Latitude Magazine

O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F A R T E M I S O C E A N R A C I N G

www.artemisoceanracing.com

Latitude (noun)

• The angular distance between an imaginary line

around a heavenly body parallel to its equator

and the equator itself.

• Scope for freedom of action or thought.

CONTENTS03 - Welcome

From Mark Tyndall, Artemis CEO

04 - Artemis Ocean Racing

The Origins

06 - The team

Promoting British talent, on and off

the water

10 - The boats

In the Artemis Ocean Racing stable

12 - The Vendée Globe

A look back on Jonny Malbon’s

single-handed adventure

16 - Short-handed racing

A very British history

20 - Jonny Malbon’s next challenge

Everything you need to know about

the Figaro

22 - Smelling the coffee

The Transat Jacques Vabre in detail

24 - The Artemis Transat

The story of the original single-

handed transatlantic race

28 - The Artemis Challenge

At Cowes Week

30 - Zoom!

The Artemis fleet in pictures

36 - The Artemis 20

The remarkable Hilary Lister!

38 - Even Keel

An Artemis Investment Management-backed

initiative to take people out on the water

40 - In their own words

They sailed aboard the Artemis Ocean

Racing machines… and give their

impressions

41 - 2009 Season Programme

A ‘heads up’ on the races

42 - About Artemis & OC Group

You can follow the latest news at:

www.artemisoceanracing.com

Cover & contents photos: © Lloyd Images

Edited by: Offshore Challenges

Editor: Jocelyn Blériot

Contributors: Helen Fretter,

Quick McMorran

Design and production: Keith Lemmon /

OC Vision

Sub-editing: Helen Fretter

Copyright: Offshore Challenges

All rights reserved. Published July 2009

Printed by: Cedar Group on stock with a Mixed

Sources label supporting the development of

responsible forest management worldwide.

The wood comes from FSC certified well

managed forests, company controlled sources

and/or post-consumer reclaimed material.

2

ARTEMIS OCEAN RACING MAGAZINE

CONTENTS2

What drew Artemis to the world of ocean racing?We like the sense of adventure, we like the professionalism, and we feel that a lot of the personal attributes that people within the racing world have are similar to those that people in our firm have. Even though the pinnacle of the ocean-going activity is single-handed, it’s a huge team effort to get that person to the start line and to support them throughout the course of the event, and in a way fund management is very similar. At the end of the day a fund manager makes his or her decisions on his own, but there’s a huge team effort to get them in a position where they can do that, and to communicate it to a wider audience.

Last year Artemis Ocean Racing’s new Open 60 was launched, how does it feel to see her racing?The boat has a huge iconic significance and it’s a large part of the journey. We felt very proud of what everyone had done to get her on the water, overcoming some major challenges to do so. For us, every time we see the boat setting off, there’s always that tingle of excitement and slight apprehension, and thinking ‘Well, we’re glad we’re not doing it!’ Whenever she’s out sailing in home waters she’s noticed. And whilst there are still a lot of people who probably don’t know what we do, were they to be asking for advice on their pensions and an Independent Financial Advisor said ‘We think you should do something with Artemis’ they’d think, ‘Oh yes, I’ve heard of them.’

Are Artemis Investment Management staff and clients following the project? Definitely. We’re not a company which had a lot of people who’ve sailed much, so a few people held quite stereotypical views of the sport – the blazers and gin and tonics on the lawn of the Royal Yacht Squadron is still part of what people think of as big boat sailing. But when they got the opportunity to go and see what these boats are actually like, and see the kind of people who race them and the skills they have to have, they were blown away and have found it really compelling.

The project also has quite a strong charitable element, why is that important to Artemis?Ever since we started the business we’ve always had a very active charitable programme and we like to do as much as we can to help people within the local areas. So, having gone to the effort and investment of creating the Artemis Ocean Racing campaign, we also wanted to spread the word and provide benefits to other people who are not currently in a position to directly participate in such an amazing sport.

What are you most looking forward to for this season?The highlights for this summer are really going to be two things. We’re very excited to see the evolution of the boat’s racing potential, culminating in the Transat Jacques Vabre; although it’s always more than just about the boat. This transatlantic course does not particularly suit Artemis’ specification, as she’s been designed for rough weather marathons rather than for sprints in light airs. But it’s always a great event and we’re going to be very excited to see her start. And the other side of equal importance is seeing how Jonny Malbon gets on in the Figaro. The Figaro is an extraordinary class and the Solitaire du Figaro is an extraordinary event, and I think the intensity of the competition is going to be something else.

And the Artemis Challenge will continue at Cowes Week?The Artemis Challenge is great fun. We’re really hoping that it continues to build – it’s the third time round now, so it’s part of the rhythm of the summer. Seeing these IMOCA ocean-racing boats charging round the Isle of Wight doesn’t happen very often and to have it all as part of the Artemis Challenge perfectly illustrates Artemis’ desire to see British sailing grow from strength to strength.

And a final word for the Artemis Ocean Racing sailors and shore team?Just onwards and upwards! The level of competition in this class is intensifying and deepening the whole time. We’re a recent entry and we’ve made a good start, although we’ve got a lot to learn but the attitude is brilliantly positive. To see the team and the new management arrangements with Offshore Challenges working as constructively and hard as they are is great, so we’re just wishing everyone the very best and hoping the journey continues.

TO ThE OffiCial magaziNE fOr arTEmiS OCEaN raCiNg 2009. WE CaughT up WiTh mark TyNdall, arTEmiS iNvESTmENT maNagEmENT CEO,TO fiNd OuT WhaTiT’S all abOuT…

WElCOmE…

Photo: © Lloyd Images

3

nvestment Management company

Artemis’ relationship with sailing began back

in early 2006, when the company decided they

wanted to raise their profile.

“The key for us was to increase awareness

of the name ‘Artemis’, so we thought that sports

sponsorship might be a way of doing that,” recalls

Mark Tyndall. A period of analysis highlighted

opportunities in competitive sailing, particularly

the world of short-handed offshore racing.

“The UK component within the Open 60 world

was growing in profile, not just as adventurous

individuals going off and doing brave things, but

as a competitive sport where we had top quality

participants,” explains Mark.

A high profile campaign was developed

around an Open 60 offshore racing team. This

team, Artemis Ocean Racing, would compete in

a number of challenges, including transatlantic

races and solo round-the-world marathons. In

addition, Artemis wanted to actively support

British sailing through backing British sailors and

where possible, in British waters.

Officially launched in London in July 2006,

the newly branded Artemis Ocean Racing Open

60 soon set off on her first race, the Sevenstar

Round Britain and Ireland race in August 2006,

taking line honours with Jonny Malbon as

skipper.

After this impressive start, Artemis Ocean

Racing went on to complete a 1,500 mile

qualifier for the Route du Rhum, setting out from

Southampton before sailing deep into the North

Atlantic and back to Edinburgh. On arriving in the

Scottish capital – home and corporate head office

of Artemis – the boat had qualified for the single-

handed Route du Rhum, a classic transatlantic

race which follows traditional trade routes from

France to Guadeloupe.

At the end of October 2006, Artemis Ocean

Racing lined up against a competitive Route

du Rhum fleet, with record-breaking skipper

Brian Thompson at the helm, coming home in a

creditable sixth place after 13 days and 17 hours

at sea. Then in June 2007, Artemis Ocean Racing,

skippered by Jonny Malbon, competed in the

Calais Round Britain Race and again finished

sixth, as the first of the older generation Open

60s to cross the line.

NEW EVENTS

Meanwhile, a new area of Artemis' sponsorship

strategy was developing with the creation of a

brand new event. Staged at the world-famous

Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight, the Artemis

Challenge saw the Open 60s racing on British

waters in the middle of the largest regatta on the

planet. The inaugural event was held on August

8th, 2007. Under glorious blue skies Guillermo

Altadill of Spain claimed victory on board Estrella

Damm. Artemis Ocean Racing came home in

fourth place, and the Open 60s geared up for

the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race immediately

after Cowes Week. It wasn’t to be Artemis’ year

in the Fastnet, however, and she had to retire

with a ripped mainsail south-west of Plymouth

after battling terrible conditions which saw three-

quarters of the fleet withdraw from the race.

The second transatlantic race of the campaign

was the Transat Jacques-Vabre in November 2007.

This double-handed race from La Havre, France

to South America is one of the most fiercely

contested races on the Open 60 circuit. However,

once again lady luck was not looking kindly on

Artemis as on the fourth day of the race Artemis

Ocean Racing dismasted. Pushing hard, Jonny

Malbon and Graham Tourell were sailing in 25-28

knots of wind and big seas when, unannounced,

the mast collapsed – fortunately both were unhurt

but their race was ended.

Artemis’ sailing event portfolio increased yet

further with the advent of The Artemis Transat.

This historic transatlantic race running from

Plymouth, UK to Boston, USA every four years

attracted a large fleet and huge crowds as the

city of Plymouth cheered off the 13 solo sailors

in glorious May sunshine as they made their way

across the North Atlantic to the Eastern seaboard

of the USA.

…ANd A BRANd NEW BOAT

Meanwhile, back in the UK, a brand new Open 60

boat was in production in Lymington, Hampshire.

Promoting the best of British, the new Artemis

Ocean Racing was designed by Simon Rogers

and built by Neville Hutton boat builders.

Launched in 2008, its first competitive

outing was fittingly at the Artemis Challenge at

Cowes Week. Jonny Malbon was joined on board

by England rugby player James Haskell, whilst

Davina McCall teamed up with Alex Thomson on

Hugo Boss and former Labour party spin-doctor

Alistair Campbell joined Simon Clay on Artemis,

The Profit Hunter, formerly AOR. Overcast and

blustery conditions made for a fast race, with

Pindar skippered by Brian Thompson coming

home first in just over four hours.

The new Artemis Ocean Racing next had to

complete a gruelling qualifying passage in order

to be eligible for the forthcoming Vendée Globe.

Heading towards Newfoundland, Jonny Malbon

faced difficult conditions as he battled his way

across the North Atlantic alone before returning

home to Southampton.

Once the qualifier was completed attention

quickly turned to the Vendèe Globe and getting

ready for the greatest solo ocean race of them

all. Starting from the small fishing town of Les

Sables d’Olonne in the Vendée region of France,

the Vendée Globe is widely regarded as the

Risks and RewaRdsArtemis Investment Management support sailing from grass roots to the highest level, here’s how their involvement began…

© Sally CollisonThe Artemis Ocean Racing Team celebrate winning their first race: the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland in 2006.

THE ORIGINS4


ultimate test of sailing skill and endurance. Solo,

non-stop around the world, the Vendée Globe was to

be the first competitive outing for the new Artemis

Ocean Racing II, skippered by Jonny Malbon.

After a solid start, surviving a huge storm in the

notorious Bay of Biscay that put paid to a number of

teams’ chances; Artemis Ocean Racing struck a whale

in the South Atlantic that caused major damage to

the starboard daggerboard. Whilst the damage was

not race-ending at this stage it meant that on the

return leg back up the Atlantic Jonny would be much

slower and at a disadvantage.

However, fate intervened once more as mid-

way across the Southern Ocean the mainsail on AOR

began de-laminating – literally peeling apart.

Just south of New Zealand, Jonny and the team

made the difficult decision to end the race on the

grounds that it would be dangerous to continue.

NEW CHALLENGES

A new year brought new plans, and a new

determination. Offshore Challenges were appointed

to project manage the campaign bringing over 10

years of experience in the sport. The radical and

innovative Artemis Ocean Racing (read more page

10) was shipped back from New Zealand and given

a weight-saving re-fit in time for the new season.

Meanwhile Jonny Malbon also embarked on a new

challenge, joining the highly competitive Solitaire

du Figaro fleet in France. A one-design class that

attracts the elite of offshore sailors, the Figaro is

often seen as the ultimate training ground for solo

racing.

