Final phase of construction for Artemis Ocean racing II

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December 20, 2007
Artemis II © Mark Lloyd / Artemis
Artemis Ocean Racing (AOR) is going through a busy period at the end of this year with the construction of their brand new 60-foot Imoca boat. Designed by the British architect, Simon Rogers and built at Neville Hutton’s yard in Lymington (England), Artemis Ocean Racing II has entered the final phase of her construction.
The first assembly of the deck and hull took place in mid-November, while the team continued to work on the installation of the internal structures. The next two months will be dedicated to fitting the final components (deck fittings, electronics etc.) and for the final assembly of the hull and deck and the final paintwork and decoration. Artemis II’s launch is planned for February.

Jonny Malbon, the skipper of AOR should be able to begin sailing on this new boat in early March 2008. The first race that is planned for AOR II is the Artemis Transat (formerly The Transat) which will start from Plymouth (SW England) with the finish on the other side of the Atlantic in Boston (USA). For Jonny, as for many other racers, the famous transatlantic race won twice by Eric Tabarly (1964 and 1976) will be an opportunity to qualify for the Vendée Globe, the single-handed non-stop race around the world, which begins in Les Sables d’Olonne in November 2008.

Jonny Malbon, Skipper of Artemis Ocean Racing:
“We were very disappointed not to be able to finish the Transat Jacques Vabre or to do the Transat B2B Ecover. It was particularly tough after working so hard to get the boat ready. The positive element concerning this experience is that I was able to spend a considerable amount of time at the boatyard, where Artemis II is being built, and was able to lend a hand with the huge number of tasks that have to be done before the boat is launched. The design and construction teams have worked extremely hard and I’m pleased to have been able to follow that closely. The year 2008 looks like being particularly exciting and extremely busy! The whole of the AOR team are doing their utmost to get both boats ready as quickly as possible for our first race in May, the Artemis Transat.”