Artemis Transat - Single-handed Plymouth UK to Boston US

Plymouth UK - As the crews make their final preparations for the Artemis Transat in Sutton Harbour, the IMOCA Open 60 and Class 40 sailboats are ready for the sail across the Atlantic to Boston.

"Sure, the tension is mounting as we're getting closer to the start", said Dee Caffari yesterday morning, summing up the general atmosphere around Sutton Harbour.

The skippers for the Artemis Transat in the IMOCA Open 60 class include Michel Desjoyeaux, Arnaud Boissieres, Armel Le Cleac'h, Sébastien Josse, Yann Elies, Unai Basurko, Vincent Riou, Marc Guillemot, and Yannick Bestaven. Skippering Gitana 80 is Loick Peyron Double winner of the event. Also sailing in the Artemis Transat are two women, Samantha Davies, and YachtPals own Dee Caffari who will be sending us her reports from Aviva during the race.

For Yann Elies, the light forecast is a relief, as "it would have been more stressful if we had to leave in 35 knots of wind on the nose." But all the skippers made a point, during the press conference, to underline the fact that the expected mild conditions at the start will not make the ride an easy and laid-back one! As Yann Elies said, "I predict a Figaro type of pace, with only 2 hours of sleep per day for the first 3 days" - and he sure knows what he's talking about, having spent 10 seasons on the grueling singlehanded one-design circuit!

Race favorites Loick Peyron (1992 & 1996 winner) and Michel Desjoyeaux (2004 winner) have both emphasized the fact that IMOCA boats demand a lot of work. As Loick put it: "they are very demanding boats, better be on one than to be watching the fleet - though they are pretty to look at - to stay competitive!" In his unmistakable fashion, he added that his ambition for this race was "to finish a few seconds before the second boat".

The fleet is now all set and ready to go, and skippers have definitely switched to race mode, anxious to be out on the water. "The race is very open tactically speaking, and we can look forward to great moments at sea", concluded 2005 Vendée Globe winner Vincent Riou.

With 10 to 12 knots of easterly winds expected for the start of The Artemis Transat tomorrow, the skippers entered are enjoying a relaxing last day ashore - "Its a relief to know we're not going to take a beating right after the line", said Armel Le Cléac'h. The atmosphere around the pontoons at Sutton Harbour is very serene, for the competitors at least, because the huge crowds which turned up today in The Barbican certainly made for a very festive ambiance.

"These boats are very easy to sail badly... but once you understand them and you do all the hard work they require, they're simply fantastic." Dee Caffari is no newcomer to long-distance sailing in hostile latitudes, being the first woman to have sailed around the planet non stop against the prevailing winds and currents, yet she approaches her first Artemis Transat with a lot of humility. "I've sailed 2500 miles on my new Aviva, and I'm aware of the fact that I still have a lot to learn, but above all I feel very privileged to be here at the start of this mythical event, among this impressive fleet." The British skipper, campaigning a brand new IMOCA Open 60, is part of the little group of newcomers, about to set off alone on this historic route on the North Atlantic for the first time. Unai Basurko, the Basque sailor, is in that situation too, but refuses to let the pressure get to him: "Sure, it's a very important race on a tricky part of the ocean, yet I've sailed the Atlantic on my own once already, from the USA back to Europe. I've always wanted to be on the start line of this event, so tomorrow one of my childhood dreams will come true. I'm slowly switching on to race mode, and I'll be sleeping on the boat tonight."

French former Figaro rivals Armel Le Cléac'h and Yann Elies are also in this category, but their massive experience and knowledge of close-combat racing will certainly be an asset, allowing them to take on the challenge with reasonable serenity. "Of course, it's never a benign event to set off for a solo crossing, but we'll have nice conditions at the start and if the going eventually gets tough, I have to admit that I'm quite in my element when it becomes a matter of survival", says Elies, twice holder of the Jules Verne Trophy and two-times France offshore singlehanded champion. Yannick Bestaven, 2001 Mini Transat winner, skippers a boat which knows its way across: Cervin EnR is in fact Yves Parlier's ex-Aquitaine Innovations, that has been thoroughly optimised. "I have a nice clean boat, developing new solutions in order to be autonomous in terms of energy production, and I don't have any pressure as far as my Vendée Globe qualification is concerned because that's already done. So all in all, I'm feeling very relaxed and very happy to take part in that race - the greatest sailors have made its history, it's a very significant heritage." Yannick's ex Mini teammate Arnaud Boissieres shares this opinion and adds "I've crossed the Atlantic 15 times, but never on the northern route, and I expect this transatlantic to be my toughest yet." For Brittany-based British skipper Sam Davies, entering The Artemis Transat is even more special: "I'm happy because it's an English race, I'll be flying the Union Jack proudly! Plymouth is a city with a great maritime tradition, it's where the Fastnet race finishes and that was the first major race I took part in."

Skippers for the Artemis Transat in the Class 40 include Yvan Noblet, Beluga Racer, Halvard Mabire, Alex Bennett, Christophe Coatnoan, Louis Duc, Miranda Merron, Thierry Bouchard, Benoit Parnaudeau, Simon Clarke, and Giovanni Soldini.

Miranda Merron, the only woman racing in the Class40 fleet, explained the unique circumstances behind the entry of her yacht, 40 Degrees; “I’ve been very luck to have been lent the boat,” began the 38 year-old from Hampshire, “but, there was a serious budget shortfall although the local community and businesses in Hamble where I’m based and businesses further afield have rallied round.” Merron’s diverse sponsors include the manager of a café on one of the platforms at Clapham Junction railway station in London. The final Class40 skipper to speak was Giovanni Soldini, the most experienced skipper in the fleet: “I hope the race will not be too hard,” said the skipper of Telecom Italia. “The first day will be very good conditions. Normally we would have a low pressure and very windy and wet conditions.” A veteran transatlantic skipper, Soldini knows the race track well: “The North Atlantic is a wonderful race,” continued the 41 year-old Italian, “and I hope the sea will be nice to us.”

-- About the Artemis Transat --

The Artemis Transat brings together the IMOCA Open 60 and the Class 40 monohulls on a 2,800 mile single-handed sailing race across the North Atlantic.

Held every four years since 1960, the race was originally known as the OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race), then the Europe 1 STAR when the French radio station replaced the Observer alongside the Royal Western Yacht Club of Plymouth. In 2008 the thirteenth edition of the English transatlantic yacht race will go by the name of The Artemis Transat. The race starts from Plymouth, UK on Sunday, May 11th.

• Video 1: Preparing for the Artemis Transat - Interviews with Ellen MacArthur, Dee Caffari and Sam Davies.

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