There were other new projects too – back in

2006 Artemis had joined forces with a new marine

company in creating a 20-foot keelboat class for

disabled sailors to compete on an equal platform with

able-bodied crews. Through Artemis’ sponsorship,

the boats became Artemis 20s and one is currently

being used by record-breaking quadriplegic sailor

Hilary Lister as she bids to sail around Britain alone.

Building on this concept of competitive sailing

for all, the Even Keel project was born in 2008 with

the Artemis 20s at the heart of the programme. As

recently as June 2009 the first Even Keel site was

set up at the United Kingdom Sailing Academy in

Cowes, Isle of Wight, sponsored by Artemis. The

story looks set to continue…

© Mark Lloyd/DPPI (photos, this page)

Above & Top: The Artemis Challenge is a new fixture on the sailing calendar

IMOCA OPEN 60’ YACHTS ARE OCEAN RACING MONOHULLS OF 60 FEET IN LENGTH.

THE TERM “OPEN” REFERS TO THE NATURE OF THE RULE THEY HAVE TO COMPLY WITH,

SINCE APART FROM A SET OF FIxED PARAMETERS (LENGTH, DRAFT, STABILITY…) THEIR

CONCEPTION LEAVES SCOPE FOR INNOVATION.

THE INTERNATIONAL MONOHuLL OPEN CLASS ASSOCIATION (IMOCA) IS THE GOVERNING

BODY, THAT NOT ONLY REGULATES THE EVOLUTION OF THE TECHNICAL RULES BUT ALSO

DEFINES THE BOATS’ IMOCA INTERNATIONAL OCEAN RACING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

WITH POINT-SCORING RACES.

5

pOOlOf TalENT

From mini to 60’, the Artemis oceAn rAcing teAm brings together british sAilors And techniciAns From diFFerent horizons, shAring their weAlth oF experience And helping eAch other Achieve their goAls.

©Lloyd Images

PROMOTING BRITISH TALENT6


iming at fostering british short-

handed sailing, the team is a pool

of talent covering all aspects of the

discipline, from the stepping stone

to the pinnacle, and consists of

individuals willing to progress and evolve together.

Artemis ocean racing aims to elevate the

best of british short-handed sailing talent, giving

them the means to fulfill their dreams by creating

the conditions for the emergence of a stronger

british force on the international short-handed

ocean racing scene. relying on core values such as

knowledge sharing, solidarity and hard work, the

team is determined to become a new driving force

in offshore sailing.

on and off the water, they are the Artemis ocean

racing team - read all about them!

Jonny MalbonJonny is based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, and was

the skipper of the Artemis Ocean Racing IMOCA 60’

during the last Vendée Globe (read our story page

12). His sailing experience is diverse and extensive.

From racing onboard Peter Harrison’s Super-yacht

Sojana as bowman, to helming a 26’ rib across the

Atlantic as part of the first ever Transatlantic Windsurf

Race, he has dedicated much of his life to time on

the ocean. He has gained technical and project

management skills while working as boat captain for

Ellen MacArthur’s Kingfisher, a job he was offered

after having successfully campaigned in the 2001

EDS Challenge. Jonny also raced around the world

fully crewed, winning the Oryx Quest aboard the

former Club Med maxi-catamaran alongside a team

of international experts. This season, the enthusiastic

young skipper is at the helm of the Artemis Figaro,

entering the very challenging French-dominated solo

One-Design class.

saMantha daviesHaving finished 4th, and top Brit, in the last Vendée

Globe, 34-year old Sam Davies has an impressive

track record spanning from the Mini Class to record-

breaking maxi-multihulls... without forgetting the

infamous Figaro One-Design! A very enthusiastic

and cheerful competitor, Sam had no rival when it

came to sharing her joy of being at sea during the

Vendée Globe, and her communication skills are as

developed as her racing talent. Sam, who has grown

up in Southern England and around boats, now lives in

the Fouesnant Valley in Brittany, home of the world’s

most successful short-handed sailors and the famous

Port la Forêt training centre, of which she has been a

member for years. Having already taken part in the

Transat Jacques Vabre twice, she’s looking forward

to being on the startline in Le Havre in November

aboard Artemis Ocean Racing alongside co-skipper

Sidney Gavignet.

sidney GaviGnetBoasting the most international CV of the French “pro”

scene, the 40 year-old Frenchman - the only non-British

team member - has sailed constantly since the age of

14. He has sailed around the world fully crewed 4 times,

held the North Atlantic crossing record, crossed the

Atlantic 16 times (among which 3 doublehandedly),

taken part in the America’s Cup, competed in the

Figaro class, won the Volvo Ocean Race... Sidney

is an interesting character, a tough speed-addicted

helmsman, and a the same time a contemplative man

who, unlike most of his rivals, is not shy for words when

it comes to describing his relationship with the sea.

Prior to the Transat Jacques Vabre, Sam and

Sidney will race in the Artemis Challenge and the

infamous Fastnet Race, celebrating this year the

30th anniversary of the dramatic storm-ridden 1979

edition.

Sam davies on joining the Artemis Ocean Racing

Team…

“I’m very excited and very honoured to have been

chosen to skipper the Artemis Ocean Racing IMOCA

60’ for this classic event. This is a great challenge, and

I’m glad to join the team for that adventure, as it’s a

bunch of great people and we’ll do whatever we can

to take the start in the best conditions possible. I’m

looking forward to racing alongside Sidney, as he has a

huge and diversified offshore experience, having taken

part in a few Volvo Ocean Races including the last

one, and in the Barcelona World Race double-handed

aboard Jérémie Beyou’s IMOCA 60’ - precisely the

configuration of the Transat Jacques Vabre.

We have only sailed on the same boat once, it was

aboard the Maiden maxi-catamaran, but I am sure I’ll

learn a lot from him and he is a tough, no-frills sailor so

we’ll get along just fine!

Jonny Malbon Sam Davies

©V

.Cu

rutc

het/

DP

PI

Sidney Gavignet

©V

.Cu

rutc

het/

DP

PI/

OC

Even

ts

Nick Bubb

© J

on

ny M

alb

on

Ollie Bond

©S

.Gasp

ari

©L

loyd

Im

ag

es

7

economics and politics at university most reading

weeks were devoted to obtaining the RYA certificates

which eventually led to a career as a professional sailor.

During his time at Mike Golding’s team Simon also

helped with refits on the Open 60 and was a regular

crew member on deliveries to and from race starts

and finishes, including 2 transatlantics. Simon also

worked for Pindar Ocean Racing on their Volvo 60, on

the Open 60 Hellomoto and helped Sir Robin Knox-

Johnston during the build-up to the round-the-world

Velux 5 Oceans. He is the skipper and boat captain of

Artemis, The Profit Hunter.

GaReth RowleyGareth is originally from South Africa and has crewed

boats in the Solent, Mediterranean and Caribbean as

well as skippering for corporate events and regattas.

He has completed over 25,000 logged miles on a

As far as the boat is concerned, I don’t think it could

be any more different than my “old” Roxy: it’s the

complete opposite in terms of concept, and that

makes it very interesting for me. I’ll try and broaden

my technical horizons and to make the project benefit

from my previous experience. It’s a tight schedule, but

racing Artemis Ocean Racing in the Artemis Challenge,

the Fastnet and in the Channel Race right after her

summer refit should give us some tuning-up time.”

nick bubbNick Bubb is the Artemis Figaro’s shore-based

technical manager. 30-year old Nick Bubb already has

a rather impressive nautical CV, having completed a

round-the-world journey aboard a multihull during

the 2006 Oryx Quest, and more recently taken part

in the Volvo Ocean Race as boat captain and watch

leader. On the technical and project management

fronts, he has built and campaigned Minis and a Class

40 monohull, thus acquiring invaluable know-how and

strong problem-anticipation skills. His Mini experience

will be very helpful for Ollie Bond! A successful racer

himself, Nick will be co-skippering the Artemis Figaro

alongside Jonny in the double-handed “Tour de

Bretagne” (Round Brittany) in September.

oliveR bondOliver Bond, the latest recruit of the Artemis Ocean

Racing Team, is the best British hope in the upcoming

Mini Transat, and a serious contender for victory in

the series category. Racing a 6,50 metres monohull

across the Atlantic is not for the faint-hearted, but

“Ollie” has been on the podium of every last major

race in this amazing class. A skilled technician as

well as a talented competitor, he has worked in

Dee Caffari’s Aviva campaign shore team preparing

the boat for the 2008 Vendée Globe. His methodic

approach led him to work with French coach Tanguy

Leglatin, who incidentally also trains Jonny Malbon

in the Figaro class and works with many successful

IMOCA 60 skippers.

GRahaM “GRinGo” touRellGringo, 30 years old, is Artemis Ocean Racing’s boat

captain and has supervised her post-Vendée Globe

summer refit: nobody knows the boat like he does!

After finishing his studies Graham moved to the Isle

of Wight and became a professional watersports

instructor at the UK Sailing Academy, where he

met Jonny Malbon, and went on to train instructors

both in the UK and the Caribbean. Gringo has many

thousands of miles racing IMOCA 60s and has

numerous transatlantic crossings under his belt. He

has also been responsible for project preparation

and shore support for both of Mike Golding’s Vendée

Globe races.

andy touRellEver since being pushed out in a dinghy at a young age

Andy has spent most of his time in, on or around water.

His studies led him to an MSc in Oceanography from

the National Oceanography Centre at Southampton

University before his professional sailing career really

took off. He worked alongside Mike Golding, then with

Alex Thomson in preparation for the Velux 5 Oceans,

and was subsequently taken on as skipper / boat

captain of the Volvo 60 Hugo Boss II. Andy, Logistics

Manager of the Artemis Ocean Racing Team, brings

a strong personality and a competitive streak to the

group, locking horns at any opportunity with his older

brother Graham ’Gringo’ Tourell.

siMon “lovely” claySimon, better known as ‘Lovely’ in the sailing world,

has been sailing as long as he can remember, starting

on dinghies and cruising with family. While studying

Graham ‘Gringo’ Tourell

Andy Tourell © Jocelyn Blériot

Simon ‘Lovely’ Clay

PROMOTING BRITISH TALENT8


variety of boats including deliveries on boats such as

Assa Abloy and ABN AMRO 1. With an Ocean certificate

including celestial navigation, Gareth skippered a Dutch

66ft cutter for a season and cruised the Baltic. He is

responsible for hardware and acts as a bowman aboard

Artemis, The Profit Hunter.

Mike “Mikey” FeRGusonMike started sailing at the age of 9 and quickly

became passionate about dinghy/keelboat racing. He

represented 2 classes at the Junior and Senior Irish

Helmsman Championships. After working for UKSA, he

joined Mike Golding’s team on board the Challenge 67. In

2002, Mike gained sail making experience before doing

the 2003 IRC Racing season onboard TeamTonic Farr

52, which competed in the Admiral’s Cup and Fastnet

races. He joins Artemis, The Profit Hunter alongside

Skipper ‘Lovely’, as 'Nipper' (most junior member).

All photos: © Lloyd Images

“I’M VERY ExCITED AND VERY HONOURED TO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO SKIPPER THE ARTEMIS OCEAN RACINg IMOCA 60’ FOR THIS CLASSIC EVENT.” SAM DAVIES ON THE TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE

Mike ‘Mikey’ FergusonGareth Rowley

9

ARTEMIS OCEAN RACINGBuilt specifically for the 2008 Vendée Globe, Artemis Ocean Racing is the first IMOCA Open 60’ designed by British naval architect Simon Rogers, who took a new approach and developed a very powerful boat boasting an impressive wingmast comparable to that found on oceanic multihulls. Neville Hutton’s shipbuilding facility in Lymington was trusted with the boat’s construction, and her wide hull shape - among the widest in the fleet - did not go unnoticed when she made her first outings! Fitted with a transom device allowing the skipper to fine-tune the longitudinal balance according to sail configuration and sea state, Artemis Ocean Racing adopted the latest technological refinements of the IMOCA Class whilst exploring new territories as far as hull and rig proportions were concerned.

