Hilary Lister becomes the 1st disabled woman to sail solo around Britain!

Huge Congratulations to Hilary Lister, who sailed in to the history books today!
Hilary has just completed her epic challenge to sail solo around Britain. Hilary Lister made history in 2005 by becoming the first ever quadriplegic to sail solo across the English Channel. Now, in 2009, Hilary has become the first disabled woman to sail solo around Britain. We have been following Hilary's progress on Twitter, on her blog, and on her occasional appearance on the BBC's One Show.  We love her determination and passion for sailing. Congratulations on making your Round Britain Dream a reality, Hilary. It's absolutely fantastic!

Visit Hilary's website

Congratulations Mike!

At the Roan Star Sailing Outlet, we have been avidly following the progress of Mike Perham in his attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.  He has been blogging and tweeting of his experiences and even uploading videos to YouTube from onboard his boat, TotallyMoney.
Yesterday, on August 27th 2009, Mike broke the world record when he crossed the finish line between Lizard Point and Ushant in France at 0947 BST, aged 17 years and 164 days. He beats American teenager Zac Sunderland's previous record by 2 months.

Sailing solo around the world is a truly fantastic achievement for any sailor, at any age! To create a new World Record is incredible. Congratulations Mike! You are a real British Sailing Hero.

Mike's new record is not to be confused with Jesse Martin's record for sailing solo and non-stop.The youngest person to circumnavigate the globe, sailing solo, non-stop and unsupported is still Jesse Martin, of Australia. He sailed in Lionheart from Melbourne, Australia, on 8 December 1998 aged 18 years 104 days and returned on October 31 1999, taking 327 days 12hrs 52 mins. This record for the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unsupported still stands in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mike Perham arrives back on mainland Britain tomorrow morning. Get down to Gunwharf Quay in Portsmouth on Saturday at 1100 to see Mike dock his boat and take part in the celebrations!

Great Result for British Sailors in the Archipelago Raid 2009

The 2009 Archipelago Raid was won by Swedish Team Thule (Martin Strandberg & Johan Örtendahl)
Team Thule managed to beat last year's winners Team Citus (Eric Proust & Romain Motteau) on the final day of the Raid in order to take victory.
The Archipelago Raid finished with 3 All British teams in the Top 10.
Team Audio Network (William Sunnucks & Simon Farren) took 3rd place overall!
Archipelago Raid Rookies Team Cobalt (Luke Yeates & Matt Humphreys) were 8th and Team Blue (Conrad Humphreys & Ryan Crawford) were 9th overall.
Other British sailors included Alister Richardson of Team RockStaRR who finished in 11th. Claire Bailey of Team Tacktick SUUNTO who finished in 17th, and Jason Field of Team Piano who finished in 20th place overall. A fantastic result  for all of our British sailors competing in the Raid.
Congratulations Everyone!

After battling strong winds, capsizing, hitting rocks, and the extreme physical challenge of the intense race, this Raid was gripping to follow. To get a better idea of the Raid, and everything that the competitors have to endure in order to finish then click on the link below to watch a video from this year's Raid.

Archipelago Raid Video

ISTANBUL EUROPA RACE

Race Map ©Olay Nautic. All Rights Reserved.

The Istanbul Europa Race will start on August 28, from the host city, Istanbul. This will be the biggest sail race of Europe. The IMOCA Open 60 boats ( 60ft long /18 meters) will be crewed by a team of 4 and some of the world's most accomplished yacht skippers. The Istanbul Europa Race is a brand new race event!
It is broken in to several stages across Europe:
Stage 1 : (Istanbul, Turkey - Nice, Southern France) Distance: 1,450 nm
« Bosphorus Trophy » Friday, August 28, 2009
• Start : Saturday, August 29, 2009
• Finish : Saturday, September 05, 2009

The race will begin in Istanbul, the start signal to be given from the world famous Topkapi Palace which overlooks the Bosphorus. The first stage will finish on September 5th in Nice, France.

Stage 2 : ( Nice, Southern France - Barcelona, Spain)Distance: 520 nm
« Nice Trophy » Monday, September 07, 2009
• Start : Tuesday, September 08, 2009
• Finish : Thursday, September 10, 2009

Inshore race will be held on September 7th in Nice and the start signal of the second stage will be given on September 8th.

