Artemis: Sam & Sidney make repairs

Sam Davies & Sidney Gavignet have survived the storms, made their repairs and are still in the race.


Sidney Gavignet is quoted on the Jacques Vabre website: "We are set for another change, the wind is a bit all over the place but we are making miles towards the finish, between 17 and 20 knots of speed. Sam is on the deck and is taking care through the squalls. This morning my little British chum has lost her voice. There is a lot of tiredness on Artemis after the work caused by yesterday night and it has had an effect on us of course. We have done our sums and the loss to those in the north is about 300 miles. But that is the choice we made. The 20 hours we had fixing the mainsail did not help compared to those we are racing around us. Still, a certain satisfaction this grey Sunday morning we are still in the race. And we have the boat and the sails and are going, waiting for better days and hoping we will get an opportunity of getting back to the group. That’s it. We are last but that is just the way it is. The road is long."


Read the latest Artemis report from Sam & Sidney

Fierce Winds Causing Big Problems in the Transat Jacques Vabre

Friday the 13th has seen the boats battered and damaged, and struggling to keep in the race!



Video © Alex Thomson. All Rights Reserved. Via YouTube.


Alex Thomson and Ross Daniel broadcast from HUGO BOSS in the North Atlantic on Day 5 of the Transat Jacques Vabre 209. The boat is currently sailing in 55 knots of breeze (Force 9) and both skippers are in survival mode. The lead boat, BT, has activated her distress beacon this morning, and are out of the race. The rescue operation is in progress.



Video © Ocean-Fanatics. All Rights Reserved. Via YouTube

We also have news from Sam & Sidney on Artemis Ocean Racing. The following information is taken from the Transat Jacques Vabre website:  " Reports from Sam Davies and Sidney Gavignet's Artemis shore team suggest they are weighing up the idea of a pit stop in the Azores.

Sam Davies called the shore team at 1030 GMT this morning to report:
“We have lost a mainsail batten (third down from the top) which flew out of the sail, the third reef pin on the boom has gone and our main Iridium handset is broken, either water-logged or from the shock of the boat pounding through the waves.”
None of the damage is terminal, their press statement says, but the loss of the mainsail batten will compromise their race performance, and with 75% of the race remaining, Davies and Gavignet are said to be...
...."considering a pit stop either at the Azores, which lies 300nm upwind, or Madeira 400nm south-west which is a more comfortable course but further from the optimum race route." "


Official Race Positions - Ranking on 13/11/2009 à 17:00



IMOCA - 14 registered 


Rank Boat / Sailor
1 SAFRAN  Marc Guillemot - Charles Caudrelier Benac
2 MIKE GOLDING YACHT RACING  Mike Golding - Javier Sanso
3 GROUPE BEL  Kito De Pavant - François Gabart
4 HUGO BOSS  Alex Thomson - Ross Daniel
5 VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT  Roland Jourdain - Jean Luc Nélias
6 1876   Yves Parlier- Pachi Rivero
7 AVIVA  Dee Caffari - Brian Thompson
8 W HOTELS  Alex Pella - Pepe Ribes
9 FONCIA  Michel Desjoyeaux - Jérémie Beyou
10 AKENA VERANDAS  Arnaud Boissières - Vincent Riou
11 ARTEMIS  Samantha Davies - Sidney Gavignet
12 DCNS  Marc Thiercelin - Christopher Pratt
ABD BRIT AIR  Armel Le Cleac'h - Nicolas Troussel - Retired

NL BT Sébastien Josse - Jean François Cuzon - Position unknown



Classe Multi50 - 6 registered

Rank Boat / Sailor Latitude Longitude Speed Cap Dist. But Dist. 1er

1 REGION AQUITAINE-PORT MEDOC  Lalou Roucayrol - Amaiur Alfaro
2 GUYADER POUR URGENCE CLIMATIQUE  Victorien Erussard - Loic Fecquet
3 PRINCE DE BRETAGNE  Hervé Cleris - Christophe Dietsch
ABD ACTUAL Yves Le Blevec - Jean Le Cam - Retired

NL CRÊPES WHAOU ! Franck Yves Escoffier - Erwan Leroux  - Position unknown

ABD FENETREA-CARDINAL Alain Maignan - Nicole Harel  - Retired

 
The race is constantly changing as the skippers battle the extreme challenge of this harsh weather. We will keep watching the progress of the race. Watch this space...!

