The Imoca skippers are due to meet up again in St Malo on 31st October for the Route du Rhum-la Banque Postale and in Barcelona on 31st December for the Barcelona World Race. 9 boats are set to compete in the Rhum and at least ten for the Barcelona.

At the present time, some skippers are finishing off their projects in order to make it to the start line, while others are adding the final touches to their brand new prototypes.

The new projects:
Four major projects are under way at the moment. The most advanced of these belongs to Vincent Riou (PRB), whose new boat has been on the water since the spring, and Jean-Pierre Dick (Virbac – Paprec 3), who recently moored up in Lorient at the end of a long delivery trip from New Zealand via the Panama canal. Meanwhile, Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia) is completing a race against the clock so as to make the start of the Route du Rhum, before gearing up for the Barcelona World Race. The three sailors have all opted for a Verdier – VPLP design, acknowledging the respective performances of Safran and Groupe Bel. Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) is continuing with the construction of his Kouyoumdjian designed boat at the Decision yard in Switzerland.

Continuing to sail
Roland Jourdain (Veolia Environnement) has traded in his Lombard design, which was beginning to get a bit dated, for the Farr designed boat previously skippered by Sébastien Josse during the last Vendée Globe. Bilou’s aim is to defend his title during the next Route du Rhum. Roland will once again be competing against Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel), who is continuing to optimise his monohull, as well as Marc Guillemot (Safran), who is keen to repeat his performance from the last Transat Jacques Vabre.

For this year’s Route du Rhum, Arnaud Boissières (Akena Vérandas) is now in possession of a boat which once belonged to Vincent Riou, while Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air), winner of the Solitaire du Figaro, will be racing on his Finot designed boat again.

Looking ahead to Barcelona, Dominique Wavre and his new partner Mirabaud will be at the start of the next Barcelona World Race; while Dee Caffari will be teaming up with Anna Corbella (GAES Centros Auditivos).

Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) will also be at the start of the race, aboard a boat previously skippered by Brian Thompson (Pindar). Alex is gambling on the boat’s power and his new boat is certainly a looker.

The Spanish are also intending to be out in force on the IMOCA circuit as several crews are actively preparing for the Barcelona World Race. Alex Pella is teaming up with Pepe Ribes (Estrella Damm) on Loïck Peyron’s former Farr design; Pachi Rivero is partnering Tonio Piris (W Hotels Nova Bocana) on Jean-Pierre Dick’s former boat, while Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez (Movistar) are benefiting from the advice of Michel Desjoyeaux after purchasing the winning boat from the last Vendée Globe.

A few other projects will also be taking part in the next Barcelona World Race and they are discreetly being finalised.

Strategic choices for the future
By opting to register the next three editions of the Barcelona World Race in its schedule, Imoca had gambled on its internationalisation and the complementary nature of single and double-handed races.

They’ve pulled it off! The 2010 Imoca season will comprise over 20 entries in its World Championship.

Naturally, the 2008 Vendée Globe was an exceptional event, with 30 competitors at the start. 18 competitors lined up for the 2004 edition, so we should be able to count on the 2012 edition being just as exceptional.

Between these two round the world races, the Europa Race will go around Europe, starting in Istanbul on July 2nd 2011.
An action-packed season
As they all prepare for the two major events, namely the Route du Rhum and the Barcelona World Race, a number of races have welcomed the sixty foot monohulls, enabling a series of often highly instructive confrontations between boats from different generations.

As usual, the Douarnenez Grand Prix welcomed the IMOCA boats for an event which brilliantly combined speed runs and offshore courses. It proved to be a great opportunity for Vincent Riou to try out his brand new PRB and for Marc Guillemot to validate the latest modifications carried out on Safran. The Spaniards on Movistar, Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez, benefited from a prestigious guest in the shape of Michel Desjoyeaux, who was able to pass on a few of the secrets to powering up his former boat. Brit Air skippered by Armel Le Cléac’h and Veolia Environnement skippered by Roland Jourdain, completed the line-up. Ultimately the Spaniards took victory just a whisker ahead of PRB and Safran.

Estrella Damm and W Hotels Nova Bocana battled it out on an original double-handed course between New York and Barcelona with a view to achieving a new record.

The SNSM Record meantime saw the victory of Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) ahead of Akena Vérandas skippered by Arnaud Boissières.

