Vendée Globe

Samantha Davies will be joining the Artemis Ocean Racing team for the next 6 months. Her co-skipper aboard Artemis Ocean Racing II for the Transat Jacques Vabre will be the French sailor Sidney Gavignet.

After her great performance in the 2008 Vendée Globe, Samantha Davies is now joining the Artemis Ocean Racing with the aim of taking part in the next Transat Jacques Vabre. Sam is continuing to look for a sponsor to support Roxy in order to build a new IMOCA 60 for the 2012 Vendée Globe.

For the Transat Jacques Vabre, which begins in Le Havre (France) and finishes in Puerto Limon (Costa Rica), Sam will be accompanied by Sidney Gavignet, who is just back from the Volvo Ocean Race during which he sailed aboard Puma. This 4700-mile transatlantic race is the biggest race of the season for the IMOCA boats and most of the top boats are expected to line up for the start on 9th November.

Artemis Ocean Racing II is currently in for a refit at Saxon Wharf in the Solent, where the shore team is busy trying to find ways to reduce the boat’s weight. Sam and Sidney will be involved in her sea trials and training on Artemis II from mid-July.

Samantha Davies: “It’s a great opportunity for me to sail on an Open 60 from the latest generation and to take part in her development, alongside a sailor I have enormous respect for. It’s clear that this boat is not going to be the easiest to sail in a race like the TJV, where you are likely to find light downwind conditions until you reach Costa Rica. But Artemis is a very powerful boat, which attracted a lot of attention before the Vendée Globe. From a sporting and technical perspective, it gives me the chance to get involved in the Artemis programme in this development phase.”

Infos précédentes :