IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean 65s and trimarans race around the Isle of
Transcription
IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean 65s and trimarans race around the Isle of
IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean 65s and trimarans race around the Isle of Wight for a £10,000 charity prize. The race starts from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line at 10:00AM on Thursday 13th August 2015. www.artemischallenge.com Artemis Investment Management LLP - backing British sailing since 2006 Independent and owner-managed, Artemis opened for business in 1997. Its aim was, and still is, exemplary investment performance and client service. All Artemis’ staff share these two precepts – and the same flair and enthusiasm for fund management. The firm now manages some £22.0 billion* across a range of funds, two investment trusts, a venture capital trust and both pooled and segregated institutional portfolios. Artemis’ fund managers invest in the funds that they and their colleagues manage. This has been a key tenet of Artemis’ approach to investment since the firm started. It means that we ‘eat our own cooking’. It means that our fund managers’ interests are directly aligned with those of our investors. As part of Artemis’ distinctive culture, the Artemis Charitable Foundation receives each year a fixed percentage of the firm’s revenues. That income is passed on to charities chosen by our staff. And by underwriting such events as the Artemis Kindrochit Quadrathlon, the Foundation enables further charitable giving. All this encourages our staff to contribute to the world beyond fund management. “It takes skill, knowledge, passion, persistence and dedicated teamwork to compete with the best in the world of offshore ocean racing. The entire Artemis Ocean Racing campaign reflects Artemis Investment Management LLP’s core values and philosophy. Our success is dependent on planning the best course through uncharted territory and hunting down profits for our diverse client base.” Mark Tyndall, senior partner and a founder member, Artemis Investment Management LLP. Source: Artemis as at 30 April 2015 For more information, visit artemis.co.uk. The Artemis Challenge at Abertdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2015 “This year’s Artemis Challenge at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week will see the biggest fleet assembled in the race’s nine year history. A combination of state of the art IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean 65s and some powerful multihulls sets this up to be the best ever. We have some of sailing’s great names taking part and we also look forward to welcoming a number of celebrities who will get the chance to sail a historic course on some cutting edge boats. “the biggest fleet assembled in the race’s nine year history” The Artemis Challenge, sponsored by Artemis investment Management, one of the UK’s leading investment companies, is recognised as one of the key events of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week and is a magnificent spectacle, showcasing some of the best offshore racing within easy reach of spectators. The race, an invitational event for IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean 65s and Multihulls, follows the classic America’s Cup route around the Isle of Wight, starting at 10:00AM on Thursday 13th August from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line. As well as being a fantastic spectacle, teams will once again be racing to raise money for some important causes which is a significant part of this event. It really is shaping up to be the pinnacle of Cowes Week and we are looking forward to watching a great battle on the water.” - Mark Tyndall, Artemis CEO The Artemis Challenge Course Starting at 1000 BST on the Royal Yacht Squadron Line on Thursday August 13th, the fastest IMOCA 60 to complete the course around the Isle of Wight (weather permitting) will win £7,000 for the charity of their choice, with £2,000 going to the winner of multihulls and £1,000 for the winner of the Volvo Ocean 65 battle. *Course is weather dependant and subject to change Time to Beat Round the Isle of Wight World Record Round the Isle of Wight World Record - currently held by Multihull Fonica Record holder: Michel Desjoyeaux/Foncia Time: 2 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds Average speed: 21.3 knots Distance: 50 miles (westabout) Date set: 16th August 2012 (Artemis Challenge) Previous record: Steve Fosset/Playstation - 2 hours, 33 minutes, 55 seconds The Competitors For 2015, the Artemis Challenge welcomes a mixed fleet of IMOCA 60s, Volvo Ocean 65s and Multihulls to the 50 mile charity race, skippered by some of the biggest names in ocean racing from Britain and Europe. The Monohulls Artemis Ocean Racing II - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Simon