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Can this record be beaten? Old quote: Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity. When one of the fastest sailing craft in the world, with a very experienced crew, is in position to take full advantage of the best set-up of weather in recent years, records happen. There are very few boats as fast as PlayStation and the timing and weather to provide the proper conditions are unlikely to happen anytime soon. This record will stand until another generation of faster boats are built, and that may be quite a while away.

From Jim Champ
How long will this record take to be beaten? You only have to look at the state of their mainsail in the pictures to know that this boat is capable of going faster! But it will require what it took for this record. A boat on standby waiting for a promising weather system, a well trained and practised crew, a thoroughly sorted boat, and the luck not to have the weather fade out just before the end. It's a question of when the sponsorship opportunities next exist to build a dedicated record breaking boat and keep it in commission. I would (admittedly from a starting point of ignorance) guess that the design parameters for a dedicated record breaker like PlayStation are different to those of a boat designed for winning Races.

I imagine that Playstation was designed to be as fast as possible in optimal conditions with less trade off towards speed when the weather is poor than you could get away with in a boat designed for winning races in whatever weather turns up. If that were the case then when this boat is good it will be very good indeed, but when conditions are not so great it will look mediocre. It could be argued that the boat's career does indeed look like that. It would be an interesting question to ask if one were interviewing the designers or owner.

From Chris Harris Stanley, Falkland Islands
What do you think of this record? Awesome. It looks as if the weather fell into place and the boat held together okay. I expect that such a combination of circumstances won't occur again for a while. I think this record might stand for some time.

From Andrew Gallie
Slow or unlucky? First and foremost, I think that anyone who dares to try something different should be applauded no matter the result. Nevertheless, I agree with Peter Bentley that the Laurie Davidson design may be just plain slow. There were rumours as late as September that skipper Knut Frostad had elected to redesign the bow. Although this proved to be wide of the mark, its mere suggestion implies that all was not well with the hull shape. Also, they were beaten by SEB in the Gotland Runt earlier on this year although admittedly it was held in the very slight winds in which SEB excels. Any failure on the part of the dragons will be doubly painful, because, unlike most others this campaign is aimed at the paying public. It is not a vehicle for company team-building in the mould of illbruck or Assa Abloy. djuice's promotional effort, in all its pinkness and razzmatazz, has attracted a degree of interest far exceeding anyone else. Indeed, whilst admiring the boats at Race Village in Southampton, I was interrupted by a couple of ladies (suitably attired in Viking clobber) who told everyone in no uncertain terms who will be the first to arrive in Cape town. Whilst popular, the Volvo Ocean Race has yet to reach formula one proportions of popularity and world-wide interest. The only way to achieve this is through teams such as djuice dragons. After all, what would F1 be without Ferrari?

From Rebecca Marriott
I think that Laser changing the cut of the Radial sail is terrible. Although it benefits people like myself, it has made the Laser class transform from a STRICT one design to a development class. With the new changes to the rigging lines as well, this gives a clear advantage to those who can afford to buy the equipment, which is not the targeted market, as they are students primarily, unless they have sponsorship. This is a case of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I think that is should have been left alone. If people were serious about performing better, then either eat more, or go to the gym more often, which is what makes a good sailor, not someone who can pull a control line at a better time than someone else! Anyone else with similar views?

From Talbots
How do you like the Laser 4.7? The Laser 4.7 has really taken off at our club (Royal Victoria YC on the IoW) from 1 at the beginning of 2001 to 12 by the end of this season, and promises of even more next year. Even the adults are enjoying it (some of the over 45s are seeing it as their second opportunity to get back into Laser sailing in a competitive fleet).

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