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Vendee Globe 2004/2005
zur Übersicht
18.02.2005
NICK MOLONEY : TIME TO REFLECT ON THE PAST AND
THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE...
www.nickmoloney.com/
Twenty years ago, Skandia pioneered MultiManager investment within long-term savings products - and we are now bringing the same pioneering spirit to our sponsorship of Nick Moloney.
Supporting the Skandia MultiManager campaign are three of Skandia's leading international fund management partners Invesco Perpetual, Gartmore Investment Managers and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers
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Start mit großem Optimismus
Fotos: J.Vapillon/DPPI
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IN BRIEF:
* SKANDIA OPEN 60 HOMEWARD BOUND shortly as she gets loaded on to a cargo ship in Rio de Janeiro heading back to the UK in the coming days.
* SAIL4CANCER ANNOUNCES £15,000 RAISED directly from Nick’s campaign – thank you!
* NICK FIRMLY BACK ON LAND reflects on the emotions of his premature exit from the Vendée Globe, but nonetheless a third successful voyage around the 3 big Capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn). See full letter from Nick below...
* NICK’S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE are still being formulated – it takes a while to refocus after such a major project...but he confirms that he does not plan to compete in the 2005/6 Volvo Ocean Race, as a sailor at least, despite a number of different offers from the top campaigns. Certainly 2005 will involve sailing again onboard Skandia, in particular with the MultiManager partners from Gartmore, Invesco Perpetual and Merrill Lynch, as well as sharing his round the world story with supporters, partners and friends.
IN DETAIL
Skandia Open 60
After the safe arrival in Rio de Janerio on January 27th, after the loss of her keel, Skandia the Open 60 has been moored in Marina da Gloria. Nick reindexed in Rio, despite some challenging Immigration/Visa issues (try explaining to them that you have just sailed most of the way around the world to get there...), until boat captain John Hildebrand arrived to take over the de-masting and packing of Skandia ready for shipment back to the UK. The mast has now been removed, packed and loaded on to the deck of Skandia, and the boat has been packed and secured ready for lifting out of the water. The cradle is currently under construction, and once ready Skandia will motor from the Marina to the loading dock, where she will be lifted out of the water placed on the cradle, secured and loaded onto the ship.
Expected departure date from Rio is Thursday 24th February and it is expected to take just over two weeks to arrive in Tilbury docks near Grays in Essex, UK. From here weather permitting Skandia will be towed back to Offshore Challenges Cowes Waterfront Base on the Isle of Wight, where she will be lifted out of the water for a refit to prepare her for the 2005 IMOCA race season. Skipper and race plans for the boat will be announced in the Spring.
Sail 4 Cancer - Race Nick around the world
The final figure for money raised on the Vendée Sail4cancer campaign was £15,000. A particular mention must go to Andre Oszmann at Skandia for his chocolate and alcohol fast. And to New Star who made a sizeable donation. A further £3,000 was raised through international donations via the http://www.sail4cancer.org website, so a huge thank you to everyone that donated funds. Sail4cancer representative Graham Precy commented; "This event has opened up a new avenue of international donations for us across the world including USA, Australia and France, and the funds will go towards our new partnership with Gentle Adventures to get people out on the water.”
Vendée Globe 2004/05
While Nick takes some well earned time out in the mountains, spare a thought for the 7 skippers still at sea in the Vendée Globe. The winner PRB skippered by Vincient Riou crossed the finish line in Les Sables d'Olonne on 2nd February 2005 completing the course in 87 days, 10 hours, 47 minutes and 55 seconds. Riou knocked 5 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds of the previous course record held by the same boat skippered by Michel Desjoyeaux to victory in 4th edition of the Vendée Globe 2000/01. BONDUELLE skippered by Jean Le Cam took 2nd place and Mike Golding took 3rd in dramatic style as he lost his keel just 52 miles from the finish line. Currently 6 skippers have completed the course and 7 skippers are still making their way to Les Sables d'Olonne. Conrad Humphreys (HELLOMOTO) and Joe Seeten (ARCELOR DUNKERQUE) are currently battling it out for 7th position and are due to arrive on Saturday 19th February. Nick, along with Project Co-ordinator Helen King, plan to be there to meet them in...
Reflections from Nick Moloney
“I wrote a reflective piece onboard Skandia 60 in Brazil…it was to be my final Vendée Globe log from onboard Skandia but there is just too much confusion to make sense of my feelings. Pulling away in a taxi from the harbour in Rio, I could not help but keep looking back over my shoulder through the rear window as I headed to the airport. It was bizarre to leave our boat like this, we had been through so much and our journey was not supposed to end like this.
I am not going to go on about the happenings on the day the keel broke away - that is over and no matter how much disappointment I feel, its pretty simple, our voyage ended short of our goal. Many mails of encouragement have mentioned 2008, to try again, we shall see. For now I will just be glad that we still have a boat, not a salvage on our hands and the stressful hours spent at sea worrying about a capsize are behind us.