Clay Artemis Ocean Racing has been participating in the Artemis Challenge since its inception in 2007, helmed by a line up of world-renowned offshore skippers and British Olympic medallists. For 2015, British skipper Simon Clay will take to the driving seat for the 50mile charity sprint. In 2014, Artemis Ocean Racing II set the Round Britain and Ireland Monohull 60ft World Record, completing the race in a time of five days, 14 hours and 54 seconds. Her average speed was 13.23 knots. In 2015 the Artemis Ocean Racing II crew have been racing in the Royal Ocean Racing Club series, and now look forward to competing in the Artemis Challenge, the historic Rolex Fastnet Race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Crew Simon Clay Mikey Ferguson Adam Humphrey Conrad Manning Ben Mir Mark Tyndall Charity RNLI The Competitors Banque Populaire - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Armel Le Cléac’h Armel Le Cléac’h joined forces with Banque Populaire in 2011. Twice the winner of the Solitaire du Figaro and the Transat AG2R, twice second in the Vendée Globe and holder of numerous singlehanded records in multihulls, he is returning this year to the IMOCA circuit with a brand new 60 foot monohull and even bigger sporting goals. The Banque Populaire VIII monohull is a latest generation IMOCA, launched at the start of June. Developed by VPLP/Verdier design team, it is the result of innovation, above all with the addition of foils which are very different from those so far seen. The Artemis Challenge is the first opportunity for Armel Le Cléac’h to take on in competition his rivals onboard this new steed. Crew Armel Le Cléac’h Erwan Taberly Lucas Ronan Pierre Herisse Kevin Escoffier Charity Les Voiles de L’ Espoir The Competitors Comme Un Seul Homme - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Eric Bellion Eric studied at EM LYON Between 2003 and 2006. Together with two friends he circumvented the world singlehandedly on the boat Kifouine. The journey opened his eyes to the difference. In 2010, Eric captured the record between Lorient and Mauritius with a mixed handicapped / able crew, a world first! To demonstrate that difference can be a strength, he co-founded Team Jolokia in 2012, a crew recruited because of its differences that aligns the biggest regattas aboard a Volvo Ocean 60. This will be Eric’s first Artemis Challenge. Crew Eric Bellion Gaël Renault Matthieu Hacquebart Audrey Godard Arthur Bois Thierry Williem Romain Szyjan Antony Marchand Charity Foundation Culture & Diversité The Competitors Groupe Quéguiner - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Yann Eliès In spring 2012, as he prepared to line up for his 13th Solitaire du Figaro with rage and a desire to finish intact but with a white hull, Yann Eliès first met Claude Quéguiner CEO of the group. Between the two men who share a deep commitment to the Breton territory and a keen sense of effort and commitment, the agreement is immediate. So the story begins. Confidence and motivation is the winning equation. The same recipe works perfectly again in 2013 when Yann wins the Solitaire again, but a third victory is missed in 2014 - the fault of a dismasting in the first stage. The Briochin sailor and his partner, who surf together on the wave of success, decided to continue their joint adventure, but aiming for better. Together, they plan to take on the Vendée Globe 2016-2017. Having recently won the 2015 Solitaire du Figaro, Yann takes to the Artemis Challenge start line for the very first time. Up against former Solitaire and Vendée Globe competitors, he will have his work cut out to bring his IMOCA 60 to victory. Crew Yann Eliès Charity La Fédération Leucémie Espoir The Competitors Hugo Boss - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Alex Thomson A strong contender, AlexThomson has raced in the Artemis Challenge three times before. His goal is to be the first British team to win the pinnacle of offshore racing. Alex will be competing in the 26,000 nautical miles, non-stop, unassisted Vendée Globe in November 2016, currently Britain’s only chance to claim the Vendée Globe trophy. Alex Thomson is the youngest yachtsman to ever win a round-the-world race. When he triumphed in the Clipper Round the World Race in 1998/99, he set a record he still holds today. In 2003 Thomson made a spectacular debut in the world of solo sailing by breaking the distance world record. In 2008 he claimed second position in the Barcelona World Race, setting his second distance world record in a monohull. Following this, he focused completely on the world’s toughest single-handed yachting race: the Vendée Globe in which the competitors sail 26,000 nautical miles (46,300 km) nonstop around the world. In 2013 he finished this classic in third place. Crew Alex Thomson Guillermo Altadill Stewart Hosford Ross Daniel Jesse Naimark Rowse Will Jackson Jack Peplow