Despite a very limited trial and development period, she proved very reliable during the Vendée Globe but unfortunately had to retire due to rapid deterioration of her mainsail. This first oceanic adventure nevertheless allowed the team to highlight her strong points as well as her weaknesses, and she spent some time in the yard in early summer for an optimisation session. Saving weight was the main objective, especially prior to a “sprint” like the Transat Jacques Vabre during which the boat’s preparation has to focus on lightness.

Interior fittings have logically been simplified and reduced to the strict necessary minimum and weight has notably been saved on the navstation. The deck layout has been optimised while tillers have replaced the heavier steering wheels and consoles initially fitted, which amounts to a significant gain. Structurally, weight has been saved through a very careful process, enhancing performances yet focusing on retaining Artemis Ocean Racing’s reliability.

Specifications

Artemis Ocean Racing - IMOCA Open 60’ monohullLength overall: 18.28 metres (60 feet)Maximum beam: 6 metres (19.7 feet)Draft: 4.50 metres (14.7 feet)

Canting keelDesign: Rogers Yacht DesignBuild: Neville Hutton, Lymington, UKLaunch date: 2008

Ocean racing StableIN THE ArTEmIs

ONE TEAM, THREE RACERS: WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE

BRITISH BOATS FLYING THE ARTEMIS COLOURS ON

THE INTERNATIONAL OFFSHORE SCENE.

Left: Under escort; Artemis Ocean Racing clears The New Forest, bound for Southampton.

Right: Graham ‘Gringo’ Tourell checks the mast during 90° testing.

All photos: ©Lloyd Images

10


THE BOATS10

ARTEMIS, THE PROFIT HUNTERInitially built for New-Zealander Graham Dalton to take part in the Around Alone (single-handed Round The World race with stopovers), this IMOCA 60-footer was designed by the British Owen-Clarke design office and launched in 2002 under the name of Hexagon. She was later bought by Pindar and successfully raced by Mike Sanderson, who captured a third place in The Transat in 2004 at her helm. Acquired by Artemis in 2005, the monohull, this time skippered by British racer Brian Thompson, scored a very creditable 6th place in the hotly contested 2006 Route du Rhum.

Built in carbon fibre and Nomex honeycomb core, Artemis 1, (now named Artemis, The Profit Hunter) remains a very competitive platform amongst the 2004-generation IMOCA boats and has been carefully maintained and upgraded over the years, taking line honours in the 2006 Round Britain & Ireland Race and winning her class in the 2007 Round the Island Race. Her programme for 2009 includes The Artemis Challenge during Cowes Week (read page 28) and the infamous Fastnet race, a 607-mile sprint from Cowes to Plymouth via the Fastnet lighthouse in Southern Ireland.

THE ARTEMIS FIGARODesigned by Marc Lombard - who also signed the plans for many IMOCA 60s among which Roland Jourdain’s Veolia - the Figaro One-Design was launched in 2003, and is built by the Bénéteau yard in Vendée. This modernised version came to replace the aging original Figaro, and sailors representing the class met with Lombard on numerous occasions during the conception phase to ensure they would have a “tool” perfectly adapted to their hands.

The Figaro Bénéteau II is the boat of the French Singlehanded Offshore Racing Championship, taking place every year and including the gruesome Solitaire du Figaro (read page 20). Having been tried and tested over the last five years, including across the Atlantic, this powerful 10,10 metres (33 feet) monohull adopts a twin rudder system for more stability downwind, and has been known to reach speeds in excess of 22 knots under spinnaker. An electrically-controlled ballast system is also at the solo sailor’s disposal to replace the weight of the absent crew!

Obviously very spartan inside, the Figaro Bénéteau II is a pure racer built to withstand the fiercest conditions, and the only boat in its class to have a transoceanic certificate right out of the box (OSR Category 1), which in itself is a tribute to its quality of construction and focus on safety. Specifications

Artemis FigaroLength overall: 10.10 metres (33 ft)Maximum beam: 3.40 metres (11 ft)Draft: 2.10 metres (6.9 ft)Design: Marc Lombard, La Rochelle.Build: Bénéteau, Vendée.Number of units built since 2003: 90

Specifications

Artemis, The Profit Hunter - IMOCA Open 60’ monohullLength overall: 18.28 metres (60 feet)Maximum beam: 5.40 metres (17.7 feet)Draft: 4.50 metres (14.7 feet)

Canting keelDesign: Owen-Clarke Yacht DesignBuild: Southern Ocean Marine, New-ZealandLaunch date: 2002

11

highEST“They say that getting to the startline is having won the

first race, and it’s perfectly true. Building a state-of-the-art

IMOCA 60’ with an event like the Vendée Globe in mind is an

adventure in itself, and there are so many hurdles and traps

along the way that when you actually hear the gun and head

out towards the horizon a massive box is ticked. There we

were, on a grey November Sunday, taking the start of the most

extreme solo races of them all, flying Artemis’ colours in a very

exclusive fleet consisting of the biggest names in shorthanded

offshore racing. I was proud of what the team had achieved, it

had not been easy, and I was determined to sail back into Les

Sables with the boat in one piece, and right from the very first

moments, I knew how collective that whole solo experience

was. That is probably why, when I had to take the terrible

decision to pull out of the race, my first thoughts were for the

guys ashore. It seemed anything but fair for any of us - who

had worked so hard...”

On January 4, and after having considered his options over

and over, Jonny Malbon officially notified the Race Officials of

Artemis Ocean Racing’s withdrawal from the Vendée Globe race,

due to mainsail problems. “The cloth has been disintegrating

before my eyes for days,” explained the skipper, “and I knew I

could not have done anything to prevent it. When I arrived in

Auckland (New Zealand) and was greeted by my team, I felt very

worried, disappointed, angry, and I just wanted them to confirm

my decision, to assess the situation and tell me I had had no

choice. Before I could start to relax and enjoy the company, I

ushered them towards the boom and asked them to look at the

sail. Its condition was so ridiculous, they burst out laughing... and

I was instantly relieved.”

The 2008 edition of the famous solo non-stop round-the-

world race was a rather brutal one, and only 11 boats out of the

30-strong fleet actually completed the grueling 26,000-mile lap

around the planet. “Some skippers ended up in situations that

were life-threatening, some masts fell, a few boats experienced

major structural damage... I think that we can be proud of the

fact that even though we launched a very ambitious campaign

without a lot of time to test the boat, nothing major failed - not

that it takes away the frustration of being betrayed by a sail. The

team had done a great job in tough conditions, and the beating

we took in the Indian Ocean proved that Artemis Ocean Racing

was well built and trustworthy.

“Setting off from Les Sables d’Olonne was of course one of

those moments when words suddenly start to seem powerless

compared to the vivacity of the emotions one goes through.

‘Powerless’ also applies to vocal chords to be honest, and a few

times on that morning I found myself wanting to say something,

yet when I opened my mouth not a single sound would come out

of it. Even if no one would have put it as bluntly, there was, for all

of the skippers, that faint but present notion that what we were

undertaking was going to be, at times, incredibly dangerous.

Fortunately, the heat of the moment and the incredible crowd

cheering as the boats exited the channel made everything slightly

unreal, and it all seemed to happen in slow-mo. I had no time to

dwell on potentially gloomy issues. The starting gun was a relief,

I was racing at last, suddenly liberated from months of worrying

about build delays and the inevitable technical issues that arise

when giving birth to such a high-tech boat. We had chosen to

take our own path rather than a conservative approach: being

relative newcomers to the IMOCA Class it was a bold move, but

despite the lack of time we wanted our effort to be innovative,

to explore new solutions.

“Weathering the first storm of the race, before we even had

a chance to settle into what was to be our environment for three

months, I immediately felt safe on the boat and thanked the boys

for all the efforts they had put into her. Around us, things were

already getting chaotic with early retirements and competitors

going back to base for quick repairs, but we emerged unscathed

and I was ready to soldier on - my mission was to take the boat

around. I owed it to the whole team to do everything that was

humanly possible to get her round and home. I got to learn

about her en route, gradually discovering her strong points,

weak points and little secrets. Obviously performance was an

objective, but above all and rather than take risks to make short-

term gains, I focused on making sure I looked after myself and

SUMMITOn the 9th of November, 2008, Jonny Malbon and Artemis Ocean Racing were on

the startline of the hardest and most prestigious single-handed round the world race,

lined up against the very best sailors for what was to be an extraordinary edition of the

famous Vendée Globe.

TAkING ON ThE

“TURNING THE LEFT INDICATOR ON AND HEADING TOWARDS AUCKLAND WAS THE MOST PAINFUL DECISION I’VE MADE IN MY LIFE. AT THE TIME, EVEN IF MY BRAIN COULD RATIONALLY SEE AND ACCEPT THERE WAS NO OTHER OPTION, SOMEHOW A PART OF ME COULD NOT TAKE IT.” JONNY MALBON - SkIPPER ARTEMIS OCEAN RACING

Above: ‘Vendée Wave’ - Thousands gathered to cheer the Skippers’ departureAll photos: ©Lloyd Images

12


ARTEMIS OCEAN RACING IN THE VENdéE GLOBE12

All photos: ©Lloyd Images

13

ARTEMIS OCEAN RACING IN THE VENdéE GLOBE14


the boat. The Vendée Globe is a marathon, and even

at the front of the fleet some of the most experienced

competitors admitted they were deliberately taking

a conservative approach. Nevertheless, the pace was

relentless at the front - for some of them just like for

me, it did not prevent fate from striking, and even

though it is tough to accept, it’s part of the game.”

FiRst stoRM - Jonny’s blog, 14 November 2008

“The most I saw was 47 knots; it was high 30s for

a very long while and 40 - 45 for quite some time.

It was fairly heinous, the sea state was terrible

and there was so much rain it was a complete

white out. It was some of the most unpleasant

sailing I have ever encountered. In the back of my

mind I was thinking we have come this far and

to have a problem that would knock us out now

would be terrible.”

the doldRuMs in Full splendouR -Jonny’s blog, 27 November 2008

“I was bobbing around with the boat just slatting

from side to side, everything shaking and

groaning and creaking - just waiting for something

to break, when we got hit first with a tremendous

downdraft, horizontal rain, and then 35 knots.

I had just managed to bear away, with full main

and Solent up, and went off in whatever direction

the squall fancied at 20 knots.”

enJoyinG the south -Jonny’s blog, 8 December 2008

“The boat feels great at the moment, so long may

it last. The routing is looking quite good, and the

reality of the southern ocean is here - we will be

looking to take a massive dive south after the

gate. It is already colder - spent last night in

oilskins, gloves, and a woolly hat! It is going to get

a lot worse before it gets better!”

FRoM beatinG to beatinG -Jonny’s blog, 19 December 2008

“The second big depression came through after

the first one. I got pretty well prepared and it

didn’t fail to deliver. It was 40 knots, then 50

and gusting 60 knots. It was certainly above 50-

55 knots for over 12 hours and the sea state was

much, much worse than the first depression. I’ve

got a lot of confidence in the boat, she’s done me

proud. Onwards and upwards now.”

GaMe oveR - Jonny’s blog, 4 January 2009

“I am absolutely devastated. We have been

through so much since the start and survived it

all - I think I always imagined that if I went out of

this race it would not be something I would have

to weigh up and decide, it would just be something

that happened and be beyond my control. The

thing with this is that I could carry on for a bit

but it is only a matter of time - it is no longer if

but when the mainsail will just disintegrate

completely, so heading out past New Zealand

back into the Southern Ocean is just not feasible.

