Next Race:

June 19, 2026
00
days
00
hours
00
minutes
00
seconds

Carroll’s Argo Sets New Record of 33 Hours in Newport Bermuda Race

June 19, 2022

By Sean McNeill


'}}

The MOD70 trimaran is the first Saturday finisher after a Friday start in the history of the Bermuda Race

Jason Carroll's MOD70 Argo takes the start of the Newport Bermuda Race. Credit: Daniel Forster/PPL

HAMILTON, Bermuda (June 19, 2022)—Jason Carroll (New York City) and the crew of the MOD70 Argo outran every elapsed-time record associated with the Newport Bermuda Race when they completed the 52nd edition Saturday night at 2320:09 (ADT).

Argo’s elapsed time of 33 hours, 0 minutes and 09 seconds is more than 30 hours faster than Carroll’s Gunboat 62 Elvis set in the first multihull division in the 2018 Bermuda Race. It is also 1h:42m:42s faster than the 100-foot monohull Comanche’s Open Division mark of 34h:42m:53s, set in the 2016 race. And it’s more than six and a half hours faster than Rambler 90’s mark of 39 hours and 39 minutes, which earned owner George David the Schooner Mistress Trophy in 2012 for fastest elapsed time by a monohull in the race's four major divisions.

Argo is the first-ever Saturday night finisher in the history of the storied Bermuda Race, co-organized by the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Owner/skipper Carroll’s international crew aboard Argo included Chad Corning (New Rochelle, New York), Pete Cumming (Warsash, England), Thierry Fouchier (Marseille, France), boat captain Chris Maxted (Melbourne, Australia), Charlie Ogletree (Seabrook, Texas), Alister Richardson (Bournemouth, England), and Westy Barlow (Newport, R.I.). Not aboard for the race was navigator/sailing master Brian Thompson (Cowes, England) due to a positive COVID test; Chad Corning, the back-up navigator, assumed those duties for this race.
 
“This crew has been on the boat a lot, we’ve all worked together for a lot of years,” said Corning, the 50-year-old crewman and program manager in a pre-race interview. “For the shorter 600-mile races we like to sail with eight. It just makes sail handling that much easier.”

Crewmembers grind and tail aboard the MOD70 Argo. Daniel Forster/PPL photo

Argo averaged 19.24 knots in setting the multihull course record, and sailed approximately 486 nautical miles in the 24 hours after the start. Argo sailed mainly to the west of rhumbline and took advantage of a meander in the Gulf Stream that gave it a favorable boost towards Bermuda.

Argo started the Bermuda Race on Friday at 1420 ADT. Watching the boat do its pre-race preps one could see the mast canted heavily to starboard, indicating the crew knew it would be a starboard tack slog until they got within sight of Bermuda. The only two maneuvers were a tack to port and one back to starboard to the finish line off St. David’s Lighthouse in the final 10 miles of the course.

In April, Argo set a record from Antigua to Newport of 3 days and 15 minutes, shaving five and a half hours off the previous mark set by sistership Phaedo. The Bermuda Race record is the sixth course record to go with two world records that Argo has set since Carroll purchased the foil-assisted trimaran in 2018.
 
Argo’s preparations for the Bermuda Race included fitting a new rudder to replace one that was broken in April during training in Antigua prior to the record run to Newport.
 
“We toasted the V2 rudder and replaced it with one of our first version rudders for the record run,” said Corning. “We’ve got two generations of foils and rudders, and the new rudder is a direct replacement of the first V2 rudder.

The MOD70 Argo rode starboard tack all the way to Bermuda. Note the mast's angle of attack to the wind. Daniel Forster/PPL photo Daniel

Argo is as good as a MOD70 can be,” Corning continued. “The only development we’re considering is a switch to flip-up rudders instead of being destroyed. Things break when we hit things, and that’s a problem. In terms of how the foils and rudders work together, it’s as good as can get across the range. The underpinnings of the V2 foils and rudders are from our capsize in 2019. We wanted a safer boat. The boat’s a bit faster in some conditions, but better overall because it’s safer and more under control.”
 
More under control likely means many more records for Carroll and the Argo crew in the future.

Note: Since initial publication, this press release has been corrected to include a late crew change made due to a positive COVID test.

Latest Bermuda Race News


November 4, 2024

'}}

A Review of 2024 Bermuda Race’s Implementation of F-TCF Scoring

Written by Jim Teeters, BROC Technical Committee The fair scoring of sailboat races has always had its challenges. Historically some rules have encouraged certain design types and been biased against […]

October 3, 2024

'}}

Against the Odds: 15-Year-Old Completes Challenging Newport Bermuda Race

By Cary Wang published in Windcheck Magazine Editor’s note: Cary Wang of New Canaan, CT was one of the youngest sailors to complete the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race, crewing along […]

September 27, 2024

'}}

Eight Bells: Commodore John D. Osmond, III, MD

Eight Bells for John Osmond, a dedicated sailor who competed in 15 Bermuda Races and served as the 2012 Chair and PRO for the following decade. John, alongside his beloved wife Ellyn, was an integral part of the Bermuda Race community for many years. His passion for offshore racing and sailing was unmatched, and his calm and kind demeanor left a lasting impact. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family. Learn more about his extraordinary life here.

PRESENTING SPONSORS

'}}
'}}
'}}
OFFICIAL SPONSORS

'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
SUPPORTERS

'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
'}}
Interested in becoming a 2026 Sponsor?, Contact [email protected]
or check out our Sponsorship Guide