Chris Rashley Celebrity guest Charity Great Ormond Street Hospital The Competitors Initiatives Coeur - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Tanguy de Lamotte Since he began ocean racing, Tanguy de Lamotte has dedicated his life to the service of sick children. His background in sailing and his commitment to charity have always been intimately linked. The Initiatives - Coeur sailboat, skippered by Tanguy engages in big races to save children. Every race is an opportunity for a major awareness campaign in which the two main sponsors of the ship fund children with serious heart defects. Tanguy races his first Artemis Challenge. Crew Tanguy de Lamotte David Sineau Eric Lamy Joseph Brault Solène Brannellec William Heathcote Charity Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque The Competitors Kilcullen Voyager - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Enda O’Coineen (IRL) Irish team Kilcullen Voyager will make their debut in the ninth edition of the Artemis Challenge. Crew Enda O’Coilneen Charity Atlantic Youth Trust The Competitors PRB- IMOCA 60 Skipper: Vincent Riou At 42, Vincent Riou is one of the most emblematic figures of the Vendée Globe. The history that links him to this race began in 2000 when he made his first circumnavigation. Physically sharp, Vincent combines his qualities as navigator, trimmer, strategist, technician, handyman… In addition to his nine victories on the IMOCA circuit, his record reveals his versatility: from Laser to Solitaire du Figaro, from First Class 8 to ocean multihulls and Diam 24, he has done nearly everything. At 42 years old, he is certainly at the height of his powers. Launched in March 2010, Vincent Riou’s monohull PRB has benefited from a complete overhaul in the winter of 2014. It took four months to undertake all the desired changes. It was necessary first of all to ensure the boat received a new IMOCA certificate. But Vincent did not stop there! He also adapted the daggerboards and the rudders. It was therefore logical for the skipper to cheekily name her “PRB 2.0”. The goal? To be the fastest in the whole IMOCA fleet. Will it be the fastest IMOCA in Vincent Riou’s fourth attempt at the Artemis Challenge? Crew Vincent Riou Charity TBC The Competitors Safran- IMOCA 60 Skipper: Morgan Lagravière Safran Sailing Team are no strangers to the Artemis Challenge, but this year they’re introducing a new skipper to the race! Morgan Lagravière, a young skipper with a very impressive track record, was chosen in early 2014 to fly Safran’s colors in the IMOCA Open 60 class, especially for the next Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race in 2016. Morgan is one of today’s most promising young skippers. The new Safran Imoca Open 60 class ocean racer (60 ft/18.28 meters), like the original boat, is the product of naval architects Vincent Lauriot Prévost, from the firm VPLP, and Guillaume Verdier, coupled with the technological expertise of Safran and the maritime know-how of the Safran Sailing Team. With this new ocean racer, Safran intends to set the pace against six other new-generation boats that will be competing in the Vendée Globe 2016 round-the-world solo race. The new IMOCA class prototype was designed from the ground up to be compact, maneuverable and as light as possible, so it can ride the waves… In other words, perfect for a solo race! Crew Morgan Lagraviére Nicolas Lunven Nicolas Lingois Jules Delpech Charity Aviation sans Frontiéres The Competitors SMA - IMOCA 60 Skipper: Paul Meilhat Emerging from the shadows, Paul Meilhat is part of the upcoming offshore racing generation and a newcomer to the Artemis Challenge. Having initially campaigned in Olympic classes Paul then moved into the singlehanded Figaro class where he spent seven years and now at 32 years of age Paul Meilhat has just moved up to the IMOCA 60 class. The mark of the man is his passion and ability coupled with his temperament and defiant attitude. The sports programme for the SMA team includes the four big French sailing events whose particularity is that they are sailed either two-handed or singlehanded. From April 2015 Paul started sailing an IMOCA 60, but not just any IMOCA 60, the boat that won the last Vendée Globe and the Route du Rhum. This Autumn he will line up on the start line of the Transat Jacques Vabre with two-time Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux as his co-skipper, before racing back to Europe before Christmas singlehanded. 