Stage 3 : ( Barcelona, Spain - Brest, Northern France)Distance:1900 nm
« Barcelona trophy » Saturday, September 12, 2009
• Start : Monday, September 14, 2009
• Finish : Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Following the inshore race on September 12th , the start signal will be given from Barcelona for the longest stage on September 14th. It will last for 9 days and finish will be on September 23rd, in Brest, France.

After the Brest inshore race on September 26th, « Brest Trophy » Saturday, September 26, 2009, the winner of ISTANBUL EUROPA RACE will be declared.


What makes this race even more enthralling is the sailing pedigree of the skippers involved. We have listed the sailing achievements of three of the team's skippers ( see below) and as you can see it makes awesome reading. The sheer number of nautical miles covered is incredible, let alone the success that these brilliant sailors have achieved. Michael Desjoyeaux, Jean-Pierre Dick, and Roland Jourdain are three of France's all time greats. They will be pitted against eachother in an amazing race that will take them a large way around the mainland of the European continent. It will be a fierce competition! And it will be the very first race of its kind where the yachtsmen will sail along the Mediterranean, Atlantic and English Channel coasts.

Roland Jourdain on the CanYouSee.com website says:

“The course is extremely interesting and far from simple; and to top it all off, I have never been to Istanbul,” says Roland Jourdain. “I’m really pleased that this tour is finally taking place. The fact of racing it with a crew means that we will be able to push our boats to their full potential at all times. So, it will be possible to compare the potential of our respective yachts. It is also the type of race that will hold lots of surprises. Between the Mediterranean and its changes between light and heavy winds… squeezing past Gibraltar, between cargo ships and the nets to avoid along the coast, sailing on the wind up the Atlantic that is often so painful… The course is well-rounded and will not be short on excitement, that’s for sure!” © 2008 Veolia Environnement

Unless you look at these skippers in detail it is hard to appreciate their incredible sailing pedigree. They truly are France's sailing heroes.

Watching this race to see who will be triumphant will be fascinating, we can't wait!

Below we have the sailing achievements of just three of the skippers:

Team Foncia, Skipper: Michel Desjoyeaux

2009: Winner of the Vendee Globe 2008/09 (Foncia)
Bol d'Or Mirabaud 2009: 1st on the D35 FONCIA with Alain Gautier
2008 :Record of the 5th SNSM (Foncia)
Abandoned on the Artemis Transat (Foncia)
2007: 3rd in the Transat Ecover B to B (Foncia)
Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2007 (Foncia)
Winner de la Solitaire Le Figaro Afflelou 2007 (Foncia)
Winner of Record SNSM (Foncia)
2006:4th in the Route du Rhum 2006
2nd of 60 MultiCup
3rd Grand Prix Fécamp
3rd Grand Prix Portimao
2nd Grand Prix de Marseille
2nd Grand Prix Trapani
2nd Trophée du Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes
3rd London-Alpes Maritimes
2005:3rd in the Transat Jacques Vabre (with Hugues Destremau)
2nd La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro
4th Grand Prix de Corse
3rd Grand Prix de Marseille Métropole
3rd Grand Prix de Galicia
2004:Winner of The Transat
2nd ORMA Championship
3rd of Québec - Saint Malo
4th Grand Prix de Marseille
6th Grand Prix de Corse
4th Grand Prix Fécamp
2003 :2nd ORMA Championship
2nd Grand Prix Cap L'Orient
4th Grand Prix of Italy - Cagliari
3rd Grand Prix de Marseille Métropole
3rd Grand Prix du Port Fécamp

4th in the Challenge Mondial Assistance (Cherbourg-Rimini)
4th in the Transat Jacques Vabre (Le Havre - Salvador de Bahia) with Hervé Jan
2002:Winner of the Route du Rhum multihull aboard Giant in 13 days 7 hours 53 minutes
2001:Winner of the Vendée Globe on board the monohull 60 'PRB in 93 days 3 hours 57 minutes
Co-author of "L'enfant de la Vallée des Fous" (Ed. Gallimard)
Sailor of the Year FFVoile
1998:Transat AG2R on Groupama with Franck Cammas (winner of the first stage)
Winner de la Solitaire du Figaro on TBS, the Solo Porquerolles Mediterranean, the Dunes de Flandre Solo, the Solo CGMer Port-la-Vie
Champion de France Solitaire Living
1997:Vice-Champion of France Solitaire Living
1996:4th in the Transat AG2R with Roland Jourdain
2nd of the Solitaire du Figaro on TBS
Champion de France Solitaire Living on TBS
1995:Skipper Figaro Solo GER: winner of a stage of the Solitaire du Figaro

