Many thanks to Suzanne and Alan Whitewood for this latest sailing report. Ed
Taking part in this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race there were a number of boats sailed by just two members of crew (Double Handed). In fact, the overall winning boat was sailed in this way. With handicaps big boats with large crews are not always the winners of races although they usually make the headlines.
Back in June we featured Island sailor Alex Gardner who at that time was getting to grips with double handed off shore racing in readiness for the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Alex succeeded in this race with his sailing partner Dyfrig Mon who were placed seventh in their class, sailing a Figaro II Alex trained at the Artemis Offshore Academy and now there is the chance for other sailors to do the same.
PSP Southampton Boat Show
At this year’s PSP Southampton Boat Show instead of usually being hidden away in the marinas of northern France or sailing in the waters off the Isle of Wight, two of the Artemis Offshore Academy’s five striking blue Figaros will be on display.
Visitors will not only have the opportunity to view the boats but can have a go on the helm, inspect the high-tech instruments or just have a look around the modest cabin below deck. At 33ft, the Figaro Bénéteau II is a French short-handed racer built for speed, designed by Marc Lombard for the purpose of competing in the 2000-mile solo Solitaire du Figaro – the pinnacle race in the class Figaro calendar.
Go Solo
As well as a guided Figaro tour, the Artemis Offshore Academy will offer a ‘GO SOLO’ experience to those with a few more sailing miles under their belt – a first for the PSP Southampton Boat Show. Under the watchful eyes of the Academy’s professional team and skippers, more experienced visitors to the show will have the opportunity to try their hand at ‘solo’ sailing as part of the show‘s attraction ‘Try A Boat’.
Those with the right skills can expect about an hour of sailing with an Academy skipper who has typically undergone 72 hours of gruelling physical and mental testing before they are let loose at the helm of a Figaro.
Artemis Offshore Academy Sailing Team Manager Charles Darbyshire said,
“The Academy specialises in providing the Solo sailing training to an elite group of sailors. By bringing this GO SOLO experience to the show, we hope to raise the profile of solo sailing in Great Britain, and provide those sailors who have a wealth of fully crewed experience with a fresh challenge. Perhaps we’ll even find the next Alex Thomson at the show.”
Image: © Artemis