My arrival back into the UK was a bit of a whirlwind in order to join the Royal Navy’s HMS Severn and rendezvous with Ellen for her arrival…Awesome, simply an amazing piece of history, a great day. Great also to be united again with our Offshore Challenges team, firstly in Cowes then in Falmouth, the best team!
After Ellen’s arrival I went home to France, I guess this is where things really started to sink in. As soon as I walked into my apartment, I remembered leaving. The excitement and sadness of leaving for my solo journey. Now I was home again, I was able to relax and think through the past few months. Its easy for me to ponder and think that we were ‘ripped off’ by not finishing, the old ‘so close’ rings through my head over and over again but we borrow our oceans for a brief period to act on our aspirations. The oceans that, with mother nature, rule our lives. Many attempt several passages across various seas for various reasons and many passages are blocked by nature. My story is one of many.
Since I have been back I have been trying to catch up with the news surrounding the Tsunami tragedy in the Indian Ocean. The closest contact I had to this whilst at sea was real alarm and concern for Mark Turner’s sister and brother in-law who were amongst the havoc, fighting for their own survival. As I spoke to Mark every few hours I was continually updated on the situation until they were finally safe, but our world at sea was not as graphical as the news feeds on land. I did not want such an event that had such impact on the world to slide beneath my hull whilst I was sailing between Australia and New Zealand. In the past few days I have re-inforced my attitude of being lucky.
Yeah, sure we have had a set back, not in our wildest dreams did we think the keel would fail, but I have experienced set backs before and they have only made me stronger and more aggressive, and yes, more appreciative of the times when it all goes right. When I left home for the Vendée Globe start, it was the 5th time that I had left home to attempt to sail around the world, the 5th time that I felt that incredible emotion of wonder, fear and excitement, for that alone I am rich. I made the 3 Capes for the 3rd time, and for that I feel very lucky.
In the past few weeks I have had several offers to join various Volvo Ocean Race campaigns but this is not for me. Our Vendée Project has been exciting, fun, very professional and for that I am very proud. Proud of the memory and proud of those involved. Our sponsors are friends that have discovered a new world in adventure sailing and, hopefully, a new appreciation of the simple things in life. I know for many that Christmas Day 2004 was very different for many of our followers. For some that day held extra appreciation for others, that emotion arose every time they stepped into a warm shower or slept in a dry bed. So many people sailed in the Vendée Globe, onboard Skandia and every other boat in the fleet, our oceans have been full of positive energy and prayers. I feel a deep devotion to our sponsors and supporters. We need to find our way again, we need another project, we need to dream.
As the reindexing Vendée heroes trickle into Les Sables, this 2004-5 edition draws to a close. What an event, so unique in so many ways, I am fortunate to have experienced so much of the journey. It is actually taking me a lot longer than I ever expected to put behind me. Whilst in Brazil, I went out and had a massive sushi feast with some good friends and on the way home in the cab I wound down the window and stuck my head out to feel the wind on my face as I had had for so many days prior, but the wind was different, it smelled different, my boat noises, the noises of the wind and waves had been replaced by street sounds, my stars replaced with street lights and neon signs. I miss the sea. I miss my boat, I miss the Vendee Globe!
Many thanks to everyone who took the time to visit www.nickmoloney.com and the Vendée Globe official website to send messages of support, before, during and after the journey, many were passed to Nick whilst at sea and those that were not have now been passed on.... although it may take a while to get through them.
For more information visit http://www.nickmoloney.com or contact :
Helen King
hk@offshorechallenges.com
T : +44(0)870 063 0210
M : +44(0)7870 678360
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NOTES :
* Sail 4 Cancer is the official charity of the Skandia Set Sail programme. Through Nick’s own personal challenge on the Vendée Globe, he is hoping to raise through your efforts £1 for every 1km sailed – 42,000 in total! If you would like to help visit : http://www.sail4cancer.org/vendee
* Nick Moloney is one of an impressive group of Skandia Set Sail athletes.
* Skandia Set Sail is a global sponsorship programme that aims to offer people more opportunities to participate in the sport on a broader level. The objectives of the Skandia Set Sail Campaign are to make sailing more accessible, grow the sport's reach and enrich peoples' lives through the sport. The Skandia Set Sail portfolio is divided into three groups; events, teams and athletes.
* The portfolio includes the title sponsorships of Skandia Cowes Week, the world's oldest and largest regatta on the Isle of Wight, UK (title sponsors for 10 years in 2004) and Skandia Geelong Week in Victoria, Australia - now twinned with Skandia Cowes Week; UK sailors Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell in their Athens Star campaign; Sam Davies, the up and coming single-handed yachtswoman and her Figaro campaign; Austrian 470 sailors, Sylvia Vogl and Carolina Flatscher; the Skandia Brown Cup, the Scottish Schools Sailing Championship; Skandia Cowes Youth Week, a leading international match racing championship, the Skandia Yachting Academy (in association with Kit Hobday's Bear of Britain) and the Skandia Maxi, Australia's biggest ocean racing yacht and line-honours winner of the 2003 Sydney-Hobart Race, and the British Paralympic Association Sailing team.
* For further information contact http://www.skandiasetsail.com
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