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Syndikate Vendee Globe 2008/09 - BT OPEN 60//SEB JOSSE
www.vendeeglobe.org - Übersicht
6 July 2008
SEB JOSSE QUALIFIES BT FOR THE SOLO VENDEE GLOBE
- BT OPEN 60 skipper Seb Josse qualifies for the solo Vendée Globe.
Just over two months ago the BT Open 60 was launched on the River Thames to the sounds of the 'Sugababes' and then not long after BT skipper, Seb Josse, was racing in The Artemis Transat - the oldest solo race race history from Plymouth to Boston. Seb was leading the 2,800 mile race when he was forced to retire following damage at the top of the mast that sent the indexsail crashing to the deck.
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Foto: Th.Martinez
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A disappointment for Seb but he was extremely happy with the boat's performance, in particular with the Vendée Globe in mind, as at the time he had been leading the Vendée Globe pre-race favourites. Seb turned the boat around and headed back to Lorient in France and completed enough solo miles onboard the new BT Open 60 to meet the qualification regulations for the Vendée Globe. Seb, who automatically qualified following his participation in the 2004 Vendée Globe, still had to qualify the new BT boat. This has now been officially confirmed by the Vendée Globe race organisers and BT becomes the 23rd official entry in the race, although the final entry numbers are expected to be close to 30.
"It is great to put the boat qualifier behind us as up until The Artemis Transat this was still something we had to achieve and with racing you never know what could happen. It's a formality but its good to have it under our belts now. We have had the boat back in Lorient making some changes following our first solo exercise together and by the time we leave Lorient for Cowes, we will be close to our Vendée Globe race trim. After Skandia Cowes Week we will come back to Lorient for the final phase of preparation and testing. The Vendée Globe will soon be here, I know the next few months will pass very quickly and suddenly we will find ourselves in Les Sables d'Olonne!"
The BT team will be sailing the boat to Cowes at the end of July in time for Skandia Cowes Week and The Artemis Challenge that takes place on 5th August. Teammate Ellen MacArthur will join Seb onboard the BT Open 60 for the 50-mile sprint around the Isle of Wight. BT will line up against the UK IMOCA 60 contenders including Mike Golding (Ecover), Jonny Malbon (Artemis Ocean Racing), and Dee Caffari (Aviva). It is also for a great cause - the winning boat can donate £10,000 to a charity of their choice. Seb has nominated the Ellen MacArthur Trust and the French charity A chacun son Everest.
News From Lorient:
By Charlie Carter
Yvan Joucla - Rigger. Credit: Th.Martinez/ SeaCo/ BT Team Ellen
"The boat has been in the shed for nearly three weeks, and the shore team have settled back in the familiar routine of "refit mode"(...) Our project plan has been adjusted so that in July when the boat goes back in the water, it will be for the last time before the race starts in November (our original plan was to have two "mini-refits" either side of Cowes week)..."
To read the full story, please click here: http://www.btteamellen.com/btimoca60/blog http://www.btteamellen.com/btimoca60/article.asp?id=16950
High-resolution images of the BT Team Ellen skippers and boats are now available for download via the BT Team Ellen media website http://www.btteamellen.com.
Don't forget to sign up for press updates, with images, video and audio files available to download.
Follow all the action and find out more about the team at the new website http://www.btteamellen.com
For further information on the BT Team Ellen contact:
Julie Royer
BT Team Ellen Communications Manager
Email: julie.royer@ocgroup.com
Tel: +44 797 251 567
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