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Displaying items by tag: Vabre

Mike Golding has joined forces with Belgo-Canadian Bruno Dubois to co-skipper in the 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre, the first race of his Gamesa sponsored campaign leading towards the 2012 Vendée Globe.

Dubois, who also partnered Mike in the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre, will join him once again for the legendary French race from Le Havre, France to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.

Golding, who recently signed a two year sponsorship agreement with Gamesa, a global wind power technology leader, has been overseeing a major optimisation of the yacht that will be dedicated by HRH The Princess Royal at the Southampton Boat Show on Tuesday 20 September 2011.

This will be Golding's seventh consecutive participation in the double-handed Jacques Vabre Race which takes place every two years and is considered the first major event in the Vendée Globe preparation cycle.

"Bruno and I have known each other for many years and I trust him completely as co-skipper on this my first race for Gamesa. As our sailmaker, Bruno and his team at North Sails France provide the real "engines" for Gamesa by providing hi-performance sails that are 'at the same time' fast, efficient and yet strong enough to race around the world. He has a totally unique perspective and knowledge, which I value greatly. As our unofficial 'sail coordinator' his knowledge of the boat and my style of sailing will have a direct impact on our potential in the Vendée Globe."

Always in the upper rankings and many times on the podium, a win in the Transat Jacques Vabre race has eluded Golding.  "Clearly we are competing against some new boats this year plus we have been away from the IMOCA circuit for the past two years – however I remain confident that with our newly optimised boat and our combined experience onboard we will be a serious contender for a win in 2011." commented Golding earlier today.

Dubois, who is the Managing Director of North Sails France, commented, "It is a great pleasure for me to sail with Mike again. We have done many races together over the past 10 years including the 2007 TJV.  We know each other quite well and do not have much work to do to get along on an IMOCA 60."

Published in Offshore

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.