2008 Solo Racing Festival

Skall man i Southampton till helgen, så kan man ju droppa in hos soloseglarna på Petit Bateau. De jobbar hårt på erfarenhetsutbyte mellan soloseglare i Europa och ordnar ett antal race (se nedan). Dessutom verkar man ha förbannat trevligt tillsammans. Jonas Claesson skall köra “1000 Miles Solo”, nu sponsrat av bluQube, vilket också blir kvalificeringsrace för ett antal andra solorace.

Efteråt kan man ju lifta hem till Sverige med en Prima 38…

2008 Solo Racing Festival, Saturday March 15th, at RSYC

RSYC is again hosting the Solo Racing Festival organised by Racing at Petit Bateau ltd., in the Ocean Village clubhouse from 11.00 to 19.30.

The event will welcome skippers, designers, builders, and race organisers in the relaxed social setting of the RSYC to encourage the exchange of news, views, ideas and ambitions.

Among the speakers and topics, you can expect:

• Open 60 skipper Sam Davies, the only Brit currently qualified for the Vendee Globe race, relating her recent experiences in the Transat Jacques Vabre and the Ecover B to B races and sharing her ambitions for ROXY and the Vendee.
• Designer Simon Rogers reviewing some of the issues of Class40 with reference to his new Rogers 40 boats. You will also get a rare view of one of the Rogers forties on display in the marina alongside the Owen Clarke designed Express 40 built by Paul Metcalf in Cowes.
• Nigel King, who is taking a break from winter training with the Figaro fleet in Brittany, giving an insight into the French professional’s approach to racing solo. We may even hear some stories of his recent TJV as co-skipper of Aviva.
• Survival expert Professor Mike Tipton discussing the hazards of cold water immersion with special reference to recent high profile capsize accidents
• A first hand account from multi-hull racer Ross Hobson about his capsize and rescue in the Route du Rhumb.

Ten presentations are planned in all, and the day starts at 12.00 with a Sleep Seminar by Dr. Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh sleep centre and aimed at insomniac solo racers. Tickets are available on-line from the Petit Bateau website, price 38 GBP (30 GBP for Petit Bateau members), or email Jerry Freeman.