My heart is telling me to go on but my head is

telling me I have to stop and in the end it is true

- I have no choice. Words cannot describe my

disappointment that this has come to an end.” Picture diary - clockwise, from top

1. Amazing clouds

2. Mainsail becomes critical

3. Rough conditions heading south

4. Christmas Day - with beard

5. Stunning sunset

6. My first iceberg

7. Leaving Les Sables D’Olonne

“IT IS NO LONGER iF BUT when ThE MAINSAIL wILL JUST DISINTEGRATE COMPLETELY”

Onboard photos: © Jonny Malbon

© L

loyd

Im

ag

es

15

Above: The 54ft ketch Gypsy Moth IV rounding the fearsome Cape horn -

something only 10 yachts had done at the time.

Right: Robin knox-Johnston returning to Falmouth in 1969 on a battered

Suhaili - the self-steering mechanism had been damaged off Australia

meaning Robin had to largely hand-steer for most of the journey home.

Photo: © Sir Robin knox Johnston/Velux 5 Oceans

BRITAIN HAS ALWAyS BEEN A NATION

OF SEAFARERS, ANd TOdAy’S

OFFSHORE RACERS ARE FOLLOWING

A PROud TRAdITION SET By THE VERy

FIRST ROuNd THE WORLd SAILORS.

HELEN FRETTER TAKES A LOOK BACK

OVER 50 yEARS OF SOLO RACING

Photo: © PPL media

BRITAIN & SHORTHANdEd OCEAN RACING16


he men who first set off to conquer the world’s oceans alone would barely recognize the sport of short-handed offshore racing today. For them the

journey meant months of solitude, squeezed onto a robust vessel crammed to the gunnels with supplies, using navigation methods that had barely changed for centuries. Today, solo sailors hurtle around the planet on enormous yachts, each sporting a high-tech command centre that gives skippers access to the very latest satellite navigation and communications technology. But one thing hasn’t changed: every single sailor who ventures out onto the oceans alone knows that it always has been, and always will be, just between them and the sea.

FOUNDING FAThERS

The very first man to sail the world solo was Canadian Joshua Slocum, whose three-year voyage from 1895-1898 included multiple stops where fortune or fancy took him. However, the founding father of modern round the world sailing was Englishman, Sir Francis Chichester, who became the first man to sail around the globe with just one single stop, in Australia.

When 64-year-old Chichester set off in 1966 fewer than 10 yachts had ever rounded Cape Horn. He packed his 38-foot ketch Gypsy Moth IV with home comforts, including gin and a smoking jacket, saying, “Any damn fool can navigate the world sober. It takes a really good sailor to do it drunk.” Relying on the most traditional navigation methods and a hand-lashed steering system, he returned to Plymouth a hero after 226 days at sea, and was knighted for his achievement.

Chichester’s endeavour inspired an even greater challenge: to sail around the world, non-stop. In 1968 nine men set off in the Golden Globe Race, among them a 28-year-old Merchant Marine, Robin Knox-Johnston who commented, “Once Chichester had shown that this trip was possible, I could not accept that anyone but a Briton should be the first to do it, and I wanted to be that Briton.” Robin Knox-Johnston was indeed that Briton, triumphing in the same year that man first set foot on the moon, 1969. He was the only one: behind him five skippers retired; one yacht sank; another skipper vanished in an apparent suicide; and the only remaining competitor, Frenchman Bernard Moitessier, sailed on to Tahiti, rather than return to his family in Paris. The perils of solo sailing could not have been more clearly demonstrated.

ThE ATLANTIC BATTLE

Despite the risks, the lure of short-handed ocean racing continued to draw adventurers and yachtsmen. Before his record-breaking round the world voyage, Chichester won the very first edition of the OSTAR, the Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race, in 1960. The route, from Plymouth to New York, then Newport, Rhode

Left: Sir Robin Knox Johnston was the first person to sail singlehandedly around the world

non-stop in 1969 when he was the only finisher in the Golden Globe Race.

Top: Former pilot and adventurer Sir Francis Chichester became the first man to sail solo

around the world at the age of 64.

Above: The 2006 Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world race saw a dramatic mid-ocean

rescue when Mike Golding retrieved fellow British skipper Alex Thomson from his liferaft.

Photo: © Sir Robin Knox Johnston/Clipper Ventures

Ph

oto

: ©

MG

YR

/Velu

x 5

Ocean

sP

ho

to: ©

PP

L m

ed

ia

A very BrItIshAdVENTuRE

17

Island, captured the imagination of all kinds of sailors. From that 1960 race, which saw four English and one French entry, the OSTAR – held every four years – grew to become THE major short-handed yacht race, with nearly 100 entries in 1988. At the front of the fleet, French skippers dominated, helming ever-faster yachts to victory in ‘La Transat Anglaise’. However, the OSTAR uniquely also allows amateur entries. Dozens of English gentlemen, female sailors – including the first husband and wife contestants in 1980 – and other Corinthian entries in small cruising yachts, all braved the high attrition rate to race to America. One skipper who did break the French stranglehold on the race was a certain Ellen MacArthur, who helmed Kingfisher to monohull victory in 2000. Her company, OC Events, took over the running of the 2004 edition of the race, which was later to become The Artemis Transat, for large yachts and multihulls, while the Royal Western Yacht Club in Plymouth continued to run the OSTAR for smaller, amateur entries.

The Royal Western YC also launched another short-handed sailing challenge – the Round Britain and Ireland Race. The first race was held in 1966, with two-man teams racing some 2,000 miles around the coast of Britain and Ireland, with 48-hour stopovers. This event too burgeoned in popularity, but remained an eclectically British affair, attracting yachts ranging from ocean trimarans to 26-foot Folkboats. The Royal Ocean Racing Club also run a fully crewed race around the demanding natural course – in 2006 Artemis, The Profit Hunter took line honours skippered by Jonny Malbon.

“i could not accept that anyone but a bRiton should be the FiRst to do it, and i wanted to be that bRiton.” Sir Robin knox-Johnston

Top: Dame Ellen MacArthur scored a second place in the 2000 Vendée

Globe, the best result ever by a British skipper.

Above: Artemis, the profit hunter racing through the mist at the start of

the 2006 Route du Rhum with skipper Brian Thompson.

Ph

oto

: ©

Th

. M

art

inez

Ph

oto

: ©

Mark

Llo

yd

/Art

em

isBRITAIN ANd SHORT HANdEd OCEAN RACING18


Whilst French sailors made the pilgrimage to compete in UK races, British skippers were returning the compliment, as a calendar of short-handed events sprang up across the Channel throughout the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. A rival event to the British-run OSTAR was the Route du Rhum, established in 1978. Held every four years, the Route du Rhum also involves a single-handed Atlantic crossing. The difference being that while the Transat sends skippers across a freezing North Atlantic, the Route du Rhum finishes on the spectacular island of Guadaloupe. But this is no Caribbean cruise, with fast trade winds, Atlantic rollers, and fearsome tropical storms to be negotiated. In 2002, no fewer than 15 of the 18 giant ORMA 60 trimarans capsized or were so badly damaged they could no longer continue racing. This is also a race where British sailors hold their own. In the last, 2006 edition, a British skipper won the Class 40 category, while top Brit in the competitive Open 60 fleet was Brian Thompson, aboard Artemis, The Profit Hunter.

STEPPING STONES

If sailing a massive ORMA 60 trimaran single-handed presents one type of challenge, then sailing a 21-foot boat alone across an ocean presents a very different one. One of the most successful developments in the short-handed racing scene is the Mini Transat class, otherwise known as the Transat 6.50 – so called because it involves crossing the Atlantic in a 6.5m boat. The yachts may be small, but they’re technically complex, with a swinging keel and huge mast almost double the length of the boat. Since the class began in 1977 it has been dominated by French sailors, who see it as a training ground before joining larger offshore classes, in contrast to the British ocean racing scene where skippers come

from a wide range of backgrounds, including skippering crewed offshore yachts or working as support crew to gain experience.

Traditionally the next step up from the Mini is the Figaro class, an ultra-competitive fleet of identical 10m yachts which race over a tough multi-stage offshore course in the prestigious La Solitaire du Figaro Race. To be top foreigner or top “rookie” is a huge accolade, and this summer Jonny Malbon will be skippering Artemis in his first entry in the four-leg race, which includes stages racing along the west coast of Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

GLOBAL CONTEST

The ultimate challenge for any short-handed sailor is a round the world race, be it non-stop or multi-stage. The Velux 5 Oceans is the oldest of the round the world races, first held as the BOC Challenge in 1982 and then as the Around Alone. Today it takes in the three great Capes – Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Leeuwin – with stopovers in South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and USA, starting and finishing in Europe. None other than Sir Robin Knox Johnston competed in, and completed, the last race in 2006 – 38 years after he first set out on the Golden Globe. The race included a dramatic mid-sea rescue between two rival British skippers, when Mike Golding pulled Alex Thomson from a liferaft mid-Atlantic.

The Vendée Globe is widely recognised as the most gruelling of all the offshore races: around the world, non-stop, alone. Held every four years since 1989, the race has borne witness to tragedy, triumphs, and extraordinary acts of bravery and seamanship. In 1996, British sailor Pete Goss sailed upwind into gale force winds to rescue Raphael Dinelli from his sinking yacht.

In 2000 a young Ellen MacArthur shot to fame by taking second place, the best ever result by an Anglo-Saxon skipper. In 2004 West Country sailor Conrad Humphreys repeatedly dived under his boat in order to repair damaged rudders, while Mike Golding sailed into third place minus the keel of his yacht, which had dropped off 50 miles previously... the list goes on. The most recent, 2008-09 race, saw a record 30 boats and seven British skippers enter, including Jonny Malbon on Artemis Ocean Racing.

DUOS AROUND ThE GLOBE

By the turn of the Millennium there was just one remaining challenge which hadn’t been set: to race around the world non-stop, double-handed. Initially, that may sound like an easier option – another sailor to share the stress of continual decision-making, and remove the mind-numbing fear of falling overboard with nobody to notice you’ve gone. But many soloists hold that sailing in a pair is just as challenging. When sailing in single-handed mode, few skippers manage to push to the max, relying on autopilots to drive the yacht when they are asleep and making conservative decisions to preserve themselves and their boat. Sailing with a teammate removes those limitations, and the pairs often push harder and faster than ever before. To fill this void, the Barcelona World Race was created, organised by OC Events and the Fundació Navegació Oceànica Barcelona. The first race was run in 2007 (the second starts on 31 December 2010), with Open 60 teams of two starting and finishing in Barcelona, Spain. The French-Irish duo of Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall took the inaugural title, proving that skippers each side of the Channel are truly an equal match.

Above: The Barcelona World Race is the newest short-handed ocean race, for two-man teams racing non-stop around the world.

Ph

oto

: ©

Jean

-Mari

e L

iot/

DP

PI/

OC

Even

ts

19

“So, who’s leading in La Solitaire?” each year in

August, those few words could easily be granted

the title of “question of the month” among French

sailing enthusiasts, following the gruesome single-

handed, one-design race as if it were a thriller.

Multiple factors tend to explain why this unique

offshore classic is so riveting, and the closeness of

the competition is certainly not the least of those...

Another one obviously is the presence of France’s

sailing legends in the line-up, battling it out against

the most talented youngsters of the offshore racing

scene on a level playing field.

On the Figaro, there is no pedestal - at least not

before the final points are counted - and the “star

system” does not apply on the pontoons, where

skippers talk, share anecdotes, replay the race or

discuss the nuts and bolts of racing on equal terms.

Of course, from the public’s perspective, a triple

winner will always cast his shadow on the rest of

the fleet and some rookies (“Bizuths” in French, as

first time Figarists are known) might go unnoticed,

but from the inside, whatever name it may bear,

a transom is just something to catch up with and

leave in one’s wake.

AN opEN HIsTory book

When Michel Desjoyeaux came back to “La solitaire”

in 2007, he already had won it twice and his Cv

included a vendée Globe win, a triumph on the

route du rhum, and another one on the transat.