 
Race positions and Artemis quotes from the Jacques Vabre website - All Rights Reserved

New MUSTO BR1 Inshore Sailing Jacket SB1224 Available Now

New in stock today, the BR1 Inshore Jacket. One of Musto's most popular sailing jackets!
These retail for £110, and we are selling it for just £83.
Free UK delivery included, and very good value international shipping prices available.

Availability is very limited. Size Large only.

Technical Specification

• Waterproof & breathable
  
• Roll-away fully adjustable peaked hood
  
• Fleece lined collar
  
• Articulated elbows
  
• Adjustable double cuff design giving virtual drysuit cuff protection
  
• Double storm flap with drainage channel covering zip
  
• Zipped fleece lined handwarmer pockets
  
• Inner security pocket
  
• Adjustable hem tensioner

 
Get your MUSTO BR1 Inshore Jacket Here

Musto Waterproof Snug Blouson Jackets Now Only £89!

Grab a fantastic winter jacket for just £89. We have just slashed the price of these great jackets, so you save a massive £36 off the full retail price. Waterproof and fully lined with extra warm Polartec fleece, these are the ultimate version of the classic Musto Snug Blouson. We have 2 sizes available, Large and XL.
Limited Availability!

TJV Update & Video Updates from onboard Artemis Ocean Racing

Latest video from Sam & Sidney onboard Artemis Ocean Racing as the team compete in the Transat Jacques Vabre.


Transat Jacques Vabre 2009


Latest Race Positions/Ranking  11/11/09 14:00:00 Locale PARIS
1 BT
2 SAFRAN
3 VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT
4 MIKE GOLDING YACHT RACING
5 AVIVA
6 GROUPE BEL
7 HUGO BOSS
8 1876
9 W HOTELS
10 AKENA VERANDAS
11 ARTEMIS
12 DCNS
13 FONCIA
14 BRIT AIR


MULTI 50 - 11/11/09 13:30

1 CRÊPES WHAOU !
2 REGION AQUITAINE-PORT MEDOC
3 GUYADER POUR URGENCE CLIMATIQUE
4 PRINCE DE BRETAGNE
5 FENETREA-CARDINAL


Official TJV website

A Minute for Madeleine

This is a new video about missing British girl, Madeleine McCann. It shows a new photo of how she might look now. Please watch it.

Help find Madeleine

Artemis: Ready to Race!

Video © Copyright 2009 Artemis Ocean Racing Ltd. All rights reserved.




Artemis Ocean Racing IMOCA 60 have completed their intensive training at Port La Foret and are now in Le Havre ready and waiting for the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre. British skipper Samantha Davies, who has been nominated for the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award, and her crew mate Sidney Gavignet are in Le Havre to compete for the "Trophee Ville du Havre Paul Vatine" this weekend. The "Trophee Ville du Havre Vatine" is the prologue to the TJV and the teams will race on board Bénéteau 7.5 boats.
We are big fans of Samantha, and particularly enjoy these excellent onboard videos from Artemis. We will be following Sam and Sidney's progress through the prologue and the TJV. Good Luck, Artemis!

Musto Snug Blouson Jackets - £88.50 - Now even more sizes & colours available!

At the Roan Star Sailing Outlet, we are continuing to expand our range of the highly popular Musto Snug Blouson jackets. We have just added pale blue and carnation colours. We are also starting to offer the smaller sizes. We now have 6 different colour combinations available and we also have the waterproof version.

Musto Snug Blouson jackets are unisex garments, popular with both men and women. These jackets are a classic item, very warm and stylish. They are showerproof, windproof, breathable and warm with a DWR finish. They are lined with fleece for warmth and comfort. Musto Snug Blouson jackets are very durable and hard wearing and will last well for several years, even if you end up wearing it all the time. They are ideal for sailing, either inshore or offshore as an insulating mid-layer underneath your foul weather gear. Snug blousons are also very popular with horse riders and the equestrian fraternity, because they are short jackets that are lightweight, warm and hard wearing. Ideal to wear when in the saddle or in the yard. Snug blousons have classic simple styling that is understated and will not date. Musto have not changed the design for years. They are also ideal to wear with jeans or trousers in town if you want to look smart. These jackets are one of the the most versatile and popular garments that Musto make. Many people, that have purchased one blouson jacket, often find themselves buying several different colours because they just love the style and the comfort.

