Record Trip of Yacht "Record" with Series 2000 Engines
Posted on September 05, 2001
On Friday, August 3, 2001, the Italian yacht designer Fabio Buzzi and his yacht crew wrote a new chapter in the history book of records: With their yacht "Record", they covered the 2000 nautical miles (3854km) from Monte Carlo to London in 63 hours and 54 minutes, setting a new record for the so-called "Steigenberger Trophy".
- Fabio Buzzi Crew Wins "Steigenberger Trophy"
- Experienced crew
- mtu technology has proved itself
- From the "Record´s" log
London. On Friday, August 3, 2001, the Italian yacht designer Fabio Buzzi and his yacht crew wrote a new chapter in the history book of records: With their yacht "Record", they covered the 2000 nautical miles (3854km) from Monte Carlo to London in 63 hours and 54 minutes, setting a new record for the so-called "Steigenberger Trophy". With its four 12V 2000 engines (total power: 6000HP), the Model FB80 yacht built by the Fabio Buzzi shipyard in Lecco near Como reached an average speed of approx. 32 knots (60km/hr). The previous record time, reached by Skipper Rolf Versen and his catamaran "Ultimaratio" on June 28, 1992, was thus beaten by 25 hours and 24 minutes.
Starting in Monte Carlo, the route led via Barcelona through the Strait of Gibraltar, headed toward Ibiza, then - via El Ferrol and Brest - to London, the finish line being next to the Tower Bridge. The most ominous factor of uncertainty during the record attempt was the weather. Even with calm conditions at the start, the ocean never stays that way over the complete distance. As a matter of fact, the crew had to fight force-4 winds and four-meter waves while crossing the Bay of Biscay.
Experienced crew
However, the eight crew members demonstrated all their skills. Fabio Buzzi is very experienced when it comes to races and record trips. The nine-time world champion of various classes, designer of various winning boats and director of the marine design company "FB design" invested all his talent and knowhow in the design of the FB80. Hannes Bohinc, the Austrian entrepreneur and shipowner, also has many racing successes to his credit.
Simon Powell, skipper of this trip, had served in the Royal Navy for a long time. Dag Pike - one of the word´s best navigators - was reponsible for the course after leaving Brest. And the two mtu specialists, Eric Hoorn (development/testing) and Elmar Fricker (electronics), provided perfect tuning of the four uprated 12V 2000 M91 engines prior to the start and monitored the propulsion system during the trip.
mtu technology has proved itself
The engines were completely unaffected by the hard blows received when hitting waves several meters in height. "At high speeds, some waves became a jumping platform for the "Record", the boat slamming hard onto the water after its flight. Acceleration forces five times the normal force of gravity occurred", Erik Hoorn reports. In spite of these severe conditions, the engines and their electronic system, which had been specially tailored to the requirements of such an undertaking, provided continuous and reliable power. Bohinc and Buzzi were enthused about mtu´s technology and called the reliability of the engine and its electronics "outstanding". The hull of the FB 80 yacht "Record" also withstood the stress. However, the crew was not invulnerable to misfortunes of the non-technical kind:
"When stopping in El Ferrol to refuel, the tank truck arrived three hours later than scheduled. Furthermore, the truck´s fuel pump was defective, resulting in another two valuable hours being lost - at the expense of our head start achieved so far", says Elmar Fricker.
After this successful race, Fabio Buzzi and his crew are already planning further record attempts. Their next target is the "Round Britain" race. After that, the previous record times of the "Chapman Trophy" (Miami - New York) and, as a high point, the "Round the World" (UIM - Endurance) race are to be beaten.
From the "Record´s" log
Tuesday, July 31, 2001
18:00: Start of the "Record" in Monte Carlo. With its tanks filled, the yacht (which weighs 75 tons, 28 of which are fuel), makes 48kn (89km/hr).
23.00 Uhr: Same latitude as Barcelona. The extreme planing hull weighs 5 tons less due to fuel consumption. This increases our speed to 49.5kn (92km/hr). The weather conditions are good, the waves are 0.5 mtr high.
Wednesday, August 1, 2001
01:00: The waves are getting higher. We must reduce our speed.
08:30: Almeria (southeastern tip of Spain). 15-minute stop to check the oil.
12:00: Gibraltar. First stop to refuel.
13:30: Departure from Gibraltar; overcast skies; wave height: 1.5mtr; speed: 28 to 36kn.
Thursday, August 2, 2001
06:00: El Ferrol, second stop to refuel. The tank truck doesn´t arrive until
09:30. Furthermore, the fuel pump is defective. It is repaired by the crew.
11:00 Uhr: Departure from El Ferrol. Crossing the Bay of Biscay is difficult; the weather conditions have deteriorated during our delay at El Ferrol; the wind force is four, the wave height four meters; seawater is entering the boat´s interior through the crew´s ventilation system; the same applies to the engine room; the satellite phone has broken down; two of the four GPS systems are continuously ripped off their mounts; walking to the galley (for food and drink) is hardly possible.
23:30 Uhr: Brest: Dag Pike comes on board to take over navigation for the remaining distance. With its half-empty tanks, the yacht is very light now; wave height: 0.5mtr; we are now reaching up to 57kn (106km/hr).
Friday, August 3, 2001
09:54 Uhr: Crossed the finish line at Tower Bridge, London.
Technical data of the new 2000 Common Rail engines
| Number of cylinders | 8 / 10 / 12 / 16 |
| Engine output for yachts and fast ships | 1200 / 1500 / 1800 / 2400 HP |
| Power to cylinder capacity ratio | 150 HP (112 kW) |
| Included cylinder-row angle | 90 degrees |
| Bore/stroke | 135 mm/ 156 mm |
| Swept volume per cylinder | 2,23 liter |
| Idling speed | 600 min-1 |
| Maximum engine speed | 2450 min-1 + 50 min-1 speed margin |
| Turbocharging | Single-stage compound turbocharging with two or three turbochargers, charge air cooling |
| Injection | Common rail with individual storage facilities integrated in the injectors |
| Cooling system | Mixed circulation |
| Valve control | Four valve design with central camshaft |
| Cylinder shut-off | Optional, electronically controlled |