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April 14, 2008Hugo Boss relaunch due soon

Alex Thomson’s Open 60, Hugo Boss has been undergoing a major refit since 21st February in Portimao (Portugal). The recent two-handed voyage around the world offered Alex the opportunity to get to know his boat and to identify any improvements that could be made. The rudder problem, which led him to putting in to Wellington for a pit stop, has been the focus of attention. The system has been redesigned to avoid any similar problems reoccurring. Giles Waterhouse, who has joined the team to be in charge of rigging, recently discovered a small hole in the mast, but repairs were quickly carried out for the boat to be ready for her relaunch. The team hopes to fit the keel and finish the painting shortly, so the boat can be put back in the water. After that, the mast will be stepped before Alex returns to Portimao, as he will have to carry out his 2500-mile qualifying passage for the Vendée Globe before the first of July.

April 10, 2008Le Cam training aboard a Figaro

As the 60’ Imoca VM Matériaux is undergoing a thorough overhaul at the CDK yard to fine-tune her for the forthcoming Vendée Globe, Jean Le Cam has decided he will not be taking part in The Artemis Transat. He will be training instead on a Figaro alongside Gildas Morvan and will be taking part in the Transat AG2R, which sets sail from Concarneau on 20th April.

April 10, 2008Spirit of Canada moored in the Azores

Because he has a few important meetings back home, Derek Hatfield has had to leave his monohull, Spirit of Canada, moored in the Azores. Since setting sail from France to deliver his Open 60 to Nova Scotia with a few members of his team, the North Atlantic weather has been more like the Southern Seas with a series of storms and upwind sailing. The Canadian skipper thus decided to make a stopover in Horta in the Azores to await better conditions. If all goes well, the boat is due to get underway again in a week and he is reckoning on twelve days for the crossing to Halifax. After that, Derek and his monohull will be heading for Lake Ontario for the summer, with a number of fund-raising events lined up to finance his participation in the Vendée Globe.

April 10, 2008Kito de Pavant forced to withdraw from The Transat

The skipper of the Groupe Bel monohull has been injured during a sailing exercise. A fractured fibula (left leg) will be immobilising him for at least five weeks. He has therefore been forced to step down from the first race of the season, The Artemis Transat (setting sail from Plymouth in just one month), and to modify his schedule. However, this will not affect his major aim this season: preparing for the Vendée Globe.

April 10, 2008Ecover 3 at JMV with some new team members

Mike Golding’s Ecover 3 is now at the JMV yard, where the team is busy working on the boat’s keel. The past few weeks have been particularly frustrating for the British yachtsman, as following the discovery of cracks in the keel, his planned schedule has been completely upset. During the boat’s delivery to the yard, Mike joined Dee Caffari in Cascaïs for trials on board Aviva, Ecover 3’s sistership. At JMV, the work began with changing the engine and pump system. Later all the modifications carried out in Palma will have to be validated. Moreover, because of the huge amount of work that remains to be done, a new technical team manager has just been appointed. He is in fact Gilles Campan, who previously worked with Yvan Bourgnon. Nick Bubb, known for his achievements in Class 40 and aboard a Mini, has also joined the team to enable preparations for the Vendée Globe to push ahead. Mike still hopes to be able to take part in The Artemis Transat, but admits that it is going to be tough to be ready. Although he still wants to take part (and win!), he nevertheless recognises that his main goal must remain the Vendée Globe.

March 26, 2008Mike Golding, the sixteenth to register

Following his retiral from the Transat B to B, where he was sponsored by Ecover, the British yachtsman, Mike Golding has experienced some keel problems on board his new racing machine. However, everything will be ready in time and we can count on Goldfinger, as Jean Le Cam nicknamed him, to be up with the frontrunners in the Vendée Globe: a race, which he would like to be the first British sailor to win. He certainly has what it takes! Mike is the sixteenth name to sign up, having fulfilled all the registration formalities.