Vice-Champion of France in crew
1994:Winner of the Trophy on Fujicolor Multihulls
Test pilot on the Hydroptère
1993:Season aboard the Maxi Yacht La Poste. Shift manager for Whitbread
1992:Winner de la Solitaire du Figaro
Winner of the Transat AG2R (Lorient - Saint-Barthélemy) with Jacques Caraes - Figaro
Winner of National Figaro Solo
1991:Winner of the second stage of the Transat 6.50
2nd of the Solitaire du Figaro
1990:Winner of Twostar (double deck) aboard Elf Aquitaine III skippered by Jean Maurel
4th of the Solitaire du Figaro (1st rookie)
1989:Tactician on board Cantreau Biscuits, 40-foot trimaran: Wins the Grand Prix of Porto Fino (Italy) and Morges (Switzerland)
Winner of the selection Skipper Elf Aquitaine
1987:Tactician on board CDK Competition, 40-foot trimaran, skippered by Roland Jourdain: 3rd in World Championship of Formula 40
1985-1986:Tour de France à la Voile, 3 stage wins
Crew on Côte d'Or, maxi-monohull skippered by Eric Tabarly for Whitbread
Crédit Agricole on Equipier II maxi-catamaran skippered by Philippe Jeantot: Winner of Race of Europe

Copyright ©GROUPE FONCIA All Rights Reserved. Information taken from http://www.teamfoncia.com/

Team Paprec-Vibrac, Skipper: Jean-Pierre Dick
2007-08
Winner of the Barcelona World Race
2006
3rd of Route du Rhum
Season Figaro: Transat AG2R, Solo Méditerrannée, Solitaire du Figaro
2005
6th Vendée Globe
3rd in the Calais Round Britain Race
SNSM Trophy winner in 60-foot monohull
2nd in the Fastnet Race monohull in 60 feet
Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre
Winner of the National 7.50 in La Trinité / Mer
2004
3rd 1000 Milles de Calais
The Transat: abandonment of 360 °
7 November: departure of the Vendée Globe
2003
Winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre
Atlantic Challenge: dismasting then back in gear fortune (40 days at sea instead of 20!)
2002
2nd Grand Prix Larmor
3rd Grand Prix Marseille
1st Giraglia Rollers cup in 60 feet open
2001
Winner Tour de France à la Voile
Also: -six successes in the Spi Ouest France (89, 92, 94, 95, 2001, 2002). -

eight national titles in First class 8, JOD 24 and 35, J24, Melges 24,

participation in the Admiral's Cup 1991.
Copyright ©2006 Défi Voile Sud – All Rights Reserved. Information taken from http://www.jpdick.com/

Team Veolia, Skipper: Roland Jourdain

2006 - Route du Rhum 2006: 1st

2005 - Calais Round Britain Race: 1st

2003 - Route of the New World: 1st

2002 - Grand Prix de Quiberon and Marseille: 1st

2002 - Regata Rubicon: 1st

2002 - World Champion IMOCA

2001 - World Champion IMOCA

2001 - Transat Jacques Vabre with Gaël Le Cléac'h: 1st

2000 - World Champion IMOCA

1995 - Transat Jacques Vabre on Région Haute Normandie with Paul Vatine: 1st

1994 - Transat AG2R: 1st with Jean Le Cam

1993 - Course de l'Europe on Fujicolor: 1st

1991 - Course de l'Europe sur RMO : 1st

1989 - European Champion and World Formula 40

Copyright © 2008 Veolia Environnement. Information taken from http://www.canyousea.com/index.aspx

Follow the action on the Istanbul Europa Race official website http://www.istanbuleuroparace.com/en/index.asp

They already have photos of the yachts in the Marina Attakoy in Istanbul awaiting the start!