At the same, the Vuelta Espana a Vela played host to eight IMOCA crews for a race between Hondarribia and Barcelona, passing through Santander, Gijon, Sanxenxo, Calpe and Palma de Majorca. Given the results of the first two stages, we could have imagined the race would be completely dominated by the two Verdier VPLP designs skippered by Marc Guillemot (Safran) and Vincent Riou (PRB). However, with every leg, the Spanish crews got stronger and stronger, to the extent that they were a regular source of worry for the two leaders of the fleet, twice just missing out on a leg victory that went right down to the wire. It is clear that the emergence of some top level Iberian crews is excellent news for the internationalisation of the class.

Finally, the Artemis Challenge around the Isle of Wight, an event reserved for IMOCAs, proved to be a must during Cowes Week with Mike Golding (MGYR), Roland Jourdain (Véolia Environnement), Dee Caffari (GAES), Ryan Breymaier and Boris Herrmann (VE1), Steve White (Toe in the water) and the Artemis team vying for the top spot. Mike, the outright winner of the event, was able to hand over a cheque for £10,000 to the R.N.L.I.

News
From 3rd to 5th September, the Happy Baie, a new nautical event in La Trinité sur Mer in Brittany, is inviting the 60’ IMOCAs to join in their races and festivities.

As has become the custom the day before a big meeting, the skippers of the 60’ IMOCAs will head for Port-la-Forêt, South-West Brittany, at the end of September and the beginning of October, for some training sessions in preparation for the next Route du Rhum. It will be an opportunity for the new projects to measure up against the tried and tested boats, which were extensively optimised over the winter.

Some of the Imoca sailors themselves have been subjected to some rigorous on-the-water training this summer, albeit on the smaller craft of the Figaro circuit. Armel Le Cléac’h (Brit Air) has shown that he has lost nothing of his clairvoyance by scoring a blinder in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale in association with Fabien Delahaye, before totally dominating the Solitaire du Figaro.

We offer our sincere congratulations to our 2008 World Champion and his partner Brit Air.

Armel was not the only Imoca skipper to compete in the Solitaire. Jérémie Beyou (BPI), Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel), Yann Eliès (Generali), Sébastien Josse (Vendée), Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) and Jonny Malbon (Artemis) also took part in this great summer classic.
Those taking part in the Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale
Arnaud Boissières - Akena Vérandas
Armel Le Cléac’h - Brit Air
Christopher Pratt - DCNS 1000
Michel Desjoyeaux - FONCIA
Kito de Pavant - Groupe Bel
Vincent Riou - PRB
Marc Guillemot - Safran
Roland Jourdain - Veolia Environnement
Jean-Pierre Dick - Virbac Paprec 3

Those taking part in the Barcelona World Race
Jean-Pierre Dick – Loïck Peyron, Virbac – Paprec 3
Michel Desjoyeaux – François Gabart, Foncia
Dominique Wavre – Michèle Paret, Mirabaud
Anna Corbella – Dee Caffari, GAES Centros Auditivos
Alex Pella – Pepe Ribes, Estrella Damm
Pachi Ribero – Tonio Piris,  W Hotels Nova Bocana
Iker Martinez – Xabi Fernandez, Movistar
Alex Thomson – , Hugo Boss
Juan Mederiz – Fran Palacio, Central Lechera Asturiana
Boris Herman – Ryan Breymaier – (VE1)

In addition to these ten entrants, three to four crews are finalising their projects. The former Roxy, Super Bigoud and Kingfisher may also be lining up at the start…

Tomorrow six round-the-world IMOCA 60 racers will be on the start line for the fourth consecutive Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week including Britain’s Mike Golding and Dee Caffari.  Joining the renowned round the world skippers, competing for the £10,000 charity prize fund, will be sporting stars Zara Phillips, Amy Williams, GMTV presenter Emma Crosby and former England rugby international Martin Bayfield. Bayfield played the role of Robbie Coltrane’s body double ‘Hagrid’ in the Harry Potter films and whose co-stars James and Oliver Phelps, known as the Weasley twin characters in the same films, are back for a second time. Amy Williams, Olympic Gold Medalist in the skeleton bob at the last Winter Olympics commented: “I’ve always wanted to give sailing a try. I’m sure life out at sea is pretty different to life on the skeleton bob track!”
British yachtswoman Dee Caffari,  will take part in the fourth edition of the Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week tomorrow.  Dee will be joined onboard by former rugby player turned presenter Martin Bayfield who, since retiring from the game, has played the role of Robbie Coltrane’s body double ‘Hagrid’ in the Harry Potter films in addition to carving out a presenting career.

