachtsman Patrick Tabarly, brother of renowned sailor Eric Tabarly. They sailed under the Kinsale Yacht Club Burgee.
The record breaking attempt was monitored by the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire and will be registered with the World Speed Sailing Council (WSSC). Irish Distillers will present the crew with the Cork Dry Gin trophy.
Mr Geoffrey O’Byrne White, CityJet Chief Executive said that it was fitting for the company to sponsor this record breaking project and was thrilled that JP and the crew successed in their efforts.
“Jean-Philippe is from France and, as CityJet is an Irish company which is a franchise partner of Air France, we are delighted to strengthen the links between the two countries in this exciting way. Jean-Philippe is no stranger to Ireland and was part of the BMW Round Ireland Race last year, also sponsored by CityJet. We are confident that this achievement will attract the attention of all sailing enthusiasts and will contribute, in some way, to the promotion of Ireland across Europe,” he said.
CityJet is based at Swords, Co Dublin, specialises in short haul services for business travellers. It employs over 500 staff in both its Dublin base and at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
CityJet currently operate a fleet of 17 BAe-146 aircraft. The routes serviced include: Dublin to Paris Charles de Gaulle; Paris Charles do Gaulle to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Florence, Gothenburg and Zurich; Paris Orly to London City, Dublin to London City Airport; and Dublin to Mala