Vendée Globe

Artemis Ocean Racing (AOR), the sailing team sponsored by leading UK investment company Artemis, has just released information regarding the construction of their new Open 60. The task of designing and carrying out the new boat build rests with Simon Rogers, owner and founder of Rogers Yacht Design Ltd. Based in Lymington (UK), the design company has extensive experience and success in projects ranging from TP 52’s to the GBR Challenge yacht in the 2003 America’s Cup.

The 2008 Vendée Globe is the goal for the British yachtsman, Jonny Malbon.
Jonny Malbon, the skipper of Artemis Ocean Racing, has been involved since the very beginning of the design process. He will continue to oversee all the construction phases to ensure that the boat is tailored to his specific needs with the ultimate goal to be a top contender in the Vendée Globe 2008. Artemis and the whole of the Artemis Racing Team hope that this cutting edge boat will provide the competitive platform and launch pad for the far reaching aspirations of this exciting partnership.
The design programme, which began in November 2006, has involved numerous tank tests whereby scaled down versions of the boat are tested in a variety of water conditions to maximise the hydrodynamics, balance and performance of the hull configurations. The final model tested at the Wolfson Unit in Southampton was 20 foot long, representing a scale of one third of the final size. The final model version that was tested measured six metres or in other words a third of the real size of Artemis Ocean Racing. Like most of the recent Open 60 boats, she will be constructed from the same hi-tech combination of carbon nomex and epoxy and will be built by Neville Hutton Boat Builders of Lymington, who have recently completed the new Hugo Boss Open 60.


The reaction from Jonny Malbon, the skipper of Artemis Ocean Racing:
“2008 holds a lot of promise for Artemis. I am more than pleased with the progress of the build so far and believe that Simon Rogers’s new design will give Artemis and myself a great opportunity for the Vendée Globe. I can’t wait to get the boat in the water and see what she can do.”


Simon Rogers, Rogers Yacht Design Ltd
“I am delighted to be able to bring expertise from many other classes into the Open 60 fleet and I feel very confident about producing a highly competitive boat.”

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