17.08.2005
Trimaran title sponsor B&Q is the biggest DIY retailer in Europe and third biggest in the world. http://www.diy.com
TEAM ELLEN UPDATE: B&Q ARRIVES IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND ELLEN PREPARES FOR DEPARTURE TO NEW YORK
IN BRIEF:
* B&Q ARRIVES SAFELY IN NEWFOUNDLAND FOR QUICK PIT-STOP AND CREW CHANGE BEFORE DEPARTING ON SECOND STAGE OF HER JOURNEY TO NEW YORK
* 1000 MILE DELIVERY TO NEW YORK PROVIDES FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR ELLEN TO SAIL B&Q IN ‘SOLO’ MODE SINCE HER ROUND THE WORLD ATTEMPT IN PREPARATION FOR ASSAULT ON SOLO TRANSATLANTIC RECORD
* RIVAL FOR THE SOLO TRANSATLANTIC RECORD, SODEBO SKIPPER THOMAS COVILLE, ALREADY IN NEW YORK
IN DETAIL:
After a delivery trip lasting eight days, the 75-foot trimaran B&Q arrived in the Canadian port of St. John’s, Newfoundland early this afternoon. The delivery crew of Loik Gallon, Jean-Sébastien Chesnier Proteau, Lalou Roucayrol and Kate Steven will disembark from the trimaran, as B&Q skipper Ellen MacArthur and back-up crew Charles Darbyshire take her on to New York. It will be a relatively short turn-around for the crews as they clear customs and re-stock the boat but MacArthur has decided to delay the departure for New York until tomorrow: “We have decided to delay departure until tomorrow morning otherwise we will just sail out into 30 knots on the nose from the south-west. So we will wait for the wind to go into the north-west and then leave. We should have a good breeze to start with but it could get lighter in the middle so our ETA for New York is currently 22nd/23rd August. It’s still another 1000 miles to sail so it is a fair distance to go.”
Since finishing her solo round the world record, Ellen has only sailed with a crew on a couple of smaller record attempts and this will be her first opportunity to sail in ‘solo’ mode. Charles Darbyshire will be onboard purely in a back-up role and to test some of the communication equipment on board: “This is the first time I have sailed B&Q by myself since February. I am hoping to be able to push B&Q over this 1000 mile delivery and test the set-up of the boat in a lighter mode. Doing a record attempt that only lasts 7 days compared to 70+ day attempt, the boat is not loaded up in the same way.”
Upon arrival in New York, it is planned that the trimaran will be berthed for the first few days at North Cove Marina which is located in downtown Manhattan where the current solo transatlantic record holder, Francis Joyon, berthed his 90-foot trimaran IDEC whilst he was on standby.
MacArthur will not be the only skipper on standby for an attempt on the current 6 day, 4 hour, 1 minute and 37 second solo transatlantic record. Since the beginning of August, French skipper Thomas Coville has been based in New York with his record breaking 60-foot trimaran. Sodebo. Ellen is due to go on standby from the 1st September to wait for the ideal weather system to propel her 2925 miles across the North Atlantic. If Coville is still waiting in the wings, it could turn into a race as well as a record attempt!
OMEGA Official Timekeeper for Ellen MacArthur
NOTES ON THE RECORD
Solo west-east transatlantic existing records:
Francis Joyon: IDEC (90ft Trimaran)
July 2005, 6d 4h 1m 37s, average speed of 19.75 knots (over a theoretical course of 2925 miles)
MacArthur currently holds three previous solo sailing records set on board her 60-foot monohull Kingfisher and two records on her 75-foot trimaran B&Q
Kingfisher
* Plymouth (UK to Newport (US) east-west transatlantic 14d 23h 11m (fastest female and winnner of Class 1).
* Fastest female to race solo around the world in the 2000/2001 Vendée Globe in 94d 4h 25m 40s and finishing 2nd overall.
* Route du Rhum (St. Malo, France to Guadelouope) new course record 13d 13h 31m 47s
B&Q
* Solo west-east transatlantic record (fastest female), June 2004, 7d 3h 49m 57s, average speed of 17.02 knots (over a theoretical course of 2925 miles)
* Fastest solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world, February 2005, 71d 14h 18m 33s
For further information on Sailing Speed Records click here http://www.sailspeedrecords.com and for information on Ellen's campaign log onto teamellen.com
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For further information, please contact Offshore Challenges Sailing Team:
Lou Newlands or Lucy Harwood
T: +44 (0)870 063 0210
E: lou.newlands@ocgroup.com or lucy.harwood@ocgroup.com
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B&Q has over 350 stores in the UK, China and Taiwan and employs about 40,000 people. With its sister DIY company Castorama which has stores in France, Italy and Poland, B&Q is the biggest DIY retailer in Europe and third biggest in the world.
http://www.diy.com
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