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Vendée Globe
Jonny Malbon’s news Rogers Design 60’ on construction
Artemis Ocean Racing Starts Building its New Open 60 to be launched in 2008
mercredi 20 juin 2007 –
Jonny Malbon, the skipper of Artemis Ocean Racing, has been involved since the very beginning of the design process. He will continue to oversee all the construction phases to ensure that the boat is tailored to his specific needs with the ultimate goal to be a top contender in the Vendée Globe 2008. It is hoped that this cutting edge boat will provide the competitive platform and launch pad for the far reaching aspirations of this exciting partnership between Artemis and the team.
The design programme, which began in November 2006, has involved numerous tank tests whereby scaled down versions of the boat are tested in a variety of water conditions to maximise the hydrodynamics, balance and performance of the hull configurations. The final model tested at the Wolfson Unit in Southampton was 20 foot long, representing a scale of one third of the final size. The new Open 60 will be constructed from the same hi-tech combination of carbon nomex and epoxy as most other modern high performance yachts, and will be built by Neville Hutton Boat Builders of Lymington, who have recently completed the new Hugo Boss Open 60.
The new Artemis Ocean Racing yacht will be launched in December of this year, followed by extensive trials in early 2008 to fine tune the rig and all other aspects of the boat, as well as learning how to sail it in such a way as to optimise its performance. It is hoped that the new boat will compete in the Transat The Transat #thetransat #ostar Race in May to further improve Malbon’s understanding of the boat and develop the necessary experience under pressure to be ready for the Vendée Globe, starting from Les Sables d’Olonne (France) in November 2008. The solo, non-stop round the world race will be a first for both the young British sailor Jonny Malbon and the new boat.
Jonny Malbon, Skipper Artemis Ocean Racing : “I am more than pleased with the progress of the build so far and have every confidence that Simon’s new design will give Artemis and myself a great opportunity to launch a successful campaign for the Vendée Globe in just over a year. I can’t wait to get the boat in the water and see what she can do. 2008 holds a lot of promise for Artemis and should put us in a strong position.”
Mark Tyndall, CEO Artemis Investment Management : “Artemis Investment Management is committed to providing the best possible assets for Jonny Malbon and supporting the Artemis Ocean Racing Team over the coming years. We are delighted that Rogers Yacht Design has taken on the challenge of producing a cutting edge yacht capable of winning the Vendée Globe and we look forward to watching Jonny go from strength to strength.”
Simon Rogers, Rogers Yacht Design Ltd : “I am delighted to be able to bring expertise from many other classes into the Open 60 fleet and I feel very confident about producing a highly competitive boat.”
Howard Gibbons, Team Manager Artemis Ocean Racing : “These are exciting times for the team. Thanks to Artemis we now have the chance to race against the best Open 60s in the world in the Vendee. Our preparation must be spot on and we are all relishing the challenges ahead.”
Press information Pitch PR / Artemis Ocean Racing / www.artemisoceanracing.com
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