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October 15, 2007Spirit of Canada in Halifax

Derek Hatfield arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia this week on board his Open 60, Spirit of Canada. He was greeted by a gale in the Canadian port, but Hatfield remained calm, pointing out that a third of the Vendée Globe race will be carried out in such conditions. It took him four days to reach the port of Caraquet on the Gulf of Saint Laurence, then after a short stopover a few more days to reach Halifax. Still just as enthusiastic about his machine, Derek said on his arrival, "She’s a beast, but gradually we’re taming her!” The boat is clearly very demanding physically, as it takes 20 minutes of hard work on the grinder to hoist the 175 m² of sail. However, on the other hand, according to VPP results, the boat should be able to reach a top speed of 38 knots. Next Friday, Spirit of Canada will undergo the compulsory Imoca righting test, then Derek and his team will be preparing the boat for his qualifying run for the Vendée Globe 2008-2009, between Bahia and Brittany. In the spring, the monohull will be back in Halifax Harbour, where the Canadian yachtsman will be setting up trips around the bay for his many sponsors.

October 14, 2007Erik Orsenna names Bernard Stamm’s 60-foot boat

Bernard Stamm’s 60-footer, Cheminées Poujoulat was named on Saturday 13th October in La Rochelle by the French author, Erik Orsenna, in the company of the CEO of the Cheminées Poujoulat Group, Frédéric Coirier: «Our ongoing commitment to Bernard started back in 2003 and the forthcoming Vendée Globe will mark the climax of our project together. Bernard Stamm: “I finally got to meet Erik ten minutes ago. We talked on the phone several times during my last round the world voyage, when I was in the southern seas. We had a lot to say to each other and we have some friends in common. A few years back, I replaced his cousin on a boat in Brittany. Eric’s vision of the sea is quite close to mine. I believe I’d be right to say that it’s a vision that everyone should share today.» Erik Orsenna: “There’s one thing I find very unpleasant and that is the fact that we have just one life on Earth. When I was younger, I dreamt of being a top sportsman, but unfortunately that was a complete failure, even if I gave it a good try in fact in several sports. So, I told myself if I couldn’t be a sportsman, the next best thing would be to be guest sponsor! I have always been truly passionate about the sea and sailing, so I’d just like to say I’m really pleased to be the patron of Bernard’s boat.”

October 02, 2007Paprec-Virbac 2 back in the water

Paprec-Virbac 2 is in the water with her new keel blade. The team took advantage of this setback to carry out a complete check-up of the boat. Jean-Pierre Dick: \"This relaunch is a great moment. The whole team worked hard to elaborate and develop Paprec-Virbac 2. I think most of her teething problems – which are normal on a prototype – are now smoothed over. We’ll be out sailing this week to test everything, before heading further out next week. We can’t wait to get sailing, getting used to her again and putting into practice all our preparatory work.\"

September 19, 2007Hugo Boss came down from Heaven

A magnificent light show took place last night over the Elbe in Hamburg to present Alex Thomson’s new Hugo Boss to the Germans. A laser show lit up the sky above the fish market spotlighting the black monohull descending ninety metres from the air with the help of a crane. Alex was obviously delighted, \"She is the most powerful, the most elegant and the most beautiful boat I have ever had in my sailing career. A great design, built to win!\"

September 18, 2007The Princess Royal names Ecover

The newly built Open 60, ECOVER 3 was officially named today by HRH The Princess Royal at the Southampton Boat Show celebrating the result of more than ten months hard work on her by Mike Golding’s team. During the ceremony, the Princess Royal took some time to look over the boat and was given a guided tour by Mike. She had a chat on board with the main designer, Merfyn Owen, the builder, Paul Hakes and a long time friend and supporter of Mike’s, Jorgen Philip-Sorensen as well as Mick Bremans, the CEO of ECOVER. An obviously overjoyed Mike Golding gave his reaction: « Of course there is always lots of protocol and stuff to work through in the lead up, but she instantly puts you at ease and was very knowledgeable. I have met her a few times in the past and she is always up to date with what I have been up to. She is genuinely passionate about the sport and does follow what is going on in the sport. It is nice when she arrives and asks pertinent questions which she did. She is very natural and very easy to get along with. »

September 15, 2007Bravery award for Mike Golding

Mike Golding was yesterday awarded a silver medal for gallantry by the “Royal Humane Society”, for the rescue of the British yachtsman, Alex Thomson, during the Five Oceans race. Founded in 1774, the Society has only awarded four silver medals in the last five years, in recognition of the bravery of someone, who has saved a life. It was on 24th November that Alex called for help and Mike Golding immediately came to his rescue. Golding said he was honoured to receive the medal, but added, “The very best reward for me will always be the fact that Alex is safe and I was able to help.”