Betreff: MOLONEY TO RACE TEAM COWES SOLO BACK FROM BRAZIL...
Absender: "Team Cowes"
Datum: 28. Nov 2003 16:11
MOLONEY TO RACE TEAM COWES SOLO BACK FROM BRAZIL...
TEAM COWES campaign is supported by Skandia and Cowes Waterfront
Don't miss BBC GRANDSTAND this Sunday...showing a special 18 minute feature on the Transat Jacques Vabre focusing on the campaigns of TEAM COWES, PINDAR and Ellen MacArthur on FONCIA. Feature to be broadcast on BBC2 around 3.00pm [during break in snooker!] but check TV listings for exact time of transmission.
IN BRIEF:
* NICK MOLONEY WILL RACE TEAM COWES SOLO FROM BRAZIL TO FRANCE IN THE NEW DEFI ATLANTIQUE RACE...starting Sunday, 30th November at 1300 GMT. The 4,100 mile race west to east across the Atlantic from Salvador de Bahia, Brazil to La Rochelle, France will act as an all-important qualifying event for Moloney to compete in the 2004 Vendée Globe...
* NINE COMPETITORS INCLUDING TJV PODIUM WINNERS...will compete in this tough solo event across the Atlantic, racing in predominantly upwind conditions. Moloney will be competing against 9 other skippers including - Jean Pierre Dick [Virbac], Alex Thomson [Sill] and Mike Golding [Ecover].
* DEFI ATLANTIQUE OFFERS MOLONEY FIRST CHANCE TO QUALIFY FOR 2004 VENDÉE GLOBE STARTING NEXT NOVEMBER... "The primary objective of this race is for me to qualify for the 2004 Vendée... I have been living the dream so long and now I am about to embark on an event that will qualify me for that goal." The only other opportunity to qualify will be The Transat solo race from Plymouth, UK to Boston, US next May.
* LONG & DIFFICULT ROAD Ahead TO VENDÉE GLOBE... "There is still a mountain to climb to get to the Vendée start line including securing a title sponsor to back me in this quest...but competing in the Vendee should not come easy - it is something you have to fight for..."
FROM NICK PRE-START:
"It has been a pretty tough call to finish a 4,500 mile trans-Atlantic race then in just 10 days turn the boat around to race back solo and at the same time trying to get some rest to physically prepare yourself. I was pretty exhausted at the end of the Transat Jacques Vabre race because although I was racing with Sam [Davies, co-skipper TEAM COWES], you put a lot of pressure on yourselves to drive the boat harder purely because there are two of you on board. We hand-steered TEAM COWES nearly the whole time during the race which is something you cannot do solo and the last stages of the race were hard-fought as we tried to get past VMI.
"But the team have been here helping me to get the boat ready and I am feeling good about the race ahead. It's a tough race...4,100 miles against headwinds, crossing the equator and the Doldrums which can bring no wind to violent squalls. Mentally you have to put yourself back into the mind set of racing solo - the total reliability on yourself and no one else. In this race we are not allowed any weather routing or outside assistance - just like the Vendée Globe.
"The
primary objective of this race is for me to qualify for the 2004 Vendée... I have been living the dream so long and now I am about to embark on an event that will qualify me for that goal... Many people know my story of three goals and the Vendée is the final objective for me - to race solo, non-stop round the globe. The Whitbread and the Jules Verne were the first two goals and they were huge undertakings that gave awesome returns for me personally. Now my focus is 100% on the Vendée and to achieve this final objective that I set myself all those years ago. There is still a mountain to climb to get to the Vendée start line including securing a title sponsor to back me in this quest and provide the funds to refit the boat to make her as competitive as possible. But in many ways competing in the Vendée should not come easy - it is something you have to fight for... To have the right to be there and earn your place in that bit of history."
For further information and regular updates on Nick Moloney's performance in the Defi Atlantique race visit
http://www.nickmoloney.com
LE DEFI ATLANTIQUE SKIPPERS:
- Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac / France)
- Mike Golding (Ecover / Grande-Bretagne)
- Sébastien Josse (V.M.I. / France)
- Benoit Lequin (Wel.network / France)
- Nick Moloney (Team Cowes - Australie)
- Benoît Parnaudeau (Colibri - Charente-Maritime / France)
- Vincent Riou (PRB / France)
- Joë Seeten (Arcelor - Dunkerque / France)
- Alex Thomson (Sill / Grande-Bretagne)
PERFORMANCE PARTNER OF THE DAY : UKSA
Official watersports training facility to the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team. Ellen MacArthur and Nick Moloney are ambassadors to the UK's leading sailing academy.
http://www.offshorechallenges.com/uksa
For Defi Atlantique race Information go to www.defi-atlantique.com
NOTES:
Skandia Set Sail: making sailing more accessible; growing the sport's reach; enriching people's lives. Skandia is the title sponsor to Sam Davies' 2003 Figaro Campaign Skandia Cowes Week is the oldest and largest sailing regatta in the world with up to 1000 boats racing in the Solent. Skandia Cowes Week 2004 takes place between 7th to 14th August. Skandia is a leading international long term savings company. www.skandia.com
Cowes Waterfront is a major regeneration initiative for the Medina Valley, encompassing the towns of Cowes, East Cowes and Newport Harbour on the Isle of Wight. It aims to strengthen the Island's position as a centre of excellence for the composites and specialist marine sectors by providing the resources and infrastructure that businesses need. It will bring new life and new visitors to town centres by attracting modern leisure and recreational facilities, including hotels, restaurants and cafes and promote the area as 'the home of world yachting'. www.coweswaterfront.co.uk
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