2015 is the year for Paul to get used to sailing a big racing prototype and 2016 is the year he will tackle solo sailing’s Holy Grail - the Vendée Globe. Crew Paul Meilhat Michel Desjoyeaux Marc Liardet Charity Surf Rider Foundation Europe The Competitors Dongfeng Race Team - Volvo Ocean 65 Skipper: Graham Tourell Having recently raced for China in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15, finishing third overall, Dongfeng Race Team return to the start line of the Artemis Challenge for the second year running. The objective of Dongfeng was to deliver a competitive campaign with, for the first time in the history of the race, multiple Chinese sailors onboard. This is a key element in setting the conditions for the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 when the aim is to have a campaign with the majority of the sailors onboard being Chinese and for the 2020-21 edition of the race, a 100% Chinese project with a Chinese skipper and a Chinese crew. There is a strong momentum to create a legacy for offshore sailing so that Chinese sailors can excel in this discipline, in the same way the Chinese Olympic sailors have done. Competing in the team’s second Artemis Challenge, Dongfeng will be skippred by Graham Tourell. Also known as ‘Gringo’, Graham has been Boat Captain for Charles Caudrelier and the Volvo Ocean 65 ‘Dongfeng’ from the moment it left Green Marine in Southampton two years ago. He has run the day-to-day work of the Dongfeng Race Team shore crew throughout the Volvo Ocean Race campaign and knows the boat better than anyone. Crew Graham Tourrell Aaron Cooper Jack Bouttell Gildas Mahé Dan Saltmarsh Henry Bomby Gonzalo Infante Charity Race for Water The Competitors SCA - Volvo Ocean 65 Skipper: Carolijn Brouwer Team SCA return to the start line of the Artemis Challenge again this year, following the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15. Whilst their Volvo Ocean 65 is usually skippered by Sam Davies in the Challenge, 2015 sees team member Carolijn Brouwer take to the helm. A multiple Olympian, world champion and ISAF World Sailor of the Year, Carolijn is an internationally renown and respected sailor. She has since spent years travelling the world as a top Olympic class sailor and yachtswoman and has become a role model and inspiration for young men and women alike. Carolijn’s sailing resume is impressive and includes three Olympic Games, a Volvo round the world race, an IYRU World Youth title, multiple world and European titles in the Laser Radial and Europe dinghy classes and a world silver in the Tornado catamaran. In 2013 Carolijn joined Team SCA - the first all female team to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race for 12 years. She stepped onboard as Watch Captain, with the team winning a historic Leg into France, becoming the first all female team to take line honours in a leg of the Volvo Ocean Race for 25 years. Crew Carolijn Brouwer Dee Caffari Liz Wardley Annie Lush Stacey Jackson Sophie Ciszek Libby Greenhalgh Sall Barkow Abby Ehler Sara Hastreiter Aksel Magdahl Martin Strömberg Charity Women in Sport The Competitors The Multihulls Concise 10 - Trimaran Skipper: Ned Collier-Wakefield Team Concise are ready to make their first attack on the Artemis Challenge this year, led by twenty - six year old Ned who has been the Team Concise director/skipper for the past 8 years. A highly accredited sailor in his own right, he has led the team to some notable victories, recently including line honors in the Round the Island Race and smashing the multi-hull record in the Cowes Dinard St Malo Race setting a new record of 9 hours 12 minutes and 35 seconds. He is also now renowned as one of the top Class 40 sailors with his young team being described by the Royal Ocean Racing Club as the future of British Offshore Sailing. Crew Ned Collier-Wakefield Martin Watts Johnny Malbon Paul Larsen Tom Dawson Tom Smedley Fraser brown Charity Dreams Come True The Competitors Oman Sail Musandam - Trimaran Skipper: Sidney Gavignet Oman Sail’s trimaran ‘Musandam’ is back for a another shot at the Artemis Challenge trophy this year to beat the round the island world speed record set by fellow MOD70 competitor, Foncia, in 2012. Musandam was second over in the line in the 2014 edition of the Challenge. Established in 2008, Oman Sail is a pioneering national initiative that is using the sport of sailing in a novel and ambitious way to rekindle the Sultanate of Oman’s maritime heritage, foster Oman’s socio-economic development and to promote the country as a high-end tourist destination. The scale, vision and early successes of this unique programme, which aims to instil confidence and teach valuable transferable life skills to a generation of young Omanis, is without precedent. Crew Sidney Gavignet (Fra) Damian Foxall (IRL) Fahad Al Hasni (OMA) Sami Al Shukaili (OMA) Yassir Al Rhabi (OMA) Serge Betsen (FRA) Ben Saunders (ENG) Charity Al Hayat Association The Competitors Phaedo3 - Trimaran Skipper: Lloyd Thornburg This Mod70 is all set to take the Artemis Challenge by storm as it competes in the race as Phaedo3 for the first time. This isn’t actually the multihull’s first attempt at the race, however. Formerly Michael Desjoyeaux’s Foncia, the boat holds the record for the fastest multihull round the island - can Lloyd Thornburg’s