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August 24, 2007Dame Ellen still thinking of the Vendée Globe

In an interview with BBC radio this morning, Ellen MacArthur toned down what she said a few months back about sailing single-handed around the world. While reiterating that she did not wish to take part in the 2008 Vendée Globe, Dame Ellen made it clear that she does not exclude taking part in the 2012 race.

August 21, 2007Desjoyeaux - three times winner

On Tuesday 21st August, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) won his third Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro thanks to a sterling performance, where during each leg he was up in the top three. He thus equals the three victories achieved by Jean Le Cam and Philippe Poupon in the event. \"The standard of the competition and the interest in each leg makes this win all the more enjoyable. All of the boats sailed well and all the racers are capable of making the right moves, and not being content with being behind. That’s why I wanted to be in it: a fight, a confrontation.\" That is something he will surely find in the next Vendée Globe too.

August 20, 2007Groupe BEL to be launched in September

Designed by the Van Peteghem-Lauriot Prévost team, in conjunction with Guillaume Verdier, Kito de Pavant’s boat (Groupe Bel) will be launched in early September in Rosignano, south of Livorno in Italy. \"There’s still a lot to do,” explained Kito. \"We\'re currently fitting the boat out and installing the equipment, before the painting can begin in a few days.\" Since the deck was fitted in mid-July, all of the pieces of the puzzle have been coming together. The keel, daggerboards and hydraulic systems were made in Milan, the winches in England, parts for the rig in Spain, the sails and rudders in La Trinité (Southern Brittany), and finally the mast in Montpellier.

August 15, 2007PRB winner of the Fastnet Race

Vincent Riou and Sébastien Josse won the 42nd edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race on Wednesday 15th August. In so doing, they also set a race record of 50 hours 17 minutes and 44 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Catherine Chabaud on Whirlpool in 1999 of 2 days 5 hours and 19 minutes. A great victory after a particularly hard race. The 608 miles separating Cowes from Plymouth via the Fastnet Rock were far from being quiet for the 17 competitors in the Imoca 60-foot class. Gusts of 40 knots and very unstable winds made the race particularly difficult, forcing six competitors to retire. Cheminées Poujoulat was runner-up and Hugo Boss third.

August 02, 2007Great American III back in the water

At the end of a refit that will have lasted ten months, Rich Wilson’s Great American III was relaunched yesterday at the Maine Yacht Center in Portland, U.S. In the next few weeks, the boat will be undergoing the compulsory Imoca tests before being re-christened later in the month. Several weeks of sea trials are planned (some of which will be taking place in Marblehead, Massachusetts) in order to prepare the boat for the Vendée Globe 2008-09.

August 01, 2007Dee Caffari tries her hand in a Mini in the Transgascogne

The second leg of the Transgascogne race across the Bay of Biscay got underway from Santander last Saturday. Among the 53 racers setting sail, a certain Dee Caffari, the skipper of the Aviva monohull, who will be racing in the next Vendée Globe. An occasion for the English yachtswoman to try her hand in some strong to gale force winds on her little \"nutshell\" of a boat. The start of the Transgascogne from Les Sables d’Olonne was a way for her to look into the future and imagine the exciting start of the Vendée Globe. Dee Caffari: «As day broke and the lights of Les Sables d’Olonne disappeared at dawn, I had a lump in my throat. The next time I shall have this sight in my vision will be at the end of the next Vendée Globe.»