| Artemis Ocean Racing claims RORC record and line honours in Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race |
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 ‘Artemis Ocean Racing’ took line honours last night in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, claiming the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) record for the fastest lap time in the history of the race. The Open 60, sponsored by leading UK investment company, Artemis, crossed the finish line off Cowes, Isle of Wight, at 10:29pm, completing the 1,800 mile course in a record seven days, four hours, 29 minutes and 40 seconds. ‘Artemis Ocean Racing’ stormed around the course in conditions which navigator Will Oxley described as, “fast, wet and furious” as they passed the mouth of the Thames yesterday morning in 25 knots of wind. “It has been a great sleigh ride for most of the way down the North Sea,” said Oxley, “and this has really given ‘Artemis’ the chance to strut her stuff.” Of the 28 yachts which started the race on Monday 7 August, nine have been forced to retire in the tough windy conditions and 18 boats are still racing. “It is great that we got the record,” exclaimed stand-in skipper Jonny Malbon when he hit the dock last night. “Our closest competition was 60 footer ‘Solune’, but we finished about 140 miles ahead of her in the end.” ‘Solune’ was hot on the heals of ‘Artemis’ in the early part of the race, but Malbon and his team managed to extend their lead on the trailing boats, which included Volvo 60 ‘Cutting Edge on Venom’ and Whitbread 60 'Zest of Belgium'. “We were really pleased with our performance upwind as this is not our strongest point of sail,” said Malbon. “We made big gains all the way up to Scotland and then turned the corner for some superb downwind sailing with all the big gear up. It was great to stretch our legs in conditions which really suit ‘Artemis’ and to consolidate the win is a fantastic start for the campaign and for our sponsor.” Malbon, who was boat captain for Ellen MacArthur’s ‘Kingfisher’ during her Route du Rhum victory in 2002, was accompanied by highly-experienced sailors Will Oxley, Nick ''Nobi'' Black, Jonathan McKee and Mark Thomas for the Round Britain and Ireland race. British sailing talent Brian Thompson had been set to skipper ‘Artemis’, one of the fastest Open 60s on the water. However, a family tragedy forced Thompson to stay at home with his family. “It has been very enjoyable to follow the race on the website,” said Thompson. “The boys did a great job. They were always in control of the race and I am impressed with the way they sailed the boat - it shows the depth of talent in our team.” Next for Brian will be his single-handed 1,500 mile qualifier on ‘Artemis Ocean Racing’ in preparation for the Route du Rhum; a solo transatlantic race from Saint Malo to Guadeloupe. For the qualifier, Thompson will sail from Cowes to Edinburgh on a similar course to the Round Britain and Ireland Race. “It is a great route to do because you get a huge variety of conditions to really test the boat,” says Thompson. “I look forward to lining up against the other Open 60s, although the first time we do this may be at the start of the Route du Rhum on 29 October!” For more information on Brian Thompson and Artemis Ocean Racing, please visit www.artemisoceanracing.com. Related Items:
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