From 15th-century explorers to 1950s Hollywood celebrities, people have been crossing the Atlantic Ocean throughout modern history. Despite being separated by nearly 600 years, they all have something in common. From Christopher Columbus to the Concorde, many have crossed the Atlantic. This week we discuss the importance of transatlantic crossings and those who have made the journey the fastest.

Importance of transatlantic crossings

It's hard to imagine how different our world would be if Christopher Columbus had never crossed the Atlantic and discovered the New World for the first time.

Perhaps there would have been English-speaking Argentines or Spanish-speaking North Americans. Clearly, the earliest transatlantic voyages that we know of had a very significant impact on the development of our civilization.

Mid-Atlantic

In a way, every voyage across the Atlantic is significant. From cargo ships to ocean liners, every journey across the Atlantic marks this ocean as an important part of the identity of our civilization.

In that sense, it is not a question of how fast these voyages are. That said, it's important to recognize how far we've come in the development of transatlantic travel. It's interesting to see how fast this deep blue landscape can be traversed.

West to east or east to west?

This may seem obvious to some, but the importance of this factor cannot be overlooked. When traveling from west to east, for example from New York to Portsmouth, it is faster than traveling in the opposite direction.

This is because when traveling from east to west or from Portsmouth to New York, the ship is traveling against the current. This current is created by the prevailing westerly winds, which are winds generated by the high pressure areas at the poles. The map below explains it in a clearer way.

Air travel is not affected by these factors, but sea travel is, which is why it is important to mention this before looking at the speed at which certain ships cross the Atlantic.

1. Fastest ocean liner

Name: United States

Directions: eastbound, Ambrose Channel, Lower New York Bay to Bishop Rock, Sealy Island (see map).

Source: Google Maps

Distance: 2,490 nautical miles

Year: 1952

Average speed: 35.59 knots or 65.91 kilometers per hour

Duration: 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes

America is a luxury liner originally built to carry troops. She also holds the record for the fastest westbound crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, which she completed in 3 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes.

SS America, Source: Daily Mail

Despite being the fastest, she is by no means one of the most famous ocean liners. In contrast, the ocean liner Queen Mary completed her eastbound journey in 3 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes. If you'd like to learn more about the RMS Queen Mary, check out last week's blog here.

2. Fastest sailboat

Name: Banque Populaire V

Route: Eastbound, Ambrose Channel, down New York Bay to Ushant, France (see map).

Source: Google Maps

Distance: 2,880 nautical miles

Year: 2009

Average speed: 32.94 knots or 61 kilometers per hour

Time: 3 days, 15 hours, 25 minutes and 41 seconds

Banque Populaire V is the name of the sailboat that successfully completed this record. It consisted of a team of 14 people led by skipper Pascal Bidegorry. The boat was designed to break the ocean record and was launched in 2008. Her length is 40 meters or 130 feet.

On the other hand, the fastest solo sailing trip was made by Francis Joyon in 8 days, 16 hours, 7 minutes and 5 seconds.

3. Fastest rowing boat

Name: Soma

Route: westbound, La Gomera to Barbados (see map).

Source: Google Maps

Distance: 2,527 nautical miles

Year: 2013

Average speed: 4.5 knots or 8 kilometers per hour

Time: 35 days, 0 hours, 33 minutes

This is the fastest solo transatlantic crossing in a rowing boat, completed by Charlie Pitcher in 2013. The boat weighed 460 kilograms and was 6.5 meters long. Charlie Pitcher is 50 years old and a father of four, which makes his achievement even more remarkable.

at the present

The above record shows that transatlantic travel by boat is becoming quicker and quicker. It is fascinating to see how far our technology has come and how easy it is now to cross this vast ocean in such a short time.

We've come a long way since Christopher Columbus first crossed this ocean more than 500 years ago to set the above record. Transatlantic travel is so important to the connectivity of our modern world that we applaud the above efforts to complete the journey with as much disgust as possible.

Let us know what you think about the future direction of transatlantic travel and the importance of its development.

Morigi Mayflower ModelIt is an artisan boat model manufacturer dedicated to boat model making, with 32 years of boat model making history, and countless display boat models for major shipyards, and will treat the boat model business with the spirit of craftsmanship in the future. Please contact us by phone if you need any help!