Positions : 12/23 interpolated at 11:00 (TU)
Pos Competitor Latitude Longitude Dist. to first Dist. to finish
1 Mike GOLDING N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
2 Vincent RIOU N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
3 Alex THOMSON N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
4 Sébastien JOSSE N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
5 Nick MOLONEY N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
6 Joe SEETEN N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
7 Benoît LEQUIN N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
8 Benoît PARNAUDEAU N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
9 Anne LIARDET N460656 W0011596 0 000.0
10 Jean Pierre DICK N313768 W0234031 1358 1358.0
Neuer Weltrekord
Datum: 12. Dec 2003 10:31
Christmas has definitely come early for Alex Thomson, the 29yr old rookie Open 60 solo skipper from Gosport. At the 0500 GMT position reports this morning, not only did he take back the lead of the Défi Atlantique solo transatlantic race on ‘AT Racing’ from French skipper Vincent Riou on the Vendée Globe winning boat ‘PRB’, but, subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, Thomson has just destroyed the current World Monohull Solo 24hr Record by as much as 32 miles!
SKIPPERS’ QUOTES AFTER 24HR RECORD
Mike Golding (Ecover): “What an amazing performance you have made of this race and the 24 hour record in particular - very well done and congratulations from all at MGYR.”
Nick Moloney (Team Cowes): “A new world record while I am parked! Amazing, great, well done Alex!”
Sebastien Josse (VMI): “What a beautiful record! What a shame for us it’s gone across the channel!!”
Joe Seeten (Arcelor-Dunkerque): “What an impressive performance – he covered 200m more than us in 24hrs!”
mehr...
Organised by the Grand Pavois Organisation, along with the region of Poitou-Charentes, the department of the Charente-Maritime and Government of Bahia, the Défi Atlantique is a qualification race for the next Vendée Globe. To date, 10 skippers are officially engaged in this 4,100 mile race, including two last minute entries from France during this week:
- Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac / FRA)
- Alex Thomson (AT Racing / GBR)
- Mike Golding (Ecover / GBR)
- Vincent Riou (PRB / FRA)
- Sébastien Josse (V.M.I. / FRA)
- Nick Moloney (Team Cowes / AUS)
- Benoît Parnaudeau (Colibri - Charente-Maritime / FRA)
- Joë Seeten (Arcelor - Dunkerque / FRA)
- Benoît Lequin (Wel.network / FRA)
- Anne Liardet (Gonna Gitcha / FRA)
Objective : Vendée Globe 2004
Every skipper is equal when faced with the rules of the Vendée Globe: in the next year before the start of the race, each competitor must have completed one solo transatlantic race. The Défi Atlantique provides this opportunity with enough time in hand to thoroughly prepare for the Vendée Globe over the ensuing months. This new race will be run under the same rules as the Vendée Globe: for Open 60 monohulls only, non-stop, with no routing, no outside assistance, and of course single-handed.
To date, 10 skippers are officially taking part in this first West to East transatlantic race which crosses the 2 hemispheres of this planet. The Defi Atlantique is the longest single-handed race in the calendar with 4,100 miles on the direct route from start to finish line. This is the first opportunity for each skipper to gauge each other’s performance in solo mode with 20 days of competition against their future rivals.
Le Défi Atlantique : a unique and complex course
The distance of just under 4,100 miles is the longest ever for a solo event, and also the predominant point of sail will be upwind right from the Southern Hemisphere starting port of Salvador facing head on the prevailing winds and currents. With obstacles such as the Doldrums, Azores High, South and North East Trades, Atlantic storms and choppy cross seas of the Bay of Biscay, the boats which get to the finish will be one step further towards the Vendée Globe. Note that this will be exactly the same route and weather conditions that they will face during the final phase of the Vendée Globe itself, and therefore no better test of form for both skipper and boat.
The Prizegiving will be held in La Rochelle on the 22nd December 2003
Alex Thomson, 29 year old professional sailor from Gosport in England, is the youngest skipper ever to win a round the world yacht race after he came 1st in the Clipper ’98 race. Alex Thomson founded in 2000 and headed up the sailing side of yacht charter company, Formula 1 Sailing Ltd for 3 years. His short-handed career includes racing as co-skipper to Josh Hall on ‘Gartmore’ in the 1999 Transat Jacques Vabre. He also came 1st in the 2000 Criterion Round Britain & Ireland race, and 3rd in class in the 2000 Europe 1 New Man STAR on the Open 50 ‘Sail That Dream.com’. Now Alex Thomson holds the title of first Briton to finish the Transat Jacques Vabre 03 and with Roland Jourdain took 2nd place in the Open 60 Monohull class.
Open 60 ‘Sill Entreprises’ - Under the previous skipper, Roland Jourdain, the Lombard design Open 60 ‘Sill Entreprises’ has been on the podium many times since being launched in 1999 and broke the solo 24hr record by covering 436 miles at an average speed of 18.16 knots within days of arriving 3rd on the podium of the Vendée Globe. With trademark giant deck spreaders and rotating mast, ‘Sill Entreprises’ has been constantly optimised from build, particularly for upwind performance, which is second to none in the current fleet.
The 2004 Vendée Globe
Out of all the current five RTW yacht races, only two are single-handed, and the Vendée Globe is the only non-stop event. Held every 4 years from the port of Les Sables d’Olonne in the Vendée region on the western coast of France, this 26,000 mile solo marathon around the globe is renown as the ‘Everest’ of the sport of sailing. The Vendée Globe was created by legendary French solo skipper Philippe Jeantot after he had won the first two editions of the solo RTW BOC Challenge race, which was competed in 4 legs. First run in 1989 with just thirteen competitors on the start line, the Vendée Globe has now become a high profile international sporting event thanks to the incredible exploits of competitors from outside France such as Pete Goss, Tony Bullimore, and more recently Ellen MacArthur. In 2000/1, the race attracted 24 professional teams with their sponsors, plus a major following from media all around the world. The fifth Vendée Globe starts on 7th November 2004.
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Alex u. Mike können sich glücklich schätzen
Alex: Weltrekord und Dritter!
Alex Thomson am Ziel
Fotos: JACQUES VAPILLON
Mike Golding/Ecover siegt in La Rochelle
Alex Thomson segelt Mono-Weltrekord
Virbac-Skipper Dick Mastbruch !
Start im gastfreundlichen Bahia
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