Highfield Boats is proud to announce that on September 18, 2026, Captains Dustin Kidd and March Crutcher completed the fastest publicly documented Great Loop in history: 11 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes elapsed time. Sponsored by Highfield Boats and Yamaha, their record-setting RIB is White Lightning, a 2027 Highfield Sport 800 powered by twin Yamaha 200hp outboards.
Popular with long-range cruisers, the Great Loop is a waterway circuit that circumnavigates the Eastern U.S. and parts of Eastern Canada. White Lightning beat the previous Great Loop Record of 12 days, 18 hours and 10 minutes, set in 2025 by Peter Hajas and crew on Lady Lor, by 20 hours and 19 minutes. The new record is especially notable because White Lightning is a 26’8″, aluminum-hull Highfield Boats RIB with 400 total horsepower, compared with Lady Lor, a 40′ fiberglass Contender powered by triple 350hp outboards.
Read Next: Our Test of This Record-Setting Boat
The captains reported that route selection, extended fuel capacity, two-person helm rotation, night-running electronics and the Highfield Sport 800 platform were central to their successful run. Lighter but just as fast as a fiberglass boat, the RIB took less horsepower to attain the same level of performance, so they only had to fuel up about half as often. White Lightning delivered the same performance on open water due to its rigid hull. The RIB’s tubes provided safety and stability in rough water, but shallower draft when inland.
“The Great Loop tests every part of a boat and every part of a crew. White Lightning gave us the combination of strength, performance and versatility we needed, while the twin Yamaha 200s delivered the power and confidence to keep moving. Crossing our wake at Kentucky Dam was an unforgettable moment,” said Capt. Kidd.
Captains Kidd and Crutcher left Kentucky Dam on the Tennessee River in western Kentucky at 1:14 p.m. CDT on September 6, 2026. One of the highlights of their voyage was entering New York Harbor on the 25th Anniversary of the September 11 attacks. “The feeling in the air was amazing coming into that harbor at that time,” Capt. Crutcher said.
White Lightning completed the Great Loop at the same location it departed at 11:05 a.m. CDT on September 18. The boat’s public satellite track logged approximately 4,280 miles [4,500 miles actual] and produced an elapsed-time average of about 15 mph, including fuel stops, transiting locks, weather delays and rest. (The tracking site estimated an underway average of approximately 22 mph and about 85 stationary hours during the 286-hour attempt.)
Capt. Dustin Kidd is the owner of Bourbon City Marine Center in Louisville, Kentucky, a Highfield Boats dealership serving the Midwest. He previously completed the Great Loop in 2018 aboard Knot Kidd’n, a 1989 50-foot Chris-Craft Constellation. That experience inspired the business that became Bourbon City Marine Center, helping fellow Great Loopers, among other cruisers, to find the perfect tender or support vessel for their yacht. Captains Kidd and Crutcher shared helm duties throughout the nearly 12-day run.
About Highfield Boats
Highfield Boats is the world’s leading aluminum-hulled RIB manufacturer. Established in 2011, Highfield Boats has grown into a worldwide boat builder with a complete line of rigid-inflatable hull boats (RIBs) featuring exclusive high-tensile, powder-coated aluminum hulls from 6′ to 30′, including tenders and heavy-duty RIBs at home on any ocean. With dealers and distributors in 46 countries, Highfield Boats has become the top choice worldwide for families, international mariners and yacht clubs. Highfield’s state-of-the-art production facility is located in Weihai, China. In 2023, Highfield Boats USA opened a new Rigging & Distribution facility in Cadillac, Mich. For more information about Highfield Boats, please visit highfieldboats.com.