Dee will be competing aboard her Open 60, GAES Centros Auditivos, in the annual IMOCA 60 sprint round the Isle of Wight that attracts some of the biggest names in ocean racing. Teams will be competing for a generous £10,000 prize fund and Dee will be hoping that a win may boost the coffers of her charity of choice, Toe in the Water. Lloyd Hamilton, Director of the charity will also be a guest of the Dee Caffari Racing team, adding some additional muscle to the existing race crew of Joff Brown, Harry Spedding, Tim Carrie and Scott Gray.

  Held annually, the Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week enables teams to race for the charity of their choice and, as an ambassador for Toe in the Water, this year Dee was keen to show her support. Speaking about her work with the charity, Dee Caffari said:

  ‘I joined the Toe In The Water team in Dartmouth last year and sampled the powerful effect competitive sailing has on the injured servicemen recommended to the programme as part of their rehabilitation. Listening to what the charity does is impressive but when you have been able to see firsthand the impact competitive sailing can have on each individual in the programme it is truly amazing.’

  The tri service initiative, Toe In The Water, aims to inspire men and women who have sustained often traumatic injuries, including the loss of limbs, to move beyond their disability and to become re inspired by life. Competitive sailing is a physically and mentally challenging adventurous sport and provides a unique opportunity for injured men and women to sail and race on equal terms with their able bodied contemporaries. The charity receives no statutory funding and relies entirely on voluntary contributions from individuals, trusts and companies.

 Dee Caffari added:

  ‘Everyone has a role to play within the race crew, everyone is important for the overall performance and this feeling of being a valued team member has often been lost as a result of the injury sustained. It is incredible to see the self-confidence and self esteem return as these guys are re-engaged and re-integrated as part of a high performance team once more. I am delighted to be racing on behalf of Toe In The Water at the Artemis Challenge this year and have Lloyd Hamilton onboard, one of the Directors of the Charity.’

  Later this year, Dee will be taking part in the Barcelona World Race onboard GAES Centros Auditivos with her Spanish co-skipper, Anna Corbella. They will be the only all-female crew taking part in the race that leaves Barcelona on 31st December 2010.

The entries for the Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week 2010 are:

1. Artemis Ocean Racing: Simon Hiscocks

2. Akena Verandas: Arnaud Boissieres
3. Toe in the Water: Steve White
4. GAES Centros Auditivos: Dee Caffari

5. Veolia Environnement: Roland Jourdain
6. VE1: Ryan Breymaier

 

Having spent the last 3 months in Spain, Dee and her team are looking forward to bringing her Open 60, GAES Centros Auditivos, back to the UK. The next few days will see the team welcome guests and sponsors aboard for some sailing followed by preparations for the delivery trip back home to Gosport.

On completing the Vuelta a Espana on 1st July, Dee looked back on the race saying:

“If you ignore the mountainous regions, our circuit of Spain has been completed. Just before dawn we ghosted across the finish line off Barcelona, one month to the day since we departed. The Veulta Espana a Vela has been interesting, exciting, frustrating and fun. Overall we would return. It has been good to line up against the well practised and experienced French teams as well as the equally talented and newer Spanish teams.

We have had a great opportunity to comprehensively test the modifications we have made to the boat, GAES Centros Auditivos. After three months in the shed it has been a relief to be back on the water, however, a full night’s sleep is definitely high on the priority list. With short stages and short stopovers all the teams and their shore crews have struggled with finding a rhythm although it has been interesting to see how this has produced greater interaction and assistance between teams and their shore crews - with Franglais and Spanglish definitely being the language on the dock. The prize giving tonight will be a chance to celebrate Marc Guillemot and Safran’s victory, however, for our next event sixth is not a place I am hoping to finish!

Overall rankings in the Vuelta a Espana
 
Vuelta a España a Vela, final rankings, after 6 legs

Place, Boat, Skippers, Nationality, Total pts (Leg 1, Leg 2, Finisterre, Leg 3, Gibraltar, Leg 4, Leg 5, Palamós, Leg 6)
1. Safran, Marc Guillemot, FRA, 11,5 (1+2+0,5+1+0,5+2+1+1,5+2)
2. PRB, Vincent Riou, FRA, 18,5 (2+1+1+2+1,5+6+2+2+1)
3. Estrella Damm, P.Ribes/ A.Pella, ESP, 32 (5+5+2+4+1+4+5+1+5)
4. W Hotels-Nova Bocana, P.Rivero/ A.Piris, ESP, 32 (4+4+1,5+3+3+8+3+2,5+3)
5. Movistar, I.Martínez/ X.Fernández, ESP, 35,5 (3+3+2,5+6+2,5+10+4+0,5+4)
6. GAES Centros Auditivos, D.Caffari/ A.Corbella, GBR/ESP, 49 (6+6+3+5+2+12+6+3+6)
7. Central Lechera Asturiana, J.Merediz/ F.Palacio, ESP, 59,5 (7+7+3,5+7+3,5+14+7+3,5+7)
8. Pakea Bizkaia, J.Mumbrú/ C.Sanmarti, ESP, 68 (8+8+4+8+4+16+8+4+8)

