26.10.2004
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B&Q TRIMARAN REVUING UP FOR RECORD ATTEMPT....
IN BRIEF:
* A TRULY EXCEPTIONAL RECORD: ONLY FIVE SAILORS HAVE ATTEMPTED A SOLO ROUND THE WORLD RECORD ON BOARD A MULTIHULL - ONLY ONE MADE IT NON-STOP...
* TIME TO BEAT 72 DAYS, 22 HOURS, 54 MINUTES, 22 SECONDS...
* FINAL STAGE OF BOAT PREPARATION FOR 75-FOOT <> TRIMARAN...
* ELLEN MACARTHUR CONFIRMS START LINE BETWEEN USHANT AND THE LIZARD AND STANDBY PORT WILL BE FALMOUTH, UK...
* <> TO GO ON STANDBY FROM MID-NOVEMBER FOR MACARTHUR'S SOLO ROUND THE WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT...
Visit www.teamellen.com for all the latest information, audio and images
IN DETAIL:
WHY IS THIS RECORD SO EXCEPTIONAL:
1800+ people have reached the summit of Everest...
450+ people have been in space...
12 astronauts have stepped on the moon...
5 solo sailors have attempted to race around the globe NON-STOP on MULTIHULLS (the fastest and most extreme boats to traverse the oceans)...
Only 1 succeeded to go the distance non-stop...
Francis Joyon, current solo round the world record holder, set off on 22.11.03 and finished 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds later on 3.2.04 to set a new world record. This is the time MacArthur has to beat [see below for the other five solo round the world attempts on multihulls].
FINAL STAGES OF BOAT PREPARATION FOR B&Q
At the trimaran base in Lorient on the north-west coast of France, the 75-foot multihull B&Q is undergoing final preparations for the round the world record attempt. Last week the shore team downed tools to host a series of media days and now the team have their own race against the clock to finish their work and get B&Q to the UK standby port. "We have a number of jobs still to be completed and a few extra things keep creeping on the job list," said Project Manager, Oli Allard. "But this is normal when you are preparing a state of the art multihull to go round the world and attention to detail is crucial. The aim is to take the engine out by the end of the week so we can check the balance of
<> without this weight inside." The engine, prop and shaft are all removed for the record attempt to save on weight and drag leaving the electrical equipment on board to be charged via a generator.
START LINE AND STANDBY PORT:
"We have opted to start this record attempt by crossing the line between Ushant on the French coast and the Lizard," said Ellen. "This is the traditional start and finish line for the crewed Jules Verne round the world record attempts although for a solo attempt you can, in fact, choose any starting point." Current solo round the world record holder, Francis Joyon, started his record from a start line off Brest which actually added another seven miles to the round the world distance. Based on the prevailing conditions in which Ellen will start her attempt, the optimum standby port is Falmouth on the south-west coast of England - this will give B&Q the quickest passage to reach the start line between Ushant [north coast of France] and the Lizard [south-west coast of England]. "We were debating between Plymouth and Falmouth but our weather routers, Commanders Weather, have advised that Falmouth is the better option in terms of getting to the line quickly and with the least stress," said Ellen.
STANDBY FROM MID-NOVEMBER:
To ensure all the necessary work is completed on <>, Ellen hopes to be on standby from mid-November with the trimaran in Falmouth. The team will then be ready for departure within 72 hours as soon as a weather window appears that can quickly propel B&Q to the start line.
PREVIOUS MULTIHULL SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATIONS:
Previous attempts to race solo non-stop around the world on a multihull:
1968-69 Nigel Tetley on board Victress (Golden Globe competitor, sank 1100 miles from the finish line off the English coast but Tetley had already crossed his outbound track thereby technically completed the first solo circumnavigation in a multihull)
1973-74 Alain Colas on board Manureva finished in 169 days (stopped to make repairs)
1986-87 Philippe Monnet on board Kriter finished in 129 days (stopped to make repairs)
1988-89 Olivier de Kersauson on board Un Autre Regard finished in 125 days (stopped to make repairs)
2003-04 Francis Joyon on board IDEC finished in 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 22 seconds (non-stop)
NOTES ON PREVIOUS RECORDS:
MacArthur currently holds four solo sailing race records:
* Plymouth (UK) to Newport (US) east-west transatlantic 14 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes (fastest female and winner of Class 1 / Kingfisher monohull).
* Fastest female to race solo around the world in the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe in 94 days, 4 hours, 25 minutes, 40 seconds and finishing 2nd overall (Kingfisher monohull).
* Route du Rhum race (St Malo, France to Guadeloupe) new course record 13 days, 13 hours, 31 minutes, 47 seconds (Kingfisher monohull).
* Fastest female solo to cross the Atlantic west to east in 7 days, 3 hours, 49 minutes, 57 seconds (<> trimaran).
Visit http://www.sailspeedrecords.com for further information.
For latest information, please go to http://www.teamellen.com
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For further information, please contact Offshore Challenges:
Lou Newlands or Lucy Harwood
T: +44 (0)870 063 0210
E: lou@offshorechallenges.com or lucy@offshorechallenges.com
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