Description:

Showerproof, windproof, breathable, warm

Peached polyester shell with DWR finish

Polartec ® Classic 200™ fleece body lining, singled sided fleece sleeve lining

High fleece lined collar

Two external fleece lined zipped pockets

Inner security pocket

Knitted elasticated cuffs & hem

Back neck external hanging tag

Check out our latest Musto Jackets on offer

Off-shore double handed training onboard Artemis Ocean Racing

Video © Copyright 2009 Artemis Ocean Racing Ltd.  All rights reserved.




Sam Davies and Sidney Gavignet training onboard Artemis Ocean Racing. The double-handed team are preparing for the Transat Jacques Vabre. Great onboard camera footage - Get your foul weather gear on before you watch it! You will feel what it is really like to be onboard the IMOCA as they train, speed test and night sail with BT and Safran Open 60.

More crew updates: Transat Jacques Vabre

The 1876 IMOCA Open 60 Estrella Damm will be crewed by Yves Parlier and Pachi Rivero. The TJV website had listed Guillermo Altadill as part of the double- handed crew for this boat, but it seems that this is no longer the case.


Learn more about the crew of 1876 here

Roan Star Sailing Outlet News

The UK has been subject to 2 days of national postal strikes due to an ongoing industrial dispute between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union.

Over the 22nd and 23rd of October we have posted a message in our eBay shop to inform buyers that we will only resume dispatch of orders once the official strike is over. We are hoping that the dispute will not result in more stikes next week. We are satisfied with the price and service of Royal Mail recorded delivery and do not wish to look for alternative courier services. These other services will result in increased delivery costs, and we do not wish to pass this on to our buyers. We work very hard to offer the best price for all of our Musto clothing. We do not wish to compromise this by adding on courier costs.

We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers during this strike period, and we will endeavour to maintain our high standards of fast dispatch of items, once the Royal Mail service has resumed.

Mike Golding to sail with Sanso in TJV

With only a few weeks to go before the race begins, Mike Golding announced on his website yesterday, that he will be sailing in the Transat Jacques Vabre with Javier Sansó of Spain. They still have to complete the qualification for the race.

Read more about Mike Golding and Javier Sanso

Transat Jacques Vabre 2009 Race

Image © Costa Rica Découverte. All Rights Reserved


November the 8th marks the start of the 2009 Transat Jacques Vabre. The race takes place every 2 years, since it started in 1993, and was originally designed to follow the traditional trade route of the clippers transporting coffee from Brazil to France. The TJV will be setting off again from Le Havre in the north of France, but this time, is offering the double handed crews a new destination: Puerto Limon in Costa Rica.


There will be two courses, one for the monohulls (Open 60s and Class 40 yachts), and one for the Multihulls (ORMA 60 and Open 50s) The course will represent 4,730 miles for the monohulls and 5,050 for the multihulls. The new course will take the crews across the Caribbean Sea with just one single requirement: for monohulls to leave the Dominican Republic to starboard and for the multihulls to leave the island of Barbados to starboard.

Apart from the fact that this race is the highlight of the IMOCA race calendar, one of the most exciting elements, from a spectator’s point of view, is watching such huge names in the world of ocean racing competing against each other. We are particularly interested in following the Monohull Teams, as there are several British yachtsmen and women involved: Dee Caffari, Samantha Davies, Alex Thomson, Brain Thompson, Ross Daniel,  & Mike Golding. At the Roan Star Sailing Outlet, we are big fans of the IMOCA races. We try to follow as many as possible, and we have come to know many of the European sailors such as Michel Desjoyeaux, Jeremie Beyou, Sebastien Josse, Kito De Pavant,  Roland Jourdain & Guillermo Altadill from following the Istanbul Europa Race, the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Artemis Transat and the Vendee Globe.