 

 2009 Imoca World Championship
 
1.   Marc Guillemot 362pts
2.   Michel Desjoyeaux 357pts
3.   Armel Le Cleach 338pts
4.   Samantha Davies 321pts
5.   Vincent Riou 304pts
6.   Dee Caffari 295pts
7.   Arnaud Boissières 292pts
8.   Brian Thompson 281pts
9.   Steve White 250pts
10.   Richard Wilson 220pts
11.   Raphaël Dinelli 210pts
12.   Norbert Sedlacek 200pts
13.   Kito De Pavant 59pts
14.   Loïck Peyron 52pts
15.   Yann Eliès 44pts
16.   Roland Jourdain 39pts
17.   Mike Golding 36pts
18.   Jérémie Beyou 33pts
19.   Yannick Bestaven 32pts
20.   Alex Pella 30pts
21.   Pachi Rivero 18pts
22.   Guillermo Altadill 16pts
23.   Jean-Pierre Dick 8pts
24.   Marc Thiercelin 4pts
25.   Unai Basurko 0pts
26.   Jean-Baptiste Dejeanty 0pts
27.   Derek Hatfield 0pts
28.   Sébastien Josse 0pts
29.   Jean Le Cam 0pts
30.   Jonathan Malbon 0pts
31.   Bernard Stamm 0pts
32.   Alex Thomson 0pts
33.   Dominique Wavre 0pts

 

Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella claim sixth place into Palma on Leg 5 of the Vuelta a Espana At 10.36 hrs BST today, the crew aboard GAES Centros Auditivos completed the 140 miles between the towns of Calpe and Palma, which formed the penultimate stage of the Vuelta a Espana. The Open 60 skippered by British yachtswoman Dee Caffari and Spaniard Anna Corbella finished in sixth position despite encountering serious problems with the main winch during the leg.

 As they passed through Formentera, the GAES Centros Audutivos crew were third in the fleet, however, problems with the main winch then saw them drop back several places to seventh. A thrilling struggle with Central Lechera Asturiana just two miles from the finish allowed them to pass their race rivals to finish sixth, which is also their position overall in the competition.

On arriving in Palma, Dee Caffari commented, “It was a shame because we were third past Formentera. We have been forced to change our tactics and just could not catch the other boats. We did a great job in the first part of this race, which is really encouraging.”

Anna Corbella added: “On the one hand we are pleased to have regained a place just before the finish line but are somewhat disappointed because we were racing really well until we had the problem with the winch.”

Safran and PRB once again secured first and second positions respectively, with W Hotels across the finish line in third. Estrella Damm and Movistar finished fourth and fifth, less than two minutes apart highlighting the close racing in this competition.

Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella reached the finish line of Leg 4 of the Vuelta a Espana a Vela in the port of Calpe at 1157hrs BST today. On the South run through the Atlantic GAES Centros Auditivos held their own with the leading group on this, the longest of the six legs of the competition. As expected, the Mediterranean dealt conditions that resulted in a loss of speed that saw them drop back from their closest race rivals. 

GAES Centros Auditivos enjoyed a very good first half of the race, crossing the Gibraltar Strait in fourth place behind Safran, PRB and Estrella Damm.

Commenting from the dockside, Dee Caffari said:

“The first half was magnificent. The spinnaker went up all the time and we have not changed the configuration of the sails since we left the Vigo estuary and this allowed us to get away and put us back in front of the fleet.”

Anna Corbella added: “Tactically, we suffered in the Mediterranean resulting in us being left behind. Overall we are pleased with our performance although it is clear that we still have many things to learn to gain better performance from the boat.”

Marc Guillemot onboard Safran was the first boat to cross the finish line securing his third win of the competition. Estrella Damm and PRB completed the podium with W Hotels and Movistar crossing the finish line in fourth and fifth places respectively.

At the end of leg 4, the Vuelta a Espana a Vela is led by Safran, followed by PRB in second. Estrella Damm is the highest ranking Spanish in third whilst GAES Centros Auditivos retains sixth place overall.

