A2N: Stephen Murray Jr & Co aboard WARRIOR set new Annapolis-to-Newport record

QUOTE-UNQUOTE: WARRIOR, a Volvo 70 skippered by Stephen Murray Jr., completed the 474-nautical mile passage in 40 hours, 14 minutes and 36 seconds. That shattered the previous mark of 42 hours, 58 minutes and 12 seconds, which was set during the 2001 Annapolis-to-Newport Race by the Farr 60 CARRERA.

"We are absolutely thrilled to now hold the record for one of the world's greatest offshore races," Murray said in a statement released by host Annapolis Yacht Club. "I didn't want to talk about the possibility of breaking the record before the race because I didn't want to jinx it. We were extremely excited as we got closer to Newport and realized the record was within reach."

Veteran Annapolis professional Chris Larson served as skipper aboard CARRERA when it set the Annapolis-to-Newport Race record. That boat, which was owned by Joseph Dockery, managed to maintain the mark through seven subsequent editions.

"Records are meant to be broken and it's fantastic that Warrior and its crew succeeded in their mission," Larson said. "Congratulations to the entire team."

–Bill Wagner writing for the Capital Gazette (Annapolis). Full story.