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The Archipelago Raid 2009 - Europe's Premiere Adventure Sailing Raid

The 9th edition of Archipelago Raid will take place in the Stockholm, Åland and Finnish archipelagos from 17 to 22 August 2009

This exciting five day event is the pinnacle of European adventure sailing. Teams of two sailors sail on small Formula 18 (5.5m) catamarans, day and night, through a 400 mile course of 20-25 checkpoints through the 100,000 islands of the Stockholm, Åland and Finnish archipelago.
The teams are orienteering around the 100,000 islands and sailing 2 legs per day. Only at the end of the first leg are the teams then given the co-ordinates of the second leg. Each leg has 4 or 5 checkpoints along the way presenting each team with choosing their best possible route each time. The race is a true test of navigation skills, team work and endurance.

It's an incredibly gruelling and physically demanding race, with teams sailing 14-16 hours a day and only sleeping 2-5 hours. The small F18s are also very volatile and require a lot of physical effort to sail.

We want to wish all competitors the very best of luck for this amazing race.

We will be following the progress of Team Blue: British Sailors Conrad Humphreys and Ryan Crawford. http://www.conradhumphreys.com/racing/index.html

Follow Conrad Humphreys on Twitter http://twitter.com/conradhumphreys

Follow the race on the Archipelago Raid 2009 website http://www.archipelagoraid.com/

Toe In The Water

We have been following the races and events of Cowes Week with great interest. One of the most inspiring charities that we have learnt about is Toe In The Water. Toe in the Water was founded in 2008 by Holly King ( Army physiotherapist and sailor) & Tanya Brookfield (MD of a yacht-racing company) The charity teaches wounded servicemen to perform roles on the boat where they are not impeded by their injuries. They are teamed with able-bodied, experienced sailors and compete in sailing events around the British Isles.

We have taken the following sections of text directly from the Toe In The Water website. The website explains the aims of the charity and the sailing experiences of the servicemen involved with the Toe In The Water better than we ever could.

"The tri-service initiative TOE IN THE WATER (TITW) aims to inspire the 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." © Toe In The Water


"TOE IN THE WATER CELEBRATES FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH A BULLET IN THE J80 CLASS 3RD AUGUST 2009


Ten injured service personnel are once again taking part in the world famous Cowes Week regatta racing under the banner of Toe in the Water.
Just twelve months on from their first outing at Cowes Week 2008, the charity that re-inspires injured servicemen through competitive sailing, the crew of Toe in the Water’s J80 Toe in the Water Too, led by Adrian Stell and Lt Commander Giles Bradford took the fleet by storm in spite of slow start and crossed the finish line in an impressive first place, more than a minute ahead of their closest rivals. For Lt Kirsty Archibald, Royal Navy, who broke her back in 2007, today’s result is extra special as it’s only her second outing on a yacht.
“The experience has been absolutely fantastic, though completely exhausting! Coming fourth on my first day’s racing was great but to finish first today is just awesome.” Commented Kirsty.
Toe in the Water Racing Manager, Lloyd Hamilton said: “The J80s are great boats for the injured guys to sail on and ensure they can get fully involved. They are fast, responsive and dynamic and because they are that bit smaller, they’re closer to the water and really feel the speed and exhilaration of racing in a competitive class of twenty yachts.”
Toe in the Water have also been loaned the Army’s A40RC race boat, racing as Toe – British Soldier in IRC Class 2, with world record breaking Vendée Globe skipper Brian Thompson at the helm. “The Toe in the Water programme is dynamic, energetic and making its mark on sailing regattas all over the UK. It has brought fun and competition to both the injured servicemen/women, and the volunteers drawn from both the military and civilian sailing communities.” Said Brian.
“I continue to be humbled by the guys and am really proud to be sailing with them this Cowes Week. I think our results are already surprising quite a few of the professional crews in our 45 boat fleet and it’s shaping up to be a very competitive event with us snapping at the heels of the top boats in the class.”
Toe in the Water specifically sets out to re-inspire injured servicemen and women to see beyond their injuries and is a direct extension of their rehabilitation programmes at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, (DMRC) Headley Court. The ten who will sail with the charity during the regatta have a wide range of injuries ranging from broken backs to gunshot wounds and yet will line up with and against able-bodied teams, even though many of them have never sailed before. The competitive environment in the matched class provides a disciplined team setting with a shared focus which directly aids their rehabilitation. Toe in the Water relies on voluntary contributions and the generosity of many organisations that offer their support. Toe in the Water Director Tanya Brookfield said: “As we prepare for our third regatta of the season, I’d like to extend our thanks for all the support we have received from the sailing community, the armed forces and the general public. We’d like to thank the Army Sailing Association and the RYA for providing the boats. Without such generosity, we would not be able to offer this unique opportunity to those who have sustained traumatic injuries. We will be taking more than 60 injured servicemen out sailing this year and for many of them the experience will mark a major turning point when they start focusing on what they can still achieve.”
The charity, founded in 2008, will be entering teams in seven events throughout 2009. The programme commenced with the Red Funnel Easter Challenge and the Warsash Spring Championships and includes the J80 National Championships, the JP Morgan Round the Island Race, Cowes Week, Dartmouth Week and the J80 Autumn Cup.
Toe in the Water receives no statutory funding and relies entirely on voluntary contributions from individuals, trusts and companies." © Toe In The Water 2009 All Rights Reserved. (all text taken from http://www.toeinthewater.org/news.aspx)