With a brand-new IMOCA 60 to put through her

paces prior to the 2008 vendee Globe, was there

any need for the ‘Professor’ to spend his summer

on a 10-metre long one-design, did he really have

anything to prove?

the short answer was no, but Michel

nevertheless hung his medals in the locker room,

hoisted the sails and took on a fleet amongst which

a considerable number of very talented young guns

saw the chance of beating the legendary skipper

as a source of extra motivation. that summer,

Desjoyeaux won his third solitaire, and the race

won yet another piece of glory. In 2003, the “Jackal”

Armel Le Cléac’h was only 26 when he beat Alain

Gautier - winner of the second vendée Globe and

king of the 1989 solitaire - by only 13 seconds after

2000 miles and countless sleepless nights. In 1979,

Patrick eliès, yann’s father, won all four legs and

that feat has never been equalled yet.

Last summer, Nicolas troussel captured

his second victory in three years, after having

pursued an incredibly bold strategic option in

2006, generating the biggest time difference

between the front and the back of the fleet ever

seen throughout the race’s history. One could also

mention the beating endured by the fleet in the

Irish sea in 1978, an edition during which Pierre

saint Jalm woke up on the rocks at Cape Lizard; his

life was saved by a passer-by who managed to call

the coast guards in time. the list goes on, and the

solitaire which will celebrate its 40th birthday this

summer is unrivaled in terms of captivating tales,

emotion or amusing anecdotes.

EsTAblIsHEd IN 1970

the concept of what was to be renamed the

“solitaire” was born in a Parisian restaurant

during the autumn of 1969 over a lunch shared

by two journalists both with a passion for sailing.

Jean-Michel Barrault and Jean-Louis Guillemard,

working for the French daily newspaper L’Aurore,

had been given the mission to rejuvenate the image

of the publication, reputedly very conservative and

somewhat reactionary. Why not then create an

event sporting the newspaper’s name, a competition

the public could follow and engage in? tabarly had

become an overnight national hero after his win in

the 1964 OstAr (single-handed transatlantic race),

France had begun a love affair with competitive

sailing, maybe it was the prefect time to launch a

summer offshore solo race. Barrault and Guillemard

quickly agreed on the founding principles - long

legs, controlled budgets and no handicap system

for a better public understanding - and in 1970

nightsThis summer, Jonny Malbon will be helming Artemis in the 40th edition of the famous “Solitaire du Figaro”, a classic single-handed 1,700-mile race broken

down into four legs and visiting Brittany, Ireland, Spain and the Vendée region of France. In identical monohulls, the 55 skippers will fight for every boat length,

coping with sleepless - “white” - nights and nerve-racking final sprints. Jocelyn blériot takes a closer look at this French institution.

Ph

oto

: ©

Llo

yd

Im

ag

es

ARTEMIS IN THE FIGARO RACE20


the first edition of the “Course de l’Aurore” took

place. At the time, any production boat complying

with the half-tonner class rules could enter, which

meant the fleet was at the same time homogenous

and representative of what the average cruising

enthusiast could easily get his hands on. the two

journalists had another brilliant idea: competitors

were to give their position at regular intervals so that

the public could get hooked on the developments

on the water and actually follow the race - it may

seem obvious today, but this was certainly not

common 40 years ago! As far as the course was

concerned, the first leg took the fleet from Brest in

Brittany to Laredo in spain, and the Bay of Biscay

was at the centre of the event right from the start.

Later, the Irish and Celtic seas would become an

essential part of the mix, the ‘solitaire’ being split

into four legs, Brittany, Northern spain, Ireland and

vendée being the trademark playground of that

traditional race.

All AboArd (THE sAmE boAT)

In 1980, the “Figaro” daily newspaper took over

the title, and the event took the name under which

it’s still known today. the pros and soon-to-be

offshore stars lined-up en masse, racing prototypes

that each year became more and more refined -

the early 1980s saw names like Peyron, Poupon,

Auguin, Péan (to name but a few) make the

summer headlines. In order to keep a level playing

field, a specific boat was introduced in 1990 and the

Figaro Bénéteau became the only design allowed

to compete in the solitaire, which speaks volumes

about the success of the race itself - what other

event can claim to have generated its own yacht?

Parlier, Cammas, Le Cam, Desjoyeaux, Poupon,

vittet... they all won in the 1990s, by which time the

race was long-established as a classic.

the new one-design launched in 2003 was

perfectly timed and made the game step up a

level, prompting the return of some legendary

skippers willing to try their seasoned skills against

an impressive fleet of young sharks, practising

relentlessly all year long and repeating manoeuvres

like musicians going up and down their scales.

the famous Port-la-Forêt offshore racing school

is definitely an offspring of the Figaro, which goes

to show how important that race has been in the

development of the French racing scene - yet this

purely factual statement does not suffice to explain

the “magic” at work every August. Dolphins playing

around the fleet under the full moon or boats

finishing within seconds of each other might give

you an idea... but follow the race this summer on

www.lasolitaire.com and you’ll get the big picture.

JoNNy mAlboN oN THE “solITAIrE”

“The simple fact of lining up for such a race is humbling, taking a look at the list of past winners

is like entering some kind of sailing hall of fame! Intimidating, but very motivating too. I was very

nervous before my first solo race in the class this spring, the Transmanche, but coming in 50

minutes behind the winner after 18 hours at sea boosted my confidence. The weather was quite

tough, and I was blown away by the boat which can handle 25 knots of breeze under full main

and spinnaker. I must say the experienced Figaro racers impressed me a lot to, they sail full on

and know the monohull inside out. I don’t think there could be any closer offshore racing: I now

know that it will be a matter of minutes or even seconds only at the finishes, and that if you mess

up a manoeuvre 10 boats overtake you in a snap! It’s merciless, and at the same time very friendly

because everyone is very welcoming and open, they willingly share their experience or offer a

helping hand. There is definitely such as thing as the ‘Figaro family spirit’ and I’m determined to

embrace it.”

THE solITAIrE du FIgAro… A quIck ENd usEr’s guIdE

Forget about sleep, be prepared to live for days helm in hand, within talking distance of your closest

rivals at times. Be ready to lead by a seemingly comfortable margin, and to get overtaken by 15

boats as you mess up that crucial spinnaker drop after having spent 48 hours awake, feeding on

the crumbs of cereal bars left in your pockets. Expect to be slapped around in the Celtic sea before

being overwhelmed by the local population’s incredible welcome in Dingle (Ireland), get ready

to experience Biscay’s wrath before spending way too long in a tapas bar in La Coruña - to share

memories of that storm - without having taken the time to take those wet oilies off... Be sure you’ll

find a fellow “Figarist” ready to help should you be in trouble at sea or before the start, expect to

use words that would have gotten you in serious trouble in school when that kelp or fishing line gets

tangled in your rudders, making you lose a vital 0.25 knots of boat speed. Most of all, get used to

the idea that you’ll come back to the Solitaire, because that’s the way things go.

“ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPRESSIVE

ASPECT IS THAT EVEN THE

GREATEST NAMES OF OFFSHORE

RACING KEEP COMING BACK TO

(LA SOLITAIRE) DESPITE HAVING

WON EVERYTHING, HENCE WITH A

LOT TO LOSE”

JEAN-mIcHEl bArrAulT, CO-FOUNDER OF ThE RACE.

2009 coursE

• Leg 1

Lorient (FrA) > La Coruña (esP)

Start: July 30, Distance: 345 miles

• Leg 2

La Coruña (esP) > St Gilles Croix de Vie (FrA)

Start: August 4; Distance: 365 miles

• Leg 3

St Gilles Croix de Vie (FrA) > Dingle (IrL)

Start: August 10, Distance: 485 miles

• Leg 4

Dingle (IrL) > Dieppe (FrA)

Start: August 16, Distance: 511 miles

Ph

oto

: ©

B.S

tich

elb

au

t/D

PP

I

Above: The Start, Le Figaro 2005, Perros Guirec in France - The fleet downwind under spinnaker.

21

he Transat Jacques Vabre is a 5,000-mile dash across the Atlantic, with a unique twist – the crews race double-handed and Samantha Davies and Sidney Gavignet

will be onboard Artemis Ocean Racing. The TJV was first held in 1993 and takes place every two years, following traditional ‘coffee routes’ – the trade routes established by cargo vessels shipping the precious black beans from South America to France in the 19th century. The first edition of the race saw skippers racing, single-handedly, from Le Havre to Cartagena in Columbia. Yves Parlier took the inaugural monohull title, and Paul Vatine the multihull class.

Next time around, in 1995, the race became a two-man competition, and in 2001 the fifth Transat Jacques Vabre finish line moved to Salvador de Bahia, in Brazil. By 2007 there were 60 teams entered, racing in four classes, and the crossing time had shrunk to just 10 days for multihulls as three-time race winner Franck Cammas and team mate Steve Ravussin set a new record on the ORMA 60 multihull Groupama – and 17 days for the Open 60s.

TWO COURSES OF ACTION

This year’s race has another new destination: Puerto Limon in Costa Rica. There will be two courses, one for the monohulls (Open 60s and Class 40 yachts), and one for the multihulls (ORMA 60 and Open 50s) – the monohulls leaving the Dominican Republic to starboard to sail around 4,730 miles, the multis leaving Barbados to starboard, sailing approximately 300 miles further. If all goes to plan, the fleet leaders should arrive in Costa Rica at the same time…

But before they get that far, the Transat Jacques Vabre presents numerous challenges to its paired teams. Any hopes that doubling the number of crew equates to double the amount of sleep will be shattered by the opening section of the race, when the teams set out from Le Havre on November 7. The crews must stay constantly alert through the busy shipping lanes close to

The TransaT Jacques Vabre

– or TJV – is The highlighT

of This year’s iMoCa 60

Calendar, wiTh TeaMs

pairing up for a TaCTiCal

aTlanTiC Challenge.

Le Havre

Puerto Limon

Top: artemis, The Profit Hunter in the 2007 TJV with Jonny

Malbon and graham Tourell.

right: The open 60 fleet starting from the french port of le havre -

this year’s race sets off on november 7.

Photos, this page: © lloyd images

THE TRANSAT JACQUES VABRE - HISTORY22


land before contending with the famous Bay of Biscay, which can deal up brutal conditions in early autumn. In the 2007 edition of the TJV, Artemis, The Profit Hunter, then racing as Artemis 1 was dismasted in rough seas just off Cape Finisterre. Team members Jonny Malbon and Graham Tourell were unhurt, but everyone will be hoping that this year’s fleet has a safe passage into the Atlantic.

THE RIGHT DECISION

As they head south, the skippers next have to choose the right moment to head across the North Atlantic towards Central America. Should they take the most direct route, or dive further south to hook into the trade winds for a rapid express ride west? Getting this decision right is key, and the sailors will have to work together to plan their weather routing and tactics, all the while pushing their boat to full speed.

Each crew will be trying to keep their boat going at full throttle, running with the breeze behind them as they surf the Atlantic rollers. For the powerful Open 60s that means searching for mid-ocean weather systems which will keep them in the best breeze. Judge it wrong and you can find yourself wallowing in the light airs of huge high pressure bands. For the multihull fleets the risks are even worse – confused seas and storm fronts make capsize a real possibility, thousands of miles from land.

This year’s course no longer takes the fleet through the dreaded Doldrums – the zones of high pressure either side of the Equator which are notorious for fickle winds that can becalm even the fastest racing yacht. Instead, the skippers will have to charter their own course to the new finish port of Puerto Limon, each trying to plot the fastest route through the Caribbean Sea, remaining ever alert of the tropical storms and hurricanes which can still wreak havoc across the region in late November and early December. Exhausted and under constant stress, the crews will have their teamwork and communication

tested as they negotiate the final stages of the race – if there are any cracks between the two skippers, now is the time when they’ll show.

