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Last October, Spirit of Cardiff took on the first leg of the Cable and Wireless Adventurer's round the world record - from Gibraltar to Monaco - and sliced an hour and nineteen minutes off it. This May, the Spirit of Cardiff will be attacking the Adventurer's final leg, from New York to Gibraltar via the Azores. And whilst the Adventurer set a very tough record to beat with the Gibraltar to Monaco leg, in theory, New York to Gibraltar should be a little less fraught. The Adventurer's 2093.7 mile journey was completed in 130 hours 45 minutes, the boat averaging around 16 knots. Having said that, the Spirit of Cardiff will be taking a longer route, of some 2,270 miles.
Manahttan Island from the air
By adding an extra 170-odd miles, it's possible to split the journey from New York to the Azores roughly in half, stopping off at St John's, in wild and rugged Newfoundland. That extra refuelling stop means the Spirit can travel lighter and faster, which should outweigh the extra mileage. It also promises some fascinating and stark changes in scenery. Departing from the skyscrapers of New York, Spirit of Cardiff will be heading up the New England coast towards Nova Scotia, and on to Newfoundland before making for the sub-tropical paradise of the Azores. On the way, she'll be passing the Grand Banks and Flemish Cap, infamous as the scene of the storm of the century ten years ago, and brought to life in the book and movie "The Perfect Storm". It's also, incidentally, not that far from where the Titanic ran into an iceberg - Alan and the crew will have to keep their eyes (and radar) peeled to avoid any similar mishaps.
Not the most direct route...
Whilst in the United States, the Spirit's crew will be taking the opportunity to publicise the Around the World project, to woo potential sponsors, but also to highlight Cardiff and Wales in general, so it's going to be very much a two-way affair. And lest you think that the Spirit's arrival back in Cardiff is likely to be somewhat low-key, the plan is to time the return to coincide with celebrations marking the official opening of Cardiff Bay Barrage at the beginning of June.
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