We think Toe In The Water is a wonderful organisation, and we hope that they can continue with their initiative for many years to come.


If you are interested in supporting this incredible charity then please visit http://www.toeinthewater.org/get-involved.aspx to learn about making a donation, corporate sponsorship or becoming a fund raiser.

Henry Bomby Around Britain Challenge

At the Roan Star Sailing Outlet, we naturally take a great interest in British sailing events and British sailors. We recently discovered Henry Bomby. Henry is an 18 year old British sailor who plans to sail single handed around the British Isles in 2010. His boat is "Gerunuk" is a classic, long keeled, Contessa 26, number 184 built by Jeremy Rogers in 1969.

He has planned his course in detail, as he wishes to compete in the Round Island Race, and the J80 World Championships during his voyage. As part of the challenge Henry also plans to climb the Three Peaks. These are the same Three Peaks as the competitors face in The Three Peaks Yacht Race: Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon. Henry has set himself quite a challenge, and we wish him all the best for his great adventure.

Visit the Henry Bomby Around Britain Challenge website for more information on Henry's preparation for his trip and his latest sailing updates
http://www.henrybombysailing.co.uk/index.htm

New MUSTO MPX Gore-Tex Offshore Race Sailing Jacket XL Available Now

We have a great value Musto MPX Gore-Tex Offshore Race Jacket available on eBay now in size XL. Save £55 off the Retail price and grab this jacket for only £270! Free UK delivery. Visit the Roan Star Sailing Outlet for full product details and technical information:

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New Musto Hasler Stripe Rugby Shirt in Stock

New stock available at the Roan Star Sailing Outlet. We have the Musto Hasler Stripe Rugby Shirt. This shirt features:

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We have also recently expanded our range of Musto Snug Blouson jackets, and there are many more colours ( blue, red, navy blue and black) and sizes now available in our eBay shop.

RORC Rolex Fastnet Race

This Sunday, August 9th, is the start of the Rolex Fastnet. The Rolex Fastnet is the flagship race of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. The 608 nautical mile Fastnet race starts from the Royal Yacht Squadron Line in front of West Cowes, when the maximum entry of 300 boats (from 16 different countries) will set sail from the Isle of Wight, along the south coast all the way to Lizard's Point. The boats then round Lizard's Point, heading across the Celtic Sea towards the south coast of Ireland, circle the Fastnet rock just off the southwest Irish coast, and then head back to the finish at Plymouth.

There are several different classes of boats, as entries range from huge 100 footers down to 30 footers. The start is staggered over 2 hrs. One of the most exciting aspects of the Fastnet race is that the 2,500 competitors include a huge variety of different abilities and experience from amateur sailors, Olympic sailors, America's Cup sailors, Volvo Ocean Race sailors, Portimao Global Ocean Race sailors, Artemis Transat and Rolex Sydney Hobart competitors. The Fastnet race is a spectacular event for spectators as the 300 yachts head west in the Solent and will be clearly visible from shore. The best view is said to be from Hurst Castle, near Lymington.


Follow the Fastnet on Cowes Radio 87.7 FM and online www.cowesradio.co.uk

Royal Ocean Racing Club Rolex Fastnet Race website http://fastnet.rorc.org/