Leg 5 begins this Sunday with a short sprint of 140 miles to Palma.

With 880 racing miles ahead of the entire IMOCA Open 60 fleet on Leg 4 of the Vuelta Espana, the crew aboard GAES Centros Auditivos aim to continue their progression as a team. Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella hope to capitalize on the lessons they have learned so far in this competition and are optimistic that this will be reflected in an improved position when they cross the finish line in Calpe.
 
The fourth leg from Sanxenxo to Calpe is the longest of the six legs on the course and the tricky nature of this leg mean it’s worth double the points.

“The first three races were used to gel as a team and we hope that in this race we will make faster decisions and fewer mistakes,” said Dee Caffari who added: “As an offshore sailor I am used to long distances so this leg will see me back in my comfort zone.”

The initial phase of this long leg will be sailed along the Portuguese coast in ideal conditions for the IMOCA Open 60’s with northerly winds forecast of some 25 knots, together with 4 metre waves in the same direction as the breeze. The fleet’s speed should be fast and relatively comfortable during the first day, with the wind dropping as the yachts move closer to Cabo San Vicente making it crucial to get into the leader group ahead of the possible lulls at the Gibraltar Strait.

Anna Corbella commented on the conditions ahead: “At this stage we are anticipating a variety of weather. We expect fast speeds initially and then the wind will drop off at the Gibraltar Strait. However, once we get into the Mediterranean it’s going to be like playing the lottery.”

GAES Centros Auditivos are currently in sixth place in the overall competition rankings with 20 points. Frenchman Marc Guillemot on Safran, winner of two of the three races sailed, is the leader with 4.5 points followed by compatriot Vincent Riou on PRB with 6 points.

 W Hotels is the highest ranked Spanish boat in third place on 12.5 points, two fewer than Movistar (14.5) Estrella Damm ranks fifth (16 points) and Central Lechera Asturiana (24.5 points) and Pakea Bizkaia (28 points) complete the table.

 

 

 

Having claimed 6th position on the second leg of the Vuelta Espana, the crew of GAES Centros Auditivos had a short rest overnight and set off on the next 220 mile sprint from Gijon to Sanxenxo at 1100hrs BST today. The brief recovery time in Gijon has given skipper Dee Caffari time to reflect on Leg 2 with a view to making improvements in the remaining legs of this race.

Looking back at the start of Leg 2, Dee Caffari analysed:

“There was limited water available to sail in outside of the main channel in Santander and the start was scheduled to be at 1500hrs, downwind and down tide. With limited space available and 8 IMOCA 60’s leaving together, the skippers all agreed that spinnakers would be foolish.”

“Just as we were preparing to hoist our mainsail a terrible clunking noise was heard from the engine. It was a noise I recognised from the delivery – a broken sheer pin. We found ourselves ferry gliding to the beach with a mainsail hoisted to the third reef and caught in the top mast runners. I turned the boat to keep us in the channel and we headed out downwind, fast in the flowing tide. A safe and simple Genoa was chosen and we watched the rest of the fleet take off under Gennaker.”

“GAES Centros Auditivos loved the set up of 1 reef, Solent headsail and ballast. We soon gained miles on the others and closed the gap with W Hotels and Estrella Damm. After seeing Safran and Movistar tack and having to duck to avoid Movistar we got over excited and tacked as well. This was not a good strategy for us and we made a mistake when moving the sails around on deck to the windward side. We caught the tiller and before we knew it we had crash tacked, ultimately losing us about 4 miles.”

“After that we had to work hard again to make up the distance between us and the others, so were pleased to enter a tacking duel again with Estrella Damm close to the finish in Gijon”

Looking ahead to Leg 3, Dee Caffari said:

“This race is going to have different climatic conditions to the other two stages and our goal is to get a higher top speed that allows us to be within the lead group.” Anna Corbella added: “This stage will be more enjoyable as we will be sailing downwind at speed. We will also pass Cape Finisterre which will mean we will see some changes in conditions.”

The competition is currently led by Vincent Riou on PRB, followed by Frenchman Marc Guillemot on Safran and the Spanish Movistar skippered by Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez in third place.

 

 

 For more information go to www.vueltaespanavela.com , www.deecaffari.com and www.annacorbella.com

In five years as her title sponsor, Aviva supported Dee Caffari to three world records including becoming the first woman to sail solo, non stop, around the world in both directions. As Founding Partner of the campaign, Aviva is pleased to extend this support to Anna and GAES for the Barcelona World Race