Vendée Globe

April 15. 2009 at 12:27IMOCA General meeting

The general meting of the Imoca class will be taking place in Barcelona this Friday (17th April) from 10h30 to 17h00. It will be preceded on Thursday by preparatory meetings on the following themes: technology, class rules and safety, the IMOCA championship and race calendar, the organisation and running of the class, communications and partnerships. The Fundació Navigació Oceànica Barcelona (F.N.O.B.) is taking care of the logistical aspects of the event and the closing evening, where Armel le Cleac’h will be receiving the title of 2008 Imoca world champion.

April 15. 2009 at 11:20Brian Thompson honoured in Bahrain

Following his fifth place in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe on Bahrain Team Pindar, Brian Thompson was yesterday awarded the Order of Bahrain in a ceremony conducted by the King of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The prestigious accolade was awarded for Thompson's historic completion of the Vendee Globe - the first time a yacht carrying the Kingdom of Bahrain livery, has sailed around the globe. Speaking from Bahrain, Thompson stated once again that he would like to take part in 2012 … and will be aiming to win the race.

April 13. 2009 at 09:00Telefonica with a 60-foot boat

According to Jose Benavides, the manager of the FNOB*, which has just bought Gitana Eighty and Paprec-Virbac 2, the Spanish phone company, Telefonica, which has two boats taking part at the moment in the Volvo Ocean Race is watching closely the developments in the IMOCA class. It would not be surprising to see Telefonica becoming involved in the 60-foot ocean racing circuit... «Spain is making up for lost time in this area», explained Jose Benavides.

* FNOB : the Barcelona Ocean Racing Foundation (Fundació per la Navegació Oceànica de Barcelona)
 

April 10. 2009 at 09:00Jean-Pierre Dick's Verdier-VPLP design

The construction of the Verdier VPLP-designed 60-foot boat for Jean-Pierre Dick is due to begin this summer in a yard in New Zealand. Her launch is planned for April 2010. Still with the support of his partners Virbac and Paprec, Jean-Pierre Dick has already announced that he intends to take part for a third time in the Vendée Globe. The prospect of building two sisterships, as the French team did four years ago, remains a possibility.

*VPLP : Van Peteghem – Lauriot-Prévost

 

April 07. 2009 at 16:43Party time for Aviva

With the end of the Vendée Globe campaign for 2008-2009, and after a busy time with the media, Dee Caffari was able to take off on holiday for a few days, but has not forgotten all those, who worked with her over the past few months and years. Last weekend, a big party was organised for the whole team. Too many people to go aboard Aviva, but a celebration at sea seemed appropriate, which is why 200 people went a mile off shore off to Spitbank Fort, which was originally built to ward off a potential attack from the hostile French in the mid-nineteenth Century…

April 06. 2009 at 15:15Toe in the Water going home

Six months after setting out from Weymouth, Toe in the Water is due to return to her home port on Thursday. After his eighth place in the Vendée Globe 2008-2009, her skipper Steve White will be sailing her home in the company of Sir Robin Knox Johnston, who has already expressed his admiration for the young British round the world sailor, who had so many financial worries before lining up at the start of the Vendée Globe. Toe in the Water will now be based in the new marina, which has just opened in Portland, which will be one of the host sites for the 2012 Olympics. Steve is due to receive a rapturous welcome at the Royal Dorset Yacht Club early on Thursday afternoon before celebrating with Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson in the evening.

March 25. 2009 at 09:44Ski-ing holidays for Sam and Dee

March is holiday time for the two women, who took part in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe. Dee Caffari has just returned from a week in Bavaria, while Sam Davies left for La Clusaz this weekend. Some rest and the pleasure of meeting up with friends and colleagues for Sam, but also some good exercise, as Dee Caffari explains: " I spent last week at Carnegie Alpenrose in Germany enjoying all the disciplines of Nordic skiing and the wonders of ski touring. After living on a 60 foot yacht at sea level for three months I was expecting to struggle to use my legs and lungs again in the extreme environment of walking uphill on skis at altitude. I had a fabulous week learning new skills and exploring the area, making my own tracks in untouched snow. It was truly amazing."

March 23. 2009 at 09:19Norbert back in Austria today

After finishing in Les Sables on 15th March after 126 days of sailing, Norbert Sedlacek is due to receive a hero's welcome in Austria today. His plane should arrive in Vienna at 12h50 today and a crowd is expected at the airport in Schwechat to welcome home the sailor, who finished in eleventh place in the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe.

March 21. 2009 at 09:22Paprec-Virbac 2 in the operating theatre

Jean-Pierre Dick's Paprec-Virbac 2 is undergoing a spring refit in Lorient and is currently being repainted. A huge tent has been erected around the boat to allow this operation to go ahead. The aim is to limit the amount of dust and to avoid the area getting dirty. An extractor fan system is also in use to control the spread of fumes. All of the mechanical parts, the electronic and computer systems and deck hardware is being taken apart and carefully checked and cleaned. Repairs continue on the rudder system, which was the cause of Jean-Pierre's woes and the top part of the rudder is now practically finished.

March 19. 2009 at 20:02Pit stop in Auckland

Derek Hatfield confirmed by e-mail today that he has been forced to carry out a pit stop in New Zealand. The recurrent problems with the autopilot were not solved during the long stopover in Tasmania. He also lost the use of his wind instruments, making it impossible to use real wind mode on his Algimouss-Spirit of Canada. He explained too that he caught a bad cold just before leaving Tasmania and has been feeling extremely tired. The Canadian has therefore decided to carry out some work on his 60-foot monohull before flying home to Canada to see his friends and family and reflect on the best way to bring his boat back to her home port.