Hi Gene,

Starling Burgess design, won both the Transatlantic and the Fastnet Races the first summer after her launch in 1928... 34 years later, she wins the Bermuda Race... Amazing...

Here's a bit on her history, and some nice YouTubes from a voyage from Newport to the Azores...

http://classicsailboats.org/?p=3111

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOZ0YPta_6s&feature=player_embedded

Seems they may have been pushing the season for such a passage a bit, apparently they were delayed in NZ by the need to replace the engine...

There seem to be some conflicting reports on this one, there was mention on Cruiser's Forum that they had recently spoken with Australian authorities in the vicinity of Lord Howe Island, and everything was fine... Hopefully, this one turns out to be nothing more than folks back home becoming concerned by the absence of recent SPOT updates, or similar...

best regards,

Jon