Playstation (yacht)
Encyclopedia
PlayStation is one of several large catamarans created for the 2000 around the world race known as The Race
. Like its competitors, PlayStation was created for sheer speed, pushing the state of the art in materials, construction, and operation. PlayStation was skippered and owned by Steve Fossett
.
After breaking the 24 hour distance record (583 NM) she suffered a fire while being prepared to be shipped to the US. The cause of the fire was the over-charging of her NiMH batteries, and the damage from the fire required that 26' of her starboard hull be replaced. Remarkably, a portion of the hull was created at the builders which was grafted to the original bow and stern leaving virtually no evidence of the fire.
PlayStation was originally launched with hulls of 105 feet (32 m) and was lengthened to 125 feet (38 m) LOA in August 2000, to minimize pitching. At 105 feet (32 m) PlayStation was overpowered and the possibility of a pitch pole in a yacht this size warranted the refit. Maximum beam remains at 60 feet (18 m) and max draft with daggerboards down is 14.7 feet (4.5 m). She carries 7274 square feet (676 m²) of sail upwind, and a total of 11631 square feet (1,081 m²) downwind from her 147.5 foot carbon mast.
The former records have all been broken.
The Race (yachting race)
The Race was a round-the-world sailing race starting in Barcelona, Spain on December 31, 2000. It was the first ever non-stop, no-rules, no-limits, round-the-world sailing event, with a $2 million US prize...
. Like its competitors, PlayStation was created for sheer speed, pushing the state of the art in materials, construction, and operation. PlayStation was skippered and owned by Steve Fossett
Steve Fossett
James Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon...
.
Construction
She was built by Mick Cookson of Cookson Boatworks in Auckland, New Zealand in 1998 to 1999. Her construction was pre-preg carbon fiber laminates in various orientations, with a 38 mm aluminum honeycomb core.After breaking the 24 hour distance record (583 NM) she suffered a fire while being prepared to be shipped to the US. The cause of the fire was the over-charging of her NiMH batteries, and the damage from the fire required that 26' of her starboard hull be replaced. Remarkably, a portion of the hull was created at the builders which was grafted to the original bow and stern leaving virtually no evidence of the fire.
PlayStation was originally launched with hulls of 105 feet (32 m) and was lengthened to 125 feet (38 m) LOA in August 2000, to minimize pitching. At 105 feet (32 m) PlayStation was overpowered and the possibility of a pitch pole in a yacht this size warranted the refit. Maximum beam remains at 60 feet (18 m) and max draft with daggerboards down is 14.7 feet (4.5 m). She carries 7274 square feet (676 m²) of sail upwind, and a total of 11631 square feet (1,081 m²) downwind from her 147.5 foot carbon mast.
Achievements
- Transatlantic recordTransatlantic sailing recordSince the five-weeks voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492, crossing the Atlantic, fast and safely, between Europe and America has always been an important issue. Today, the route has become a classic one among skippers...
of in a time of 4 days, 17 hours, 28 minutes, and 6 seconds in October 2001, with a total distance of 2925 nautical miles (5,417 km) at an average speed of 25.78 knots. - The 24 hour distance runSpeed sailing recordSpeed sailing records are sanctioned, since 1972, by the World Sailing Speed Record Council . Records are measured either by average speed over a specified distance or by total distance traveled during a specified time interval...
of 687.17 nautical miles (1,272.64 km) at an average speed of 28.63 knots in 2001. - The round the world sailing recordAround the world sailing recordThe first around the world sailing record was, logically, set by the first person who circumnavigated the world: Juan Sebastián Elcano and the remaining members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray .Most races...
of 58 days 9 hours 32 minutes and 45 seconds in 2004. PlayStation was renamed CheyenneCheyenne (catamaran)Cheyenne is the name of a catamaran owned by Virgin Oceanic and operated by Virgin Oceanic's co-found Chris Welsh. Cheyenne was formerly owned and operated by the late Steve Fosset...
in 2003, prior to setting this record.
The former records have all been broken.
Performance in "The Race"
PlayStation suffered no game failures from the get-go in "The Race," and withdrew from the competition on Day 16.External links
- Adventure of a Lifetime - A talk by Chuck Hawley, who sailed on the PlayStation