But the rewards are worth it. After days living on their nerves, grabbing only catnaps of sleep and weight-saving freeze-dried meals, the teams will arrive in a tropical paradise of palm trees, mountains and turquoise seas. The winning Open 60 crew will take the accolade of winning the first major ocean race since the 2008-09 Vendée Globe – the winner of the 2007 TJV, Michel Desjoyeaux, went on to claim the global title earlier this year. And every skipper will have the reward of knowing that they conquered the North Atlantic - this time, standing side by side with a team mate.

The Transat Jacques VabreCourse: Le Havre (FRA) - Puerto Limon (CRC)Distance: 4,730 miles (monohulls)Estimated crossing time: - (IMOCA monohulls): 16 days

Top: The artemis team preparing for the 2007 start - this year’s 4,700-

mile course will take around 16 days.

above: The challenging course follows old trade routes once followed by

ships which set sail from france to south america and returned laden

with valuable coffee beans..

below: next stop: Central america. The TJV has a new finish port of

puerto limon in Costa rica.

Photos, this page: © M.Mochet_afp_TJV

23

Above: Reproduction of the letter that

started it all.

Far right: Skipper Francis Chichester

and Gypsy Moth III - leaving Plymouth

and sailing into history. June 1960.

right: Race founders (l to r)

Blondie hasler,

Francis Chichester and

Lt. Col. Jack Odling-Smee.

The Artemis Transat is the heir of the oldest single-handed

transatlantic race, the OSTAR, which shaped modern

offshore racing, defining the sport as it stands today. No

other race has more historical importance, period!

hasler, Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Marines

(known as “Blondie”), wrote the letter reproduced here

in December 1959, after having matured his original idea

for three years and submitted it to the editor of The

Observer... who declined the offer to become a sponsor.

The concept - unsurprisingly - had already seduced the

Slocum Society - an organisation paying tribute to Joshua

Slocum, first man to have circumnavigated the globe

alone - which had issued a notice of race, but finding an

organising body was not simple, and even though working

meetings followed one another, progress was very slow.

After one of those

meetings, over dinner,

some members of

the Slocum Society

suggested that the

race could be divided

in two legs, with a

stopover in the Azores.

Blondie hasler’s

reaction showed how

passionate he was

about a solo non-

stop adventure, and

how fiercely he would defend the purity of his concept.

In his book titled “Ostar”, published in 1989, Lloyd Foster

(former Commodore of the Royal western Yacht Club)

writes: “This {the stopover idea} prompted Blondie to

come up with a long, forthright, though at the same time

tongue-in-cheek, telegram to the Slocum Society, which

started “Bewildered fatuous proposal to route the race

via Azores.” he went on to say that if they persisted in

this notion he would have to withdraw and organize his

own race. By this time he was himself a member of the

Society, so felt able to add “If free dinner has this effect

on members suggest such functions prohibited in Society

rules.”

Putting together such a pioneering event was not

an easy task, and the different parties involved came up

with a variety of ideas - notably a transatlantic Cruising

Competition, which caused hasler and Chichester to

decide they’d had enough, and by November 1959, the

latter declared he had taken over the running of the

race.

© western Morning News/Ajax/DPPI

© Ajax News

THE MOTHEROF ALL TRANSATS

THE ARTEMIS TRANSAT24


Letters to the royal Western yacht Club, such as

the one quoted above, were soon sent out, and

Jack Odling-smee, rear Commodore, responded

positively. Although 50 credible letters of intent

were received by the club, only four skippers were

on the starting line on 11 June 1960 (Blondie hasler,

Francis Chichester, val howells, David Lewis) -

French skipper Jean Lacombe set off 3 days later,

and all 5 competitors made it safely across the

ocean, Chichester winning after 40 days and 12

hours at sea. history was in motion...

A boAT To pAINT!

the second edition (1964) set the scene for the

emergence of France’s solo racing tradition.

Winner eric tabarly, the only Frenchman in

the race, became an overnight hero and for his

endeavour was presented with his country’s

highest honour, the Legion d’honneur by President

de Gaulle. Nevertheless, the skipper never lost sight

of his priorities, and declined the first presidential

invitation because the ceremony coincided with

the day he had intended to repaint his boat! A few

months later, a somewhat begrudging De Gaulle

sent another invitation, in the following terms: “I

would be delighted to be able to count on your

presence... if the tide is favourable of course.” By

1972, multihulls were in the spotlight as Alain Colas,

who was to become another icon in France, won

the race which that year saw 55 boats line up for

the start (there had been 35 in 1968): trimarans

would soon rule the North Atlantic, leading to a

dramatic reduction of the crossing time over the

years. “Dramatic” is unfortunately an adjective that

can be applied to the 1976 edition, prior to which

Lizzie McMullen, one of the competitors’ wives lost

her life whilst preparing her husband’s boat. Mike

McMullen nevertheless took the start, but was lost

at sea a few days later... Mike Flanagan was the

second skipper to pay the ultimate price during

this storm-battered edition which remains famous

for its 125 entrants, tabarly’s second victory, and

the controversy generated by Alain Cola’s 236-ft

monstrous monohull Club Méditerranée.

the Anglo-French dispute following the “Club

Med incident” led to the creation of the completely

open route du rhum solo transatlantic event,

and the French contingent only came back to the

OstAr (now imposing a restriction on boat length

and number of entries) in 1984. the 1980 edition

had been won by Phil Weld’s trimaran Moxie, a 100%

Corinthian entry, and the course record dropped by

six days in one go - it was fast approaching the two-

week barrier. Philippe Poupon did not better Weld’s

time in 1984, coming first into Newport after 16

days at sea - but eventually and much to his dismay

yvon Fauconnier was declared the winner after

standing-by Philippe Jeantot’s capsized catamaran

for 16 hours! Poupon would take his revenge in

1988, and set a new course record of 10 days that

would stand until 2000. trimaran wizard Loïck

Peyron won the 1992 and 1996 events back to back,

and the 1990s saw the return of the competitive

monohulls - the OstAr, renamed europe 1 New

Man star, proved a perfect shakedown and qualifier

for the single-handed non-stop round the world

vendée Globe.

A staggering fleet of 24 IMOCA 60 monohulls

entered the 2000 event, and ellen MacArthur, then

only 23 years old, surprised everyone by beating

solo masters like Michel Desjoyeaux, thomas

Coville, yves Parlier, Mike Golding and roland

Jourdain, to name but a few! In the multihull class,

Francis Joyon’s (almost) sponsorless trimaran

made the headline by smashing Poupon’s 1988

record. Interestingly, both MacArthur and Joyon

would soon afterwards become the first two

sailors to ever complete a single-handed non-

stop circumnavigation aboard a multihull, both

setting reference times that already have their own

chapters in the great book of offshore racing.

THE mAkINg oF A lEgENd

run as an independent race for professional solo

sailors under the management of OC events and

named simply the trANsAt, the 2004 event’s

evolution continued alongside the traditional

OstAr (Original single-handed transatlantic

race) held the following year and organised

by the royal Western yacht Club focussing on

Corinthian, non-pro sailors. With an entry totalling

40 multihulls and monohulls of 50 and 60 feet

including 12 OrMA trimarans and yves Parlier’s

radical and untried catamaran, Mediatis region

Aquitaine, the fleet contained an unprecedented

level of offshore racing talent and assured intense

competition: qualities that were soon to become

evident. vendée Globe and route du rhum winner

Right: The Start, Plymouth Sound,

May 11th 2008, amid over 1,000 spectator boats.

Left: Race Village 2008

in Sutton Harbour,

The Barbican, Plymouth

ChIChESTER wON AFTER 40 DAYS AND 12 hOURS AT SEA. hISTORY wAS IN MOTION…

Photos, this page: © onedition

25

Top: The 2008 Race Village attracted more than 150,000 visitors.

2nd row: Skippers' presentation.

Above: VIP and Media Centre.

Bottom: IMOCA 60 pontoon, Sutton Harbour.

All photos: © onedition

LOïCk PEYRON CAPTURED hIS ThIRD wIN ON ThE COURSE, BEATING ThE "FOUNDING FAThER", TABARLY hIMSELF.

Year Total Fleet Total Finishers Winner(s)

1960 5 5 Francis Chichester (overall, monohull)

1964 15 14 Eric Tabarly (overall, monohull)

1968 35 18 Geoffrey Williams (overall, monohull)

1972 55 40 Alain Colas (overall, trimaran)

1976 125 73 Eric Tabarly (overall, monohull)

1980 90 72 Phil Weld (overall, trimaran)

1984 91 64 yvon Fauconnier (overall, trimaran)

1988 95 73 Philippe Poupon (overall, trimaran)

1992 66 63 Loïck Peyron (overall, multihull) / yves Parlier (IMOCA monohull)

1996 58 42 Loïck Peyron (overall, multihull) / Gerry Roufs (IMOCA monohull)

2000 71 39 Francis Joyon (overall, multihull) / Ellen MacArthur (IMOCA monohull)

2004 37 30 Michel desjoyeaux (overall, multihull), Mike Golding (IMOCA monohull)

2008 24 19 Loïck Peyron (overall, IMOCA monohull) / Giovanni Soldini (Class 40)

Michel Desjoyeaux, skippering a trimaran, crossed

the finish line first in Boston - by becoming the

absolute king of single-handers (having won the

three most prestigious events of the discipline), he

confirmed the transat’s “legend-making” status!

2008 saw the arrival of Artemis as title partner,

and definitely perpetuated the tradition since Loïck

Peyron (skippering a monohull this time) captured

his third win on the course, beating the “founding

father” tabarly himself. A feat which catapulted the

already iconic Peyron into another stratosphere!

the 2008 (13th) edition of the event innovated

by welcoming the Class 40 monohulls, offering a

healthy balance of Corinthian spirit and proving

ground for rising talents.



Near right column: Dee Caffari

aboard Aviva.

SCREEN ShOTS FROM wEB VIDEOS

Far right column: Filmed from gitana - Loïck

Peyron’s dramatic, mid Atlantic rescue of Vincent

Riou, following PRB’s collision.

Above: Safran finishes 4th, Boston,

May 26th 2008.

Right: IMOCA 60 podium finishers (l to r) Yann Eliès (3rd),

Loïck Peyron (1st) and Armel l’Cléach (2nd).

Above: 5th place Sam Davies aboard Roxy,

flies the Race Flag for her Boston arrival.

the ArteMIs trANsAt

Course: Plymouth (Uk) - Boston (USA)

Distance: 2,750 nautical miles

Times to beat:

Monohull: 12 days, 11 hours, 45 minutes and 35

seconds - Loïck Peyron, gitana eighty (2008)

Multihull: 8 days, 8 hours, 29 minutes and 55

seconds - Michel Desjoyeaux, géant, outright

course record (2004)

27

© L

loyd

im

ag

es

THE ARTEMIS CHALLENGE28


“…ThE 50-MILE COURSE IS STREwN wITh hAZARDS SUCh AS

LOw-LYING ROCkS, ShIFTING SANDBANkS, AND EVEN ThE

wRECkAGE OF AN OLD STEAMShIP.”

THE

sTuFFWIgHT

Artemis Challenge they will be joined aboard by an experienced racing crew to help manoeuvre the huge yachts through a crowded Solent, as well as some special celebrity guests. The race has already welcomed royalty, when Lady Gabriella Windsor joined the crew onboard Artemis, The Profit Hunter. Athletes and celebrities have also taken part, with rugby stars Will Greenwood and James Haskell, Commonwealth Gold Medallist Dean Macey, political supremo and former Labour Party spin-doctor Alistair Campbell, as well as television star Davina McCall, all joining previous editions of the race.

But the real stars of the show are the IMOCA yachts and the sailors who race them. The Artemis Challenge was set up to showcase IMOCA 60 racing in the UK, and this year the race will have a special draw as a warm-up for the Rolex Fastnet Race – a 607-mile offshore race across the Irish Sea which sets off the day after Cowes Week. Some of the most talented offshore sailors in the business have competed in the Challenge each year, such as Volvo Ocean Race winning skipper Mike Sanderson, and a host of Vendée Globe skippers including fourth-placed Sam Davies, Artemis Ocean Racing’s Jonny Malbon, and Brian Thompson – who won the 2008 race on Pindar.

