Richard Branson
25th Anniversary of the Destriero’s Record Atlantic Crossing
On August 9, 1992 – 25 years ago today – the motor yacht Destriero set the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, a record that remains unbeaten to this day. The monohull, built in 1991 in less than one year in the Fincantieri shipyard of Muggiano and Riva Trigoso, sailed 3,106 nautical miles without refueling, from Ambrose Light, N.Y. to Bishop Rock lightship on the Scilly Isles, England, in 58 hours at an average speed of 53 knots (reaching a maximum speed of 66 knots), claiming once more the Blue Riband, awarded in 1933 to the legendary transatlantic liner Rex.
Richard Branson's Virgin Group Accused of Pirating
Former Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Colin Veitch has filed suit against Richard Branson for $300 million claiming that Virgin essentially stole his ideas and business plans to enter the lucrative luxury cruise industry by building a pair of state-of-the-art ships capable of carrying 4,200 passengers each. Veitch claims he planned the start-up operation, lined up financing to build the first ship and worked out a tentative commitment with a German shipyard, according to an article by Curt Anderson, legal affairs writer for the Associated Press. Veitch was CEO of Norwegian from 2000 to 2008.
Cheeki Rafiki Update: No sign of Missing British Sailors
Planes and ships from the United States, Canada, and Britain have turned up no fresh signs of four British sailors missing in the Atlantic, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday, adding search efforts would continue. The crew members on board the yacht Cheeki Rafiki went missing on Friday as they were returning to Britain from a sailing event in Antigua in the Caribbean and reported that the vessel was taking on water, forcing them to change course for the Azores. "Unfortunately we have had no sightings of a life raft, persons in the water, a sailboat, or debris," U.S.
Cheeki Rafiki: Under Pressure, USCG Resumes Search
U.S. authorities resumed a hunt on Tuesday for four British yachtsmen missing in the Atlantic Ocean after a public appeal backed by UK politicians and British billionaire Richard Branson not to give up on finding them just yet. The sailors on board the yacht Cheeki Rafiki went missing on Friday as they were returning to Britain from a sailing event in Antigua in the Caribbean and reported that the vessel was taking on water, forcing them to change course to head to the Azores. The U.S. Coast Guard, supported by U.S. and Canadian air forces…
Virgin Atlantic Challenger ll Readies for UK Return
Plymouth boatyard looks to refit Richard Branson's iconic 'Virgin Atlantic Challenger II' after the boat's 20-year absence from UK shores. Dan Stevens, a merchant navy master who also runs the Mount Batten ferry and harbour cruise vessels in Plymouth, discovered the powerboat languishing in a boatyard in Majorca, where she has been laid up for more than seven years, reports 'Plymouth: The Herald'. Stevens is flying out a crew within days to carry out a basic refit to make her seaworthy…