List of entered IMOCAs:


Guillermo Altadill (Spain) & Pachi Rivero (Spain) Boat: 1876


Arnaud Boissières (French) & Vincent Riou (French) Boat: Akena Verandas


Samantha Davies (British) & Sidney Gavignet (French) Boat: Artemis Ocean Racing


 Dee Caffari (British) & Brian Thompson (British) Boat: Aviva 


Armel Le Cléac'h (French)  & Nicolas Troussel (French) Boat: Brit Air


 Sébastien Josse (French) & Jean François Cuzon (French) Boat: BT


 Marc Thiercelin (French) & Christopher Pratt (French) Boat: DCNS


Michel Desjoyeaux (French) & Jérémie Beyou (French) Boat: Foncia


Kito de Pavant (French) & François Gabart (French) Boat: Groupe Bel


 Alex Thomson (British) & Ross Daniel (British)Boat: Hugo Boss


Mike Golding (British) Other crew member unknown Boat: Mike Golding Yacht Racing


Marc Guillemot (French) & Charles Caudrelier Benac (French) Boat: Safran


Roland Jourdain (French) & Jean Luc Nélias (French) Boat: Veolia Evironnement


Alex Pella (Spanish) & Pepe Ribes (Spanish) Boat: W Hotels


Transat Jaques Vabre Race We will follow the race on the official website and check Twitter and YouTube for updates. Several of the sailors are on Twitter, and we are hoping that there will be lots of coverage online, as several of the IMOCAs have had onboard cameras during other races this year.

It should be a very exciting race!

New MUSTO Lite Jacket Gore-Tex Breathable Waterproof Available Now

Just arrived at the Roan Star Sailing Outlet, we have the MUSTO Lite jacket.

Superb all-round versatile jacket from MUSTO. Ultra lightweight Gore-Tex® Paclite 2 layer jacket with a zip off peaked hood. Fully waterproof and breathable.

Featuring the lightest fabrics, Gore-Tex® Paclite Shells are extremely breathable and are ideal when weight and space are critical.

Technical Specification:

• GORE-TEX® Paclite® Shell

• Waterproof zips

• Two front lower pockets

• Adjustable rubber cuff tabs

• Roll away zip off hood. Peaked and adjustable.

• Internal MP3 pocket

• Reflective branding

• Adjustable elasticated shock cord running through hem

We have 4 sizes available, Medium, Large, XL and XXL.

Retail price is £180, and we are offering a huge £50 discount.
Buy them at the Roan Star Sailing Outlet for just £129!
Free UK delivery Included. International Shipping Avialable.


Check out our latest offers on Musto Jackets

New MUSTO Waterproof Snug Blouson Jacket available now

At the Roan Star Sailing Outlet we now have waterproof snug jackets available. We have the classic Musto Waterproof Polartec Snug Blouson available in two sizes. It has an ocean blue breathable, waterproof and windproof outer shell, and is fully lined for extra warmth with silver grey coloured Polartec fleece. The retail price for this style of jacket is £125, and we are selling it for the bargain price of £94.

This classic Musto jacket features:

• Waterproof, breathable, windproof, insulating
• Peached polyester shell with DWR water repellent finish
• Hydrophilic "Breatheable Waterproof" coating
• Taped seams
• Polartec® Classic fleece body lining
• Single sided fleece sleeve lining
• High fleece lined collar with silver reflective band
• Zip / chin guard
• Two external fleece lined zipped pockets
• Inner zipped security pocket
• Self fabric semi-elasticated cuffs
• with velcro tab adjustment
• Back neck external hanging tag
• Machine washable

MUSTO Waterproof Polartec Snug Blouson

New MUSTO Waterproof Snug Training Jacket Available Now

We have new MUSTO Waterproof Breathable Snug Training Jackets available at the Roan Star Sailing Outlet now. This style of MUSTO jacket has a chocolate brown breathable, waterproof and windproof outer shell, and is fully lined for extra warmth with fleece. We have 2 sizes available.

The jacket features:
• Waterproof, windproof, breathable
• Outer shell of Polyester microfibre with breathable waterproof coating
• Outer shell has DWR finish and taped seams.
• Polyester fleece lining, reversed in sleeve.
• Reflective silver panel around back collar
• Zip/chin guard.
• Windproof showerproof zips.
• Semi-elasticated self fabric cuffs.
• Elasticated self fabric hem with additional gripper elastic.
• Handwarmer pockets and inner security pocket.
• Machine washable.

MUSTO Waterproof Snug Training Jacket

TP52 World Championship

Between October 6th - October 11th, the Real Club Nautico de Palma will host the 2009 TP52 World Championship.

