Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss sets new transatlantic record

Swiss Bernard Stamm set off from New York on January 28 Keystone

Switzerland's Bernard Stamm has set a new world record after he crossed the Atlantic in a monohull, completing the journey in eight days, 20 hours and 55 minutes.

The former Vendée Globe competitor beat the previous record holder, Robert Miller, by more than three hours.

Miller congratulated the Swiss for his achievement, particularly for breaking the record during the winter months, when conditions are rougher.

It took Stamm three years to prepare for the challenge, surviving on a non-existent budget and only finding sponsorship at the last minute.

Stamm set off from New York on January 28 together with three crew members. Christophe Lebas, Jean-Baptiste L’Ollivier and Francois Scheek accompanied the Swiss sailor on his epic 2,925 mile journey.

Tuesday’s accomplishment was compensation for Stamm’s disappointing performance when he was earlier forced to pull out of the Vendée Globe.

swissinfo with agencies

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR