If you are a British TV viewer and missed the highlights of the 2008-2009 Vendée Globe on Channel Four, there is another opportunity to see film of the race and the competitors in May. The series originally shown in March concentrates on the British entrants and includes footage filmed by the sailors themselves at sea, as well as the start and finish of the race. Parts 3 and 4 will be shown next Sunday at seven in the morning (British Summer Time).

The Vendée Globe online store is still open 24 hours a day. You can find the Vendée Globe collection of clothes for men, women and children. The ideal gift for fans of the Vendée Globe. To visit the site click here!

Five Imoca monohulls will be back in the spotlight in Douarnenez in Brittany this weekend for the Petit Navire Grand Prix. The winner of the last Vendée Globe, Michel Desjoyeaux's Foncia and the runner-up, Brit Air (Armel Le Cléac'h) will be battling it out against Sébastien Josse's BT, Marc Thiercelin's DCNS and Jonny Malbon's Artemis. The programme for the weekend involves two days of runs in front of the public and two days of coastal races starting and finishing off Rosmeur harbour in Douarnenez.

Since her return from the Vendée Globe, the Artemis Ocean Racing shore team has been busy preparing the IMOCA 60 for the new season. The monohull is back in the water in Southampton after a few weeks of work on her. Jonny Malbon and a few members of the team will shortly be setting sail for Douarnenez to take part in the Petit Navire Grand Prix. Following this event, Artemis will be taken around to Concarneau in SW Brittany for some training sessions and sea trials alongside Sébastien Josse (BT). In mid-May, the boat will return to England for a short refit before taking part in Cowes Week and in the Artemis Challenge race around the Isle of Wight.

The new board of IMOCA was voted and agreed on this Friday in Barcelona.
President: Dominique Wavre (Temenos);
Vice Presidents: Pascal Chadail (Safran) and Jacques Guilbaud;
Secretary General: Bernard Stamm (Cheminées poujoulat).
Technical committee President: Pascal Chadail (Safran).
Events Committee President: Jean Le Cam (VM Matériaux).
To complete the Executive Committee: Yann Eliès (Générali) and Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss).
Treasurer: Luc Talbourdet (Paprec-Virbac).
 

Four skippers from the last Vendée Globe took part last weekend in the Spi Ouest-France in La Trinité sur Mer in Brittany. Sébastien Josse (BT) was given the job of tactician on Thomas Rouxel's Open 7.50 Défi Mousquetaires, which won the event in that category after twelve races were run in Quiberon Bay. The Open 7.50 Safran finished seventh. Marc Guillemot had entrusted the boat to Sébastien Audigane. Still in the same category, Arnaud Boissières (Akena Verandas) was on board F. Leonart's O’Tomate, but had to be satisfied with finishing sixteenth. As for Jean-Pierre Dick (Paprec-Virbac 2), he was accompanied by Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, the CEO of the Paprec Group on board the Sinergia 40 Paprec-Recyclage which was skippered by Stéphane Névé. The crew came second in IRC-1 just behind the Grand Soleil 43, Codiam. Finally, Samantha Davies (Roxy) was working as mainsail trimmer and helping out with tactics aboard a J-80 in the BMW Sailing Cup.