The TP52 Class has been described as the Grand-Prix class of the global sailing circuit because the 52' yachts are extremely fast. As described on the Transpac52 website:

"TP52’s are flat out racing platforms, fully crewed, high performance monohulls capable of racing in both buoy regattas and offshore races. The 2800 pound weight limit provides for approximately 14 crew members with the flexibility to bring along a guest or a sponsor in the back of the boat and out of harms way. TP52’s race in true time, the first boat across the finish line wins. TP52’s are designed to be raced by both amateur and professional sailors alike. TP52’s elected not to use water ballast, canting keels, running back stays; preferring to keep it simple, safe & reliable. There is no time credit to build a slow TP52. They can easily exceed 25 knots off the wind with the record being 32 knots in a race set by 4 TP52’s racing down the California coast in 2003. Upwind, they are very stiff and fast as approximately 60% of the weight of the boat is in the metal fin & lead bulb."  Quote ©Transpac52
In this year's Transpac 52 Worlds there will be 10 crews competing for the world title, including Quantum Racing (USA) who will be defending their title. There will be two new entries to the TP52 class, France's Paprec Recyclage and Great Britain's Henri Lloyd Weapon of Choice.

The other eight crews are regular competitors on the Audi MedCup Circuit 
The Ten Crews competing will be:

Quantum Racing (USA), Bribón (ESP), Matador (ARG), Cristabella (GBR), Artemis (SWE), Audi TP52 powered by Q8 (ITA), Valars III (RUS), Paprec Recyclage (FRA), Henri Lloyd-Weapon of Choice (GBR), Synergy (RUS)

The World Championship will follow a similar schedule to a typical Audi MedCup event with a practice race on Tuesday, a coastal race on Friday and a series of windward-leeward races Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

                            

                             Image © Transpac52

Tom McNally's World Record Attempt

We recently read about Tom McNally’s attempt to regain the World Record for the smallest craft to cross the Atlantic. This year, Tom McNally will embark on a double Atlantic crossing in his 3 foot, 10 inch boat, the Big C. Tom is aiming to create a new World Record and to raise money for the cancer charity, Sail 4 Cancer.
Tom will set off from Cadiz in Southern Spain and sail to across to Central America, up to Texas, and then Newfoundland before returning to his home town of Liverpool, England. The journey is estimated to last between 15-18 months, and will amount to a total of approximately 10,000 miles. Just imagine having to sleep whilst standing up for so many months!

Tom has crossed the Atlantic many times, and in early '93 he set a new world record for the smallest craft to cross the Atlantic, in a boat 5 feet 4 1/2 inches. The previous record holder, Hugo Vihlen, subsequently recrossed the Atlantic later that year, in a boat which was just half an inch smaller, and regained the record. Now Tom wishes to beat that record in the tiniest yacht possible: 3 foot 10 inches! Good Luck Tom!
 
 

Copyright © Tom McNally

Follow Tom on his website  http://tom-mcnally.co.uk/

http://www.sail4cancer.org/  Read more about the Sail4Cancer charity

Update on International Shipping

We are very pleased to announce that we have just updated our International Delivery options at the Roan Star Sailing Outlet. This is due to an upgrade of eBay's postage and packing options on the eBay UK website. We have now been able to include all of the following European countries to our listings: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. We also ship to the USA and Canada. This is a big improvement on the list of 5 countries that eBay had provided before the change.

We offer very competitive shipping prices, and full insurance and online tracking with all orders.

Geoff Holt: Atlantic Challenge & Disability Sports Ambassador

We recently saw Geoff Holt on the BBC news talking about his plans to sail across the Atlantic this year. Geoff is planning on sailing the 3,000 mile journey in December, and aims to become the first quadriplegic sailor to cross the Atlantic unassisted. It will not be the first time that Geoff has sailed across the Atlantic, but it will be his first transatlantic crossing since he became disabled in 1984. Geoff has already sailed single handed around Great Britain, in 2007.

Geoff will be sailing the Atlantic on "Impossible Dream", a beautiful wheelchair accessible yacht owned by the charity Sporting Activities for the Disabled. The boat has push-button technology allowing Geoff to navigate and sail the boat. Because Geoff is confined to a wheel chair, he will have a professional carer with him on his trip. The carer will not be involved with any aspect of sailing the yacht.

We wish Geoff all the very best for his Atlantic Challenge!

Follow Geoff on Twitter @WetWheels -  http://twitter.com/WetWheels

Read his personal blog: http://www.geoffholt.com/blog/2