CHARITy

Every year Artemis Investment Management donate a charity prize fund of £10,000 for the race, which goes to a charity of the winner’s choice. In 2008 winning skipper Brian Thompson nominated Earthwatch as the recipient of the cash, whilst the race and its celebrity guests also raised money for other causes such as Help for Heroes.

Pindar completed last year’s exhilarating round-the-island dash in 4 hours and 14 minutes – that’s just six minutes short of the current Round the Island Record, set at 4 hours 8 minutes by the 100-foot Maxi Yacht ICAP Leopard. With the right wind conditions, can the IMOCA 60s set a new course record this year in the Artemis Challenge? Find out on 5th August 2009.

Now in its third year, the Artemis Challenge has become a regular fixture on the IMOCA 60 calendar, drawing celebrities and sailing stars. What makes it so special?

small island off the south coast of England holds a special significance among sailors. The Isle of Wight, just south of Southampton, is quintessential

yachting country. And Cowes, a small town in the north of the island, is yachting HQ.

The town is steeped in sailing history, and every year is host to dozens of regattas and sailing competitions, including the world-famous Cowes Week. Believed to be the world’s largest annual regatta, Cowes Week is one of the UK’s longest running sporting events, held every year (except for wartime) since 1826.

The event welcomes hundreds of boats of all sizes, thousands of competitors and hordes of spectators, all packed into bustling marinas and quaint pubs, lining the historic seafront and turning the Solent into a froth of waves. Ashore there are exclusive black-tie balls, bustling beer tents full of sailors catching up with old friends, and street performers, all adding up to a festival atmosphere.

Since 2007 the Artemis Challenge has been a special addition to the week. Against the fantastic backdrop of Cowes Week, the Artemis Challenge sees a fleet of IMOCA 60s charging around the Isle of Wight in a unique race, raising money for good causes.

RACING HARd

The course around the Isle of Wight is a perfect, natural race-track. Every June around 1,500 yachts set off from Cowes to complete the circumnavigation as part of the annual Round the Island Race, making for a spectacular sight as the Solent fills with sails at dawn on one of the longest days of the year. The most famous trophy in sailing – the America’s Cup – also originated here when the Royal Yacht Squadron held a race around the island back in 1851. The race was won by the schooner America. Legend has it that when Queen Victoria, who was watching in Cowes, asked who was second, she received the reply, “Your Majesty, there is no second.”

The IMOCA 60s in the Artemis Challenge will be racing just as hard around the Solent. They’ll need their wits about them too – the 50-mile course is strewn with hazards such as low-lying rocks, shifting sandbanks, and even the wreckage of an old steamship just off the iconic Needles rocks and lighthouse. The Artemis Challenge has already seen its fair share of events; in 2007 one of the IMOCA 60s competing, Pindar, lost its mast and had to be towed home.

Whilst the IMOCA 60 skippers will be used to racing alone, or with just one co-skipper, for the

© L

loyd

im

ag

es

Above and opposite: The Artemis Challenge sends the Open 60s around

the Isle of Wight in a spectacular 50-mile dash for charity.

29

30


ZOOM - ARTEMIS OCEAN RACING IMAGES30

Photo © J.Vapillon

T H E A R T E M I S F L E E T I N P I C T U R E S

31

Photo: © J.Vapillon





Above 3 photos: © Lloyd Images

From top left, then clockwise:

1. Jonny Malbon checks the mast prior to the Vendée Globe.

2. Racing around the Isle of Wight during the breezy 2008 Artemis Challenge.

3. Onboard Artemis ocean racing during the Artemis Challenge: a memorable experience

for VIP guests!

4. Artemis ocean racing was the only British representative during the opening event of the

season in France, the Grand Prix Petit-Navire.

Opposite above:

Artemis ocean racing displaying her

potential during the Grand Prix Petit

Navire in Brittany in May.

Opposite below:

Maximum concentration is required

from the crew on an IMOCA 60’.

33





Photos, this page: © Lloyd Images

Facing page above:

The Grand Prix Petit-Navire in picturesque

Douarnenez brings together various sailing

speed machines!

Facing page below:

Jonny Malbon putting the Artemis Figaro

through her paces - “one hand for you one

hand for the boat”, as the saying goes!

Above:

The impressive sail area of modern ocean racers is

reminiscent of glorious tall ships...

Left:

The Figaro Bénéteau one-design is at the heart of the

most competitive of all single-handed offshore classes.

Below:

Quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister pushing the boundaries of

the “humanly possible” aboard an Artemis 20.

3535

Confounding expectations. that’s what the

Artemis 20 keelboat sets out to do, and that’s what

one extraordinary sailor, hilary Lister, has done

again and again.

the Artemis 20 is a 20-foot racing keelboat

designed to be sailed by both able-bodied and

disabled sailors. But whilst many boats that have

been adapted or specially designed for use by

sailors with disabilities have an inherent clunkiness,

the Artemis 20 is a sleek mini speed machine.

Penned by rogers yacht Design for builders

vizual Marine, the Artemis 20 looks a little like a

miniature ‘America’s Cup’ boat, with her slim hull,

large downwind gennaker, and stylish all-black

carbon finish. Light weight, with a deep lead keel,

she is made for speed – all characteristics which

mean the Artemis 20 appeals to able-bodied sailors

looking for a two-man racing boat.

“It’s a boat that’s built to go sailing in, it just

happens to be suitable for disabled sailors so

it’s kitted out for us,” explained record breaking

quadriplegic sailor hilary Lister, “but people don’t

look at it and say ‘Oh, that’s a boat for a disabled

person.’ that’s just a nice boat.”

But some unique features make the Artemis

20 suitable for sailors with a range of disabilities.

rather than ‘hiking out’ – or perching on the

ThE ARTEMIS 20 IS A REMARkABLE LITTLE BOAT,BEING SAILED ON A REMARkABLY LARGE JOURNEY

edge of the hull for balance, as happens in many

small boats – the Artemis 20 can be sailed from

a secure, forward-facing seat, with one for both

helm and crew. the seat ‘cants’, or tilts, as the boat

heels over in the breeze, to ensure the sailors stay

sitting comfortably upright, with a good view, and

(mostly!) dry.

you could be forgiven for thinking that this

6-metre long craft would be restricted to whizzing

around close to shore, but since its launch in 2006,

the Artemis 20 has been on some surprisingly long

voyages – mostly in the hands of one amazing

sailor, hilary Lister.

thirty-six-year-old hilary Lister has a rare

degenerative disease that means she is now

confined to a wheelchair and can move only her

head and neck. however, hilary, who was a sporty

child until the disease took hold in her early teens,

has taken on a series of sailing challenges.

A complex ‘sip and puff’ system enables

hilary to steer, trim and manoeuvre especially

adapted boats by blowing and sucking on a series

of straws in her mouth. In 2005 hilary became the

first quadriplegic ever to have sailed solo across

the english Channel, navigating the busy shipping

channels in 6 hours, 13 minutes – an incredible

achievement. two years later she set an even

© Ian Snell

© Lloyd Images

THE ARTEMIS 2036


bigger record, when she sailed around the Isle of

Wight — a distance of over 50 miles – alone in her

Artemis 20.

hilary has set herself yet another seemingly

impossible challenge – to sail around Great Britain,

single-handedly. “the idea is to sail around Britain

and the east of Ireland, in a series of pretty long, 40-

60 mile, hops,” explained hilary as she prepared to

cross the Irish sea on her way to Wexford.

Although the team stops every night at ports

dotted around the coast, hilary will spend long

days at sea, despite frequently being in extreme

pain. hilary set out from Dover, and the voyage

is expected to take around 3-4 months, sailing

in a clockwise direction that pits her against the

prevailing winds and tides for much of the first half

of the journey.

her adapted Artemis 20, which she has

nicknamed ‘Arty’, has a series of motors that enable

her to ease the sails in and out, move the tiller, and

control functions such as the autopilot. the only

thing hilary cannot do on the boat is reef the sails

to reduce their area if the wind gets too strong – if

that needs to happen then a member of crew from

the following support boat jumps on board, and

if they sail too far before the job is finished, then

hilary insists on sailing back to the point where they

started, so she will have truly sailed every single mile

of the mammoth journey alone.

“the boat is fantastic to sail, absolutely

fantastic. she’s great fun. If I ever manage to find

a wind that isn’t blowing on my nose, it’s lovely to

get on a beam reach and just fly,” enthused hilary.

“she can be quick - although we’ve had to make

adaptations that have affected her performance a

little. she is pretty easy to get into ports where there

are pontoons. she’s very, very stable. And she’s very,

very safe.”

hilary’s sailing career took off when she met

round the world solo sailor emma richards at the

London Boat show back in 2005. emma’s sponsors

at the time, Pindar, were blown away by hilary’s

plans to cross the Channel and helped hilary achieve

her first goal. When Artemis bought an Open 60

from Pindar (now Artemis, The Profit Hunter), they

too had their imaginations captured by hilary’s

ambition, and the Artemis 20 soon became an

essential element in her dream of sailing around

Britain.

But on her trip hilary will also be raising money

for her charity, hilary’s Dream trust, which has been

set up to make other people’s sailing and sporting

dreams possible, whether they are physically

disabled or otherwise disadvantaged.

“the trust is incredibly important because I

got lucky, I bumped into emma richards at my first

Boat show by chance, we hit it off, and that got me

my first sponsorship,” hilary recalls. “Most disabled

people aren’t that lucky. so the trust is about helping

disabled and financially disadvantaged people who

perhaps as children, like me, did things like outdoor

pursuit courses. to enable them to carry on with the

sailing they’ve been doing, and to do exciting and

challenging stuff, not just your regular sail around

a lake.”

Follow hilary’s progress at www.hilarylister.com

© Lloyd Images

© Lloyd Images (both photos, this page)

37

sailinG to Me is the escape Route FRoM My disability.

when i’M sailinG i Go into a diFFeRent woRld, it’s like

i’M FlyinG! the beauty oF the even keel pRoJect is in its

siMplicity: identical boats, able-bodied oR disabled, a

level playinG Field. it is FittinG that these ReMaRkable

boats will be used to enable so Many MoRe people to

achieve soMethinG they neveR thouGht possible.

hilary Lister

ON AN EVEN KEEL38


In June 2009 the Even Keel Project went to Galway, Ireland during the busy stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race. With a prime spot in the race village a number of disabled people were able to enjoy the chance of getting out on the water in an Artemis 20 – some individuals sailing for the very first time. Some of the Volvo Ocean Race crews also lent their support to the project, with Ian Walker, skipper of Irish team Green Dragon taking to the water with Gary Allen, a Galway local with a spinal disability. Despite light breezes, Walker concluded that the experience was ‘great fun’, saying: ‘The Artemis 20 are very responsive little boats, and it’s great to remember what sailing is really all about, which is getting on the water and having a bit of fun!”

Gary Allen added: “This project is absolutely phenomenal. You are the same as everybody else when you’re sailing, you can just do your own thing. Once I’ve manoeuvred myself into the boat – which is sometimes something of a challenge! – it’s easy from then on, once you’re in the boat your disability just doesn’t matter.”

The Even Keel Project is currently in discussions about forming partnerships with many more sailing clubs and other suitable host sites around the world, including Australia, Spain and the United States. The aim is to create numerous centres of excellence worldwide, all offering competitive sailing for the disabled and disadvantaged on Artemis 20s.

ailing is unique among outdoor sports in that physically disabled sailors can enjoy and compete in the sport on a level playing field with able-bodied crews. And that’s the premise behind a new grassroots

sailing initiative designed to offer disabled and disadvantaged people the opportunity to experience the joys of sailing.

