Crossing the Atlantic is the nautical equivalent of scaling Everest and Sir Richard Branson and the TEAMORIGIN sailors aboard ‘Virgin Money’ are attempting a challenge that until the last decade had a record spanning almost a century.

The current record – set in October 2003 - for the fastest monohull crossing of the Atlantic Ocean stands at 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds. The time was set by the yacht ‘Mari Chi IV’, owned by Robert Miller and skippered by Mike Sanderson. With Mike Sanderson now taking the helm for ‘Virgin Money’, a crew of 24 actively racing the boat and the support of TEAMORIGIN helping with the challenge, the race is on to beat the record.

The official west to east transatlantic route begins in New York at the Ambrose Lighthouse (just out of New York City) and ends at Lizard Point in southwestern England. The route covers a total distance of 2,925 miles between the two points.