The Artemis Transat 2008 Übersicht 09.05.2008 http://www.w-w-i.com/the_artemis_transat_2008/ With all the boats ready to go, it was still a busy day for the skippers entered in The Artemis Transat, as the official press conference this morning was closely followed by the briefing animated by the Race Direction team. "Sure, the tension is mounting as we're getting closer to the start", said Dee Caffari this morning, summing up the general atmosphere around Sutton Harbour. For Yann Elies, the light forecast is a relief, as "it would have been more stressful if we had to leave in 35 knots of wind on the nose." But all the skippers made a point, during the press conference, to underline the fact that the expected mild conditions at the start will not make the ride an easy and laid-back one! As Yann Elies said, "I predict a Figaro type of pace, with only 2 hours of sleep per day for the first 3 days" - and he sure knows what he's talking about, having spent 10 seasons on the grueling singlehanded one-design circuit! Race favourites Michel Desjoyeaux (2004 winner) and Loick Peyron (1992 & 1996 winner) have both emphasised the fact that IMOCA boats certainly demand a lot of work. Pressekonferenz 08.05. onEdition/The Artemis Transat/OC Events onEdition/The Artemis Transat/OC Events As Loick put it: "they are very demanding boats, better be on one than to be watching the fleet - though they are pretty to look at - to stay competitive!" In his unmistakable fashion, he added that his ambition for this race was "to finish a few seconds before the second boat". The 13-boat fleet is now all set and ready to go, and skippers have definitely switched to race mode, anxious to be out on the water. "The race is very open tactically speaking, and we can look forward to great moments at sea", concluded 2005 Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou. Who will win? The Artemis Transat form guide, courtesy of James Boyd, www.thedailysail.com So the million dollar question: who will win the Artemis Transat in the Grand Prix IMOCA 60 class? Neck and neck favourites in the opinion of thedailysail.com are Loick Peyron and Michel Desjoyeaux. Both skippers are not only formidably successful solo sailors but particularly on this course westward across the North Atlantic. During the 1990s Peyron was twice a winner of the race board his Fujicolor 60ft trimarans, while Desjoyeaux won the Transat four years ago, also aboard three hulls in the ORMA 60 class. Read the whole article here http://theartemistransat.com/60/article.asp?sid=14446 A 36-hour blackout period The organisers of The Artemis Transat have decided to introduce a 36-hour positions blackout - warning the contenders 48 hours in advance - in order to open the tactical game during the Atlantic crossing. No positions or leaderboard will be available during this period. With the development of weather analysis tools, positioning devices, evolution of the sea - land communications, the modern day ocean racer is a world away from his 1970-1980s counterpart. In those days, who knew where their opponents were? The game has become more accurate, and today skippers make tactical choices not only with the weather in mind, but also taking into account their rivals' positions. Ocean racing does not merely come down to sheer speed, the choice of trajectory is crucial, and by imposing a 36-hour blackout (during which contact with the boats will be indextained as usual), the organisers of The Artemis Transat certainly add some spice to the race. The Royal Navy in the race Well versed in the dangers and excitement of ocean navigation, the Royal Navy fully understands the commitment and drive required to compete in the Artemis Transat Race, which receives the support of the HMS Argyll. Most major Naval Establishments operate an offshore yacht which is used for a mixture of recreational sailing, racing and training. Royal Naval Sailing Association members have been increasingly prominent in all major sailing events in the past few years. Final formal gathering of the Class40 skippers before the start. On Friday morning, the skippers of The Artemis Transat fleet gathered for a press conference in the Mumm Champagne VIP area of the media centre in the Barbican, Plymouth. As the giant Omega clock on the VIP balcony counts down the reindexing hours to the race start on Sunday, the Class40 skippers took time from preparing their boats to answer questions from the press and share their views on the forthcoming 2,739 mile, single-handed race across the North Atlantic to Marblehead, USA. Alex Bennett, the 34 year-old skipper of Class40 Fujifilm, lives locally and highlighted the area¹s continued connection with The Artemis Transat: ³This is a very big race and it¹s great for Plymouth to host the event.² Although Bennett is enjoying life ashore and the strength of local support, he is keen to get racing: ³I¹m really looking forward to getting out there,² he admits. The British sailor has risen through the ranks of solo sailing since his fifth place in the 1999 Mini Transat and regards the Class40 as a vital stepping stone in his professional sailing career: ³You¹ve got to look to the future,² explains Bennett, ³and getting further up the food chain in sailing. The class is a natural progression into the IMOCA Open 60 class.² While Bennett is looking towards larger boats, French skipper, Benoit Parnaudeau, has scaled down since his 10th place in the 2005 Vendée Globe and admitted that the Class40 yachts aren¹t as powerful as the IMOCA Open 60s he has raced before, but present exciting competition. The 36 year-old from La Rochelle raced in the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre last year and has made few changes to Prevoir Vie since November: ³The only major change is installing a heater,² he confirmed at the press conference, drawing an appreciative laugh from all the 23 offshore skippers. The most experienced skipper in the fleet is Giovanni Soldini, Class40 winner of the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre with Telecom Italia. The 41 year-old Italian is hot favourite in the fleet competing in his fourth Artemis Transat and his humour always dispels any press conference tension: ³Upwind any boat ­ regardless of length ­ is always a disaster! It¹s always Œboom¹, Œboom, Œboom¹ all the time. It¹s not good to go upwind.