Formed in 2008 by Dave Rutter of Vizual Marine, the Even Keel Project is a worldwide scheme being developed at sailing clubs around the globe. At its heart is the adaptable Artemis 20 keelboats, the same design used by record-breaking quadriplegic sailor Hilary Lister in her long-distance voyages (see page 26). The Even Keel scheme aims to supply six performance keelboats to each venue, enabling the sailing club to offer sailing opportunities to those who might otherwise never get the chance.

The Simon Rogers-designed Artemis 20 was created and built to be accessible to all and can be sailed in a number of different formats, catering for almost any type of disability with just the smallest of adjustments to the controls. Otherwise the boat fundamentally remains unchanged, meaning that both disabled and able-bodied sailors are able to compete on a truly level playing field. Besides being practical and functional these elegant boats are also very desirable, ensuring they appeal to sailors of all levels and abilities.

The first venue is the UK Even Keel Site, sponsored by Artemis, which is now up and running at the world-renowned UK Sailing Academy (UKSA) in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. With six Artemis 20s available, the Artemis Even Keel Site UK is designed to introduce sailing to disabled sailors and a wider audience of young, disadvantaged people throughout Britain. The not-for-profit project aims to promote disabled sailing and inspire individuals through the sport, with sailing opportunities offered at no cost over the 2009 season from the UKSA’s fantastic base, which provides top-class facilities and accommodation suitable for disabled and able-bodied sailors.

Sailing provides the ultimate sense of freedom – never more so than for sailors with physical disabilities. Artemis Investment Management is backing a new project to enable more people to get out on the water.

On an even keel

All photos: © Dave Rutter / Even Keel Project

Find out more at theevenkeel.com

39

in theiR

ownwoRds

A SELECTION OF THE MESSAGES RECEIVED FROM GUESTS WHO ExPERIENCED THE ExCITEMENT OF SAILING ON BOARD THE ARTEMIS RACING MACHINES.

“I was privileged to be aboard Artemis Ocean Racing for a couple of days this week at the invitation of Artemis.

What a fantastic time it was! I am neither a professional nor amateur sailor though have been out for a few day trips

aboard yachts before, bobbing about the Solent. This surpassed anything I had done on yachts before.”

“Thank you very much for organising such a fabulous days sailing on Artemis. Your team did an excellent job of

making our guests feel welcome and having such an enjoyable day on the water. The crew were great at getting

the guys involved on the boat - and for some, it was their first time on a racing boat.”

“You guys were all great - so friendly and informative but also there was a buzz about you all

which made it even better. I would love to get the newsletter to keep up with what you are

all up to.”

“I want to let you know that we had an absolutely amazing day with the Artemis team in

Cowes. we would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in making the

day what all of us felt was ‘the experience of a lifetime’. It really was fantastic and I haven’t

been able to get any of the lads to stop talking about it since Sunday. The lads’ favourite

financial company is certainly going to be Artemis from hereon in and I expect the local

sailing club to have a few new members before this week is up!”

“I got back to my Southampton flat at 0500 on Sunday morning, after the most exhilarating sleepless 27 hours of

my life! Thank you very much for setting me up with the people at Artemis Ocean Racing. They are a superb bunch

of people, and the boat is exceptional. I had never done anything like it in my life.”

“The sheer ability to go faster than the wind is the clear result of meticulous attention to detail, by all members

of the team, from engineers to crew. This trait is reproduced at Artemis, both in the City, and on the water. I was

in awe. Thank you for the opportunity. “

QUOTES ANd 2009 PROGRAMME40


la solitaiRe du FiGaRo(read full story page 20)

Start date: 30th of July

Course: Lorient - La Coruña - St Gilles Croix de Vie -

Dingle - Dieppe

Length: 1700 miles in 4 legs

Artemis Ocean Racing entrants:

• Artemis Figaro - Jonny Malbon

the aRteMis challenGe(read our full story page 28)

Start date: 5th of August

Course: Round the Isle of Wight

Length: 50 miles


• Artemis ocean racing - fully crewed

• Artemis, the profit hunter - fully crewed

Rolex Fastnet RaceStart date: 9th of August

Course: Cowes to Plymouth, Fastnet Rock to port

Length: 607 miles


• Artemis ocean racing - double-handed + media person.

• Artemis, the profit hunter - crewed by up-and-

coming British talents

tRansat Jacques vabRe(read full story page 22)

Start date: 8th of November

Course: Le Havre (FRA) - Puerto Limon (Costa Rica)

Length: 4920 miles


• Artemis ocean racing - Sam Davies and Sidney Gavignet

ARTEMIS OCEAN RACING TEAM

2009P r O G r A M M e

TRANSAT JACqUES VABRE

ROLEx FASTNET RACE

ThE ARTEMIS ChALLENGE

LA SOLITAIRE DU FIGARO

41

Who is Artemis?Artemis Investment Management Limited was founded by Mark Tyndall, John Dodd, Derek Stuart and Lindsay Whitelaw in 1997 as a dedicated active investment management house specialising in investments for retail investors.

The company has grown to the extent that it now manages an asset base of some £10.8bn*, which is spread across a range of unit trusts, an investment trust, hedge fund products, a venture capital trust, an international SICAV as well as segregated institutional portfolios.

Despite such rapid growth, the founding partners continue to be involved with the management of clients’ money and have been joined by 15 other dedicated fund managers who share the same flair and enthusiasm for fund management.* Source: Internal as at 30 June 2009.

What do Artemis do?The Artemis philosophy is to hunt out profits no matter what the market environment. This philosophy is based around the team’s belief that a fund’s primary aim is to beat the markets.

At Artemis, we believe that whatever the market condition, opportunities for superior returns are usually available for active managers to find; provided they possess the skills and confidence necessary to identify and exploit what’s on offer.

As active fund managers, not only are we given

Everything You Need To Know About Artemis

the freedom to adapt to changing markets, we are encouraged to stock-pick, to take responsibility, and to put our collective selves on the line.

“A share is simply a mechanism for making money. If it is going to make us a profit, we’ll buy it. If not, we let someone else buy it.”Mark Tyndall, CEO and founding partner, Artemis Investment Management.

How do Artemis do it? Artemis’ fund managers work closely together, drawing on each other’s talents and knowledge. Each brings a different mindset to the forum but basically there are two routes taken when searching for opportunities.

One team process is the SmartGARPTM system introduced by Philip Wolstencroft, fund manager of the Artemis European Growth Fund. SmartGARP provides quantitative analysis of what’s going on in the markets. It analyses data in a systematic and wholly objective fashion and provides logical and three-dimensional results, which are then assessed by the fund manager.

Another element involves company visits - seeing the company, meeting the management and understanding what the company is all about. Some fund managers rely more heavily on these visits than others as a great deal of information can be gained in face-to-face meetings. Fund managers share information and work in a collegiate manner to maximise all investments.

Ultimately, the key to the Artemis process is

Fig 2. SmartGARP – the hunter’s trusty companion

Fig 1. A typical PROFIT



commitments or investments. For your protection, telephone calls are usually recorded.

Artemis Fund Managers Limited Cassini House, 57 St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LD

42 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7HATelephone: 0800 092 2051Facsimile: 020 7399 6497Email: [email protected]

This document is issued by Artemis Fund Managers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, 25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HS and is a member of the IMA. Artemis Fund Managers Limited is a member of the Artemis Marketing Group. We only market our own unit trusts.

independent decision-making based on thorough research.

What products do Artemis offer?Artemis offer a range of 10 unit trusts. We believe the purpose of a unit trust is to outperform the stock market, that’s what investment managers aim for. So whether you are looking to invest directly into a unit trust or via a tax efficient wrapper, such as an ISA, Artemis aim to beat the markets by searching out the best investments. Our range of funds include:

• Artemis Capital Fund• Artemis European Growth Fund• Artemis Global Growth Fund• Artemis High Income Fund• Artemis Income Fund• Artemis Strategic Assets Fund• Artemis Strategic Bond Fund• Artemis UK Growth Fund• Artemis UK Smaller Companies Fund• Artemis UK Special Situations Fund

What makes Artemis different?One of the primary foundations of the Artemis philosophy is that:

• personal trading is not permitted.• Artemis managers must invest in Artemis funds,

so their money goes into the market alongside yours.

• the team approach ensures best ideas are shared and maximised.

We believe this is unique in financial services.

How to invest in Artemis productsVisit an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA). IFAs have a significant, if not vital role to play for many people when considering their investment options; to find an IFA near you visit www.unbiased.co.uk.

Visit our website at www.artemisonline.co.uk and go to ‘Manage Your Account’ to register to buy units online with your debit card.

Fig 1. A typical PROFIT

Call Artemis Client Services on 0800 092 2051 for an application form. Complete and send it together with your cheque to Artemis Fund Managers Limited, PO Box 9688, Chelmsford CM99 2AE.

Please remember that past performance is not a guide to future performance.

Award Winning PerformanceThe winning combination of our differentiated team structure and our unique investment approach has allowed us to build a reputation for strong and consistent performance in all market conditions. Our expertise has been widely recognised, resulting in a wide range of industry awards, including most recently:

Best Smaller Equity Fund House at the Morningstar UK Fund House Awards 2008

Best Fund over 10 years – Equity UK at the Lipper Fund Awards UK 2008 for our Artemis Capital Fund

Best Fund over 3 years – Mixed Asset GBP Conservative – Global at the Lipper Fund Awards for our Artemis High Income Fund.

For information on our funds please visit the Artemis website at www.artemisonline.co.uk or call Client Services on 0800 092 2051 for a brochure.

Risk WarningPlease remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

The value of an investment and any income from it can fall as well as rise as a result of market and currency fluctuations and you may not get back the amount originally invested. In particular, there can be no assurance that capital appreciation will occur in the early years as initial charges are levied on your investment and charges are not made uniformly throughout the life of your investment. Artemis Fund Managers Limited does not offer investment advice. We recommend you seek investment advice from a Financial Adviser before making any financial

A PASSION FOR SPORT AND A COMMITMENT TO RESULTSark Turner and Dame Ellen MacArthur set up Offshore Challenges over a decade ago. From small beginnings the company has grown rapidly to an all-

encompassing sports marketing business now known as OC Group.

OC Group is a sports marketing, management and communications company for professional sailing, adventure athletes and sailing events including The Artemis Transat, the Barcelona World Race and the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series. The group also has a dedicated technology development division (OC Technology) and an integrated creative design business (OC Vision). The company offers a complete and fully integrated skill set from sponsorship sales and strategy development, through to sponsorship fulfillment via project management and both traditional and cutting edge communications designed specifically to help ensure sponsors maximise return on their sponsorship investment. OC Group’s projects have won four Hollis Awards for the most effective use of sponsorship 2002-2005, the Association for Project Management Enterprise Project of the Year in 2005 for Ellen

MacArthur’s project with B&Q and the 2009 European Sponsorship Award Business to Business Category for the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series.

The sailing management division, Offshore Challenges, was appointed project managers to the Artemis Ocean Racing campaign earlier this year bringing over 10 years of experience in the sport. Offshore Challenges origins lay in the Mini class as both Ellen MacArthur and Mark Turner raced in the 1997 edition of the Mini Transat: “It was the first and last time I actually beat Ellen on the water!” commented OC Group’s CEO, Mark Turner. “After that I decided to hang up my own oilskins and focus on managing Ellen’s career which, as history has shown, was obviously a smart thing to do! The Mini class is the breeding ground for up and coming new talent and the majority of professional French sailors follow a cycle from Mini to Figaro, Class 40 and then on to IMOCA 60s. Applying this theory to the Artemis Ocean Racing team is the first-step in producing more British short-handed sailing talent who can go on and race competitively against the best in the world.”

www.ocgroup.com

4343

Latitude Magazine

Documents

artemis ceo04 artemis

artemis transat

artemis challenge

artemis fleet

artemis ocean racing

artemis ocean racing

artemis investment management

artemis oc groupyou