Phaedo3 do it again? Lloyd Thornburg’s passion for ultra-high performance racing started back in 2011 aboard his custom-built Gunboat 66 Phaedo. But after several years of racing Phaedo, he wanted to go much, much faster. So when Michel Desjoyeaux’s MOD 70 Foncia came up for sale, Thornburg jumped at the chance raise his game to the next level and purchased the trimaran in early 2015, wrapped it in its distinctive chrome covering, and named it Phaedo3. Since February 2015, Thornburg has racked up an impressive number of wins aboard Phaedo3 , including the RORC Caribbean 600 and Les Voiles de Saint Barth. His tri also set the world record from Antigua to Newport Rhode Island and has just recorded the fastest elapsed time in the Transatlantic Race. And if that’s not enough, Thornburg has just returned to Cowes from Hawaii fresh off winning the multihull class in the Transpacifc Race aboard his original Phaedo cat. He and co-skipper Brian Thompson along with the rest of his team are looking to some great performances aboard Phaedo3 in the RORC Fastnet race and the Rolex Middle Sea Race. Crew Lloyd Thornburg Brian Thompson Miles Seddon Sam Goodchild Paul Allen Warren Fitzgerald Sam Bason Charity Great Ormond Street Hospital The Competitors Prince de Bretagne - Trimaran Skipper: Lionel Lemonchois Last year’s Artemis Challenge winner, Prince de Bretagne, returns to the start line once again to defend the top spot. Skippered by French sailor, Lionel Lemonchois, the Maxi80 Prince de Bretagne is a 24 metre multihull with the weight of an 18 metre boat - combine this with the desire to scoop a second victory, and you can bet your bottom dollar that it’s going to be fast! Skipper Lionel Lemonchois first sailed on the family monohull, but soon climbed onboard multihulls. Since 1985, Lionel has never stopped sailing. Without really knowing why or how, he regularly found himself as crew alongside the best skippers: Karine Fauconnier, Pascal Bidégorry, Bruno Peyron, Franck Cammas. But it was in singlehanded sailing that he wrote the most beautiful pages of his history on the water, winning the 2006 Route du Rhum on Gitana 11, and again in 2010 in the Multi50 class at the helm of Prince de Bretagne. Crew Lionel Lemonchois Roland Jourdain Mayeul Risset Ronan Legoff Christophe Lessegue Gurloes Merrien Didier Levourch Charity Les Sauveteurs en Mer Celebrity Guests The Artemis Challenge has long attracted a stellar list of celebrity guests. Teams competing in the race in the past have included sports stars Will Greenwood, James Haskell, Amy Williams, Nick Dempsey and a host of 2012 Olympic medal winners. Other notables include Bryan Adams, Lady Gabriella Windsor, James and Oliver, Phelps, Simon and Yasmin Le Bon, the Weasley twins from the Harry Potter, former Labour party spindoctor Alistair Campbell and actors Ewan Macgregor and Douglas Booth. For 2015, Zara Phillips will be joining rugby stars from England, Scotland and France to take up the challenge to claim a £10,000 prize by winning the annual charity race around the Isle of Wight. Zara and her husband, former England captain Mike Tindall will be on board Artemis Ocean Racing and will be hoping to claim line honours ahead of Scottish rugby hero Gavin Hastings, former French rugby star Serge Betsen and French prop Sylvain Marconnet. Hastings will be racing with the all-female Team SCA, who recently circumnavigated the globe in the Volvo Ocean Race, whilst Marconnet will be joining the French skipper Paul Meilhat on SMA. Polar Explorer Ben Saunders will also join the Challenge aboard Musandam-Oman Sail. Olympic equestrienne Zara said “Mike and I have enjoyed racing in the Artemis Challenge a number of times and it’s always a lot of fun. With the tension building ahead of the Rugby World Cup and England’s game against France next weekend, it is great to get rugby players from England, Scotland and France to join in. At the end of the day everyone is racing to try and raise money for charity but I know these guys still have a strong competitive spirit so am expecting we’ll have a decent battle on the water!” Each guest competes at the heart of the teams, pushing their boats to the max as they sprint round the island for the chance to win prize money for their chosen charity and to lift the Artemis Challenge trophy. Follow the Artemis Challenge Follow some of the world’s fastest yachts, skippered by some of the biggest names in sport round the Island as part of the Artemis Challenge 2015 via: Twitter @ArtemisRace #ArtemisChallenge www.artemischallenge.com Press contact For more information on The Artemis Challenge at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week please contact: Camilla Green M: 07970 746482 E: [email protected]
Similar documents
Artemis Challenge
prize. The race starts from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line at 10:00AM on Thursday 7th August 2014
More information