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February 15, 2008Loïck Peyron’s comeback: the eleventh to register

Loïck Peyron has become the eleventh skipper officially to complete his registration for the Vendée Globe. A race legend is therefore back in the competition. On board Lada-Poch, the yachtsman from la Baule was present in the very first Vendée, which he finished a few hours after Titouan Lamazou in 1990, after the spectacular rescue of Philippe Poupon’s Fleury Michon. Eighteen years on, and Loïck Peyron is back for a third Vendée Globe (after retiring in 1992/1993) and this time with some strong arguments in his favour: on board the brand new Farr design, Gitana Eighty, Loïck recently walked away with the Transat Ecover BtoB single-handed race on the sistership to the boat to be sailed by Jean-Pierre Dick, who has just won the Barcelona World Race. It looks like being an exciting contest!

February 10, 2008Marc Thiercelin's fourth Vendée Globe

An emblematic figure in the Vendée Globe, Marc Thiercelin has pre-registered for the Vendée Globe 2008-2009. He is in fact, the only candidate, who has already taken part on three occasions and indeed, if we add to that the fact that he also took part in Around Alone, where he finished second, as in his first Vendée Globe, Marc Thiercelin will be setting out on his fifth single-handed round the world voyage! A record for this extraordinary yachtsman, who started out aboard a Mini and in the Figaro, although it is his round the world voyages that he will be remembered for. He will be competing in the race at the helm of a Finot-Conq design, currently under construction at the Multiplast yard in Vannes, Brittany.

February 05, 2008Artemis II taking shape in Lymington (G.B.)

The Artemis Ocean Racing team is now extremely busy working on Jonny Malbon’s new 60-foot Open, which is gradually taking shape at Neville Hutton’s yard in Lymington, near Southampton, England. Yesterday, the hull received a coat of primer and it will shortly be painted with a coat of gloss in the colours of Artemis. Even if the work appears slow from the outside, according to the Boat Captain, Graham Tourell, a lot of progress has been achieved. The ballast tanks are almost complete and the deck fittings ready to be installed, once the final painting is done. The assembly of the deck and hull will be a giant leap forward this week, as afterwards, the team will be able to concentrate on the electronics and hydraulics. The mast and boom are almost ready too, and just waiting for a final coat of paint, while the sails have already received Artemis’s logos. Nevertheless, time is passing by, with the first major voyage planned for Jonny Malbon during the Artemis Transat in May, so there will be little time to fine tune the boat before this transatlantic crossing. However, as Graham Tourell points out, "What really counts for the team is the Vendée Globe, which is our main goal and the Artemis Transat is only a step towards that objective. The Transat does need to be completed safely, so that we can really fine tune the boat to get 100% from her for the major race next November."

February 02, 2008Intensive physical training for Dee Caffari

Dee Caffari has just returned to Britain after spending some time on holiday on Fiji, but will be heading off again very shortly for an intensive physical training course in Bavaria. She will be following a programme developed by a former commando and member of the Special Forces in the Alps. On her return to England, she will continue the gruelling exercises with climbing lessons, which may be very useful when she needs to go up the mast of her Open 60, Aviva. Meanwhile, the monohull is currently on board a container ship heading for Portugal, where sea trials will be carried out next month with her sister-ship Ecover.

February 01, 2008Seb Josse's boat in Lorient

The 60´ Estrella Damm skippered by the Spanish skipper, Guillermo Altadill and the American, Jonathan McKee were forced to retire from the Barcelona World Race due to a damaged rudder. After being transported by cargo ship from Cape Town to England, then crossing th English Channel under sail, the Farr design, which will be sailed by Sébastien Josse is back in her base in Lorient, where she will stay for the winter months in Foncia’s shed. A refit is planned, during which she will be decked out in the colours of BT, Sébastien Josse’s partner for the next Vendée Globe.

February 01, 2008Marc Guillemot and Michel Desjoyeaux ninth and tenth to register

Some top names complete the list of the first ten official entrants for the Vendée Globe : Marc Guillemot (Safran) and Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) have completed their registration, after qualifying during the Transat Ecover B To B. The two highly experienced Breton yachtsmen are up there among the favourites for the next Globe. By coming first and second in the last Transat Jacques Vabre and by doing well in the Transat Ecover B to B, they have shown they are top contenders. Sailing on boats from the latest generation, which were the most impressive in 2007 with their speed, they could both figure on the podium for the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe in a year’s time….