² The race route is predominantly upwind, although weather forecast predictions currently suggest a downwind period for the fleet in the opening stages of the transatlantic crossing. ³We have some wind behind us for the start,² agrees Soldini, ³and I just hope it stays with us,² he added with optimism. One Class40 Soldini will be watching is Appart¹City, the bright yellow yacht of Breton sailor, Yvan Noblet. The 27 year-old Frenchman was continuously in the front pack of the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet harassing Telecom Italia and Noblet¹s strategy is simple: ³I¹m just going to do a good race,² he explains, ³and I just want to do the race properly.² Fellow French skipper, Halvard Mabire, is about to start his third Artemis Transat and is a highly experienced solo sailor with an impressive CV including seven Solitaire du Figaro races and two Route du Rhum single-handed Atlantic races. For the 52 year-old from Normandy, his boat, Custo Pol, and the Class40 represent an ideal racing environment: ³It¹s an excellent class,² he confirms, ³and the boats are strong, simple and high performance. Even with a limited budget it is possible to turn up and race competitively.² For one skipper, funding is proving critical: ³I¹m unsponsored and have a very limited budget,² says solo sailor, Simon Clarke. The British yachtsman is spending long hours preparing and checking his two year-old Akilaria 40, Clarke Offshore Racing, without the assistance of a large shore crew. ³It¹s a balance I have to try and get right,² explains Clarke. ³Working on the boat, checking the weather and getting enough rest before the race.² Clarke has been involved behind the scenes in a number of high-profile offshore racing campaigns and the 42 year-old from Hampshire was uneasy being thrown into the limelight: ³It doesn¹t feel so good being here,² he confessed. ³I¹d be happier working on the boat than being at the press conference.² For one competitor, Boris Herrmann, the funding factor has been a major hurdle. ³Securing the sponsorship and dealing with the sponsor is the most difficult part of the project,² commented the 27 year-old German. A champion dinghy sailor and solo veteran of the 2001 Mini Transat, Herrmann and Beluga-Group are a force to watch in the Class40 fleet although becoming a professional sailor is a recent transition: ³I was still studying until November last year,² says Herrmann, ³and I¹ve only been fulltime for six months.² Miranda Merron, the only yachtswoman woman racing in the Artemis Transat Class40 fleet, has an illustrious offshore sailing track record, competing in three double-handed transatlantic races between 1999 and 2005, taking 8th place in the 2003 Route du Rhum and was the winning Class40 in the 2007 Fastnet Race on 40 Degrees. Merron has no doubt as to the competition within the Class40 fleet: ³These are well matched boats and it¹s going to be a close battle on the water,² confirms the 38 year-old from Hampshire and she is realistic about the forthcoming voyage. ³We¹re smaller than the IMOCA Open 60s, we¹re slower and we¹re a lot closer to the water,² explains Merron who plans to wear a drysuit for most of the Atlantic crossing. ³We¹ll be out there a lot longer than the 60sŠso please remember us,² she asked the assembled press. The French market rolls into town A total of 15 of the 24 IMOCA Open 60 and Class40 yachts entered in The Artemis Transat are French. Reflecting the number of French skippers, shore crews and supporters, a French market has arrived at the Barbican and is now trading on the quay in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth. Located centrally within one minute¹s walk of the racing fleet¹s pontoons, the double row of market stalls including a bakery, a Œcharcuterie¹, clothes, jewellery, Parisian scent and an impressive range of cheeses. The market will be trading from Friday 9th May until Sunday 11th May. Read more about the activities in Plymouth at http://www.theartemistransat.com/60/article.asp?sid=13948 The International media arrive in force The Artemis Transat is already attracting intense media attention and filming for a Channel 4 documentary by Sunset Vine/APP is underway and will be broadcast on National UK TV in July. The BBC is providing constant updates and weather analysis for the race alongside BBC Southwest and West Country TV. Seamaster Sailing TV will be supplying coverage of the race with behind-the-scenes action and offshore, onboard footage from the North Atlantic distributed to 140 countries worldwide. Meanwhile, in The Artemis Transat media centre located at the heart of the Barbican in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth, is accrediting a constant steam of international journalists, photographers and film crews. Tonight, BBC SPOTLIGHT LIVE NEWS comes live form Sutton Harbour, Plymouth at 1830-1900 BST Please contact us if you have any specific image requirements to accompany your copy. Kind Regards Martin Silnevs World Wide Images T: +44(0)20 7498 9100 F: +44(0)20 7978 1469 E: info@W-W-I.com W: http://www.W-W-I.com Our on-line image library World Wide Images can be viewed at: http://www.W-W-I.com World Wide Images is the official image library for: Artemis Transat Aviva Challenge Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race Flora, the Flora London Marathon International Motorcycle & Scooter Show London Boat Show Skandia Cowes Week Skandia RYA Sail for Gold Regatta Southampton Boat Show VELUX 5 Oceans Volvo ISAF Youth Worlds Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE