Sea, Sail & Surf newsFigaro Circuit
Sam Davies enters in the Figaro circuit after Mini and No Limit ones...
... with the help of the Offshore Challenge Sailing Team
vendredi 3 janvier 2003 –
- Sam Davies à La Rochelle au départ du Mini Fastnet 2001
- Photo : Ch.Guigueno / Pipof.com/voile
"This is a big and important step for me. Since the Mini Transat, I’ve wanted to get back out there and push myself short-handed, and offshore again. The Figaro is the perfect class to test all my sailing skills.
Ellen and Offshore Challenges opened my eyes to the short-handed world of racing in 1998 when I was part of her Route du Rhum Route du Rhum #RouteDuRhum shore team. I am looking forward to being part of the team again !"
For Sam that experience sparked an interest in the solo offshore world that was to manifest itself in a successful Mini Transat campaign in 2001, sponsored by Aberdeen Asset Management, a partnership which achieved great success, 11th place, and some great experiences. A spell as part of Gold medalist Shirley Robertson’s Olympic crew demonstrated to Sam that although aiming to be the best in all disciplines was still her aim, there was a yearning to head out to sea, and not always return to port after a day on the water.
Sam : "The opportunity to join the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team is fantastic - the backup and support that this team provides is something that will be essential for the Figaro, and hopefully it will enable me to achieve my best in new areas of the sport and continue to enjoy my sailing."
Having sailed from an early age, Sam’s racing experience now spans just about every discipline from Match Racing to round the world multihulls, Olympic keelboat sailing to the professional grand prix circuit, and to the crazy world of the solo 6.5metre Mini Transat.
THE FIGARO CIRCUIT - THE HOLY GRAIL OF OFFSHORE SHORT-HANDED RACING
The 2003 Figaro race will be 2000 miles of the toughest boat to boat combat, virtually no sleep, and a pace that many full crews could not even sustain. Offshore, inshore, in and out of the rocks, the Figaro circuit tests the sailor in every way imaginable. It is the circuit that has produced the greats of French solo sailing ˆ Michel Desjoyeaux, winner of the Vendée Globe, winner of the ORMA tris in the Rhum, known as ’le professeur’, Mich himself proclaimed recently that the Figaro remained for him the toughest sailing race to win. The circuit kicks off with the 2-up ’Round Brittany’ race in April - 7 days of close combat, boat to boat, and rock to rock, as both Mark Turner and Ellen MacArthur learnt in 1999 when they competed in this gruelling event - part of Ellen’s pre-Vendée training regime. The fleet of new boats, only available from late January direct from the factory, will then race from St.Nazaire to Dakar, north Africa ˆ again 2 up. The solo ’warm-up’ then starts in earnest, with the 2 week long ’General Mediteranee’ in June, followed by the Figaro Solo itself ˆ a month long, starting from Les Sables d’Olonne at the end of July.
NEW BOAT, TIME TO ENTER THE FIGARO CLASS, A TRULY FRENCH DOMAIN...
2003 marks the entry of a new bigger class of boat, still a Beneteau and called the Figaro2, the new 36’ raceboat is eagerly awaited. Mark Turner, MD of Offshore Challenges explains the team’s interest in this new boat : "Ever since I raced in the mid 90s in the Figaro class, very much as an amateur, I have followed the Class closely. The competition is like no other, so intense ˆ and the interest from French companies also quite staggering. It’s a great stepping stone for sailor and sponsor alike, and a very high profile circuit in France. It is also hoped that the race will come to the UK in 2004."
WHY SAM ?
Mark : "Sam is the perfect skipper for us to support as we attempt to enter this circuit. Her mix of offshore and inshore experience, and the solo experience of the Mini on top, will I am sure hold us in good stead as we start to learn how to compete in this Class, totally dominated by the French skippers for the past decade. Sam’s ethos of "achieve her best" regardless of the discipline, but enjoy it along the way, also fits with the sporting objectives of Offshore Challenges. As with Ellen and Nick, we’ll support Sam wherever she heads in the future ˆ and make it as easy as we can for her to achieve the results she wants, on and off the water."
Information Offshore Challenges
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