Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

Betreff: KENT CLIMBS EVEREST AND TAKES 2ND IN CLASS
Absender: "Aroundalone"
Empfänger: redaktion@segel.de
Datum: 06. May 2003 12:00

5th May 03
KENT CLIMBS EVEREST AND TAKES 2ND IN CLASS 2
SPIRIT OF CANADA FINISHES LEG 4
FINISH LINE & LATEST POSITIONS
OVERALL RANKINGS/POINTS AND ELAPSED TIMES AFTER LEG 4

Media Contact: Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - USA Mobile: +1 401 225 2462
Southampton, England - 5th May 03. Just over a day after Class 2 Around Alone 2002-03 winner Brad Van Liew arrived in Newport, his close friend and rival, the 'tenacious' Tim Kent, breezed across the finish line in Everest Horizontal at 11:50:47 local time (15:50:47 GMT). All in a second not only had Kent's life-long dream become a reality, but also he had earned 34 points and so taken second place overall in his class with his Jim Antrim designed Open 50.

This 50 year old man from the Midwest, who had one year before never even crossed an ocean, took up the challenge of Around Alone initially as an inspiration to his two daughters, to teach them that anything was possible in life. Kent's grass roots Everest Horizontal entry complimented the immaculately prepared Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America campaign, and throughout the race, Van Liew and Kent had been in daily contact, despite being rivals in the competition. In New Zealand Van Liew even donated all the rope on the boat to Kent after securing a new rope sponsor.
Kent's race was a struggle to keep pace with Van Liew, but mostly because he had a struggle to keep his boat together with virtually no budget as the wear and tear of racing around the world took its toll. Aided in each port by volunteers, and his one shore crew thanks to a personal donation from a fellow mid-westerner, Kent was just amazed that he had got round: "I can't believe it yet, but I have climbed Everest."
The high point of his circumnavigation was reaching the end of Leg 3 in second place after he had spent the best part of the race in a soot-covered boat from a leaky exhaust valve: "My daughter Whitney wrote a simple statement on the hull of the boat: 'the difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude'. Having the boat covered in grime was most certainly an ordeal, but I learned how to deal with it and in the end I think I am most proud of the fact that I finished that leg without stopping."
Kent is an incredibly articulate man, and now that he has also become a solo circumnavigator, intends to go on to compete in the FICO-Lacoste racing programme for this year, ending in the Transat Jacques Vabre. "I will never again do a grass-roots campaign, and during this race I've learned from Brad and the others about running a professional campaign. Now I've completed Around Alone, I know what I'm doing, and I want to come back and do it again."
Class 2 skipper Derek Hatfield completed Leg 4 of Around Alone in Salvador Brazil at 23:01:58 local Brazilian time 4th May 03 (02:01:58 GMT 5th May 03): "To put it mildly, I am happy to put an end to Leg 4. It has been a formidable adversary. Now we must get the boat repaired and turn it around in record time and get on with Leg 5. The to do list is not so long, the biggest item is the indexsail which must go to a repair loft to be brought back to racing trim. My plan is to be back on the water as soon after the 48 hour mandatory stop is complete."
QUOTES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE
"Emma told me that I would really enjoy the sailing in the Southern Ocean, and she was totally correct. It was awesome, a real highlight of the race. What will stick in my mind as well is the quality of people I have met during this race, not just the other skippers but the shore crew and race organisation here with us. I am already getting destination blues because I don't want to leave these guys, they have become my new family."
"My daughter Whitney wrote a simple statement on the hull of the boat: 'the difference between an ordeal and an adventure is attitude'. Having the boat covered in grime was most certainly an ordeal, but I learned how to deal with it and in the end I think I am most proud of the fact that I finished that leg without stopping."
"I took up this challenge to be an inspiration to my daughters that you can do anything in life, but they, along with the hundreds of other people who followed my race, became an inspiration to me. I could not have completed this race without the support of so many people, especially the countless volunteers who worked on my boat for endless hours just to be involved."
Weather - The Raymarine 3 day weather forecast and map is posted up online at www.aroundalone.com every other day.
The ETA's will be updated every day online, based on the performance data calculated by RayTech 4.1 navigational software supplied by Official Race Partners Raymarine (www.raymarine.com).
Finish Line is a transit from Castle Hill Lighthouse, Newport RI at 41 27.6 N 71 21.8 W. The boats will then dock at the Newport Shipyard, 1 Washington Street.
Around Alone Overall Rankings - Class 1
1. Bobst Group - Armor Lux: 49 points / 115 days 18hrs 27m 23s
2. Solidaires: 45 points / 118 days 13hrs 54m 1s
3. Tiscali: 35 points / 159 days 20hrs 53m 11s
4. Pindar: 33 points / 131 days 20hrs 45m 49s
5. Ocean Planet: 30 points / 159 days 6hrs 41m 42s

Class 2
1. Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America: 50 points / 148 days 17 hrs 54m 42s
2. Everest Horizontal: 44 points

Leg 5 Rankings - Class 1
1. Bobst Group - Armor Lux finished at 11:20:10 GMT 1st May 03 after 17 days, 19hrs, 20m 23s
2. Tiscali finished at 12:01:30 GMT 3rd May 03 after 19 days, 20 hrs, 1m 30s
3. Solidaires finished at 19:54:01 GMT 3rd May after 20 days, 3 hrs, 54m, 1s
4. Ocean Planet finished at 03:35:57 GMT 4th May after 20 days 11 hours 35m 57s
5. Pindar finished at 20:15:26 GMT 4th May after 21 days 4hrs 15m 26s
Class 2 1. Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America finished at 09:53:58 GMT 4th May
2. Everest Horizontal finished at 15:50:47 GMT 5th May

POSITIONS AT 1400GMT 5th May 2003
You can track the race boats using RayTech 4.1 navigational software by going to the Positions page online and clicking on the link to the Raymarine website at the top of the index chart.
Class 2 Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp Avgheading DTF
1. Spirit of yukoh 37 09.350 N, 67 19.800 W, 47.24 nm, 5.90 kt, 304 °T, 318.99 nm
2. BTC Velocity 30 30.400 N, 61 32.800 W, 62.72 nm, 7.84 kt, 318 °T, 810.70 nm
Overall Results in Points / Total Elapsed Time after 4 Legs
Class 2
1 Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America - 40pts / 128 days 0 hrs 0 mins 54 secs
2 Everest Horizontal - 35 pts / 148 days 0 hrs 15 mins 41 secs
3 Spirit of Canada - 31 pts /
4 Spirit of yukoh - 28 pts / 155 days 23 hrs 24 mins 44 secs
5 BTC Velocity - 23 pts / 174 days 6 hrs 47 mins 44 secs

International Media Relations:
Mary Ambler - Email: mambler@clipper-ventures.com - USA Mobile: +1 401 225 2462