English Channel, stay in port on the 1st of August.

[jonjo]

There will be 55 sleep deprived solo sailors threading their way westwards down the UK coast from the IOW to Lands End.

http://www.lasolitaire.com/scripts/pop.htm?/photos/20061130.PHO3233.jpg

How do they manage to combine 2-3 days of singled handed sailing and demanding race navigation? I am not against long distance single handed racing but will this course put the contestants and other yachts in danger?

Anyhow it seems the French have craftily offloaded a good proportion of any SAR arising to the UK public purse.

 

[bilbobaggins]

It's tough at the top!

Why not get out there and join 'em? You don't really need all that 'sitting on the rail' company, do you?


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[jonjo]

[ QUOTE ]
Why not get out there and join 'em?

[/ QUOTE ]
Wrong boat, I don't think the Figaro II one design fleet would welcome a Bavaria Match in their midst. I doubt my boat would be competitive either, the Figaro II design is just over ½ my displacement but 80% of my sail area.

Last year I went down to see the Petit Bateau race fleet in Weymouth and this was something I thought I could aspire to in 2007. However this year the Petit Bateau organizers have raised the stakes, their objective is to use 2007 as a stepping stone to the 2009 OSTAR. Maybe in 2009 Petit Bateau will cycle back to its entry level passage racing e.g. in 2006 the course was Weymouth, Alderney, Guernsey, N Brittany, Fowey and Falmouth.

One thing that can be said about the Petit Bateau 2007 race course is the long legs are mostly in quiet sea areas with opportunity for cat napping offshore.
http://www.petitbateau.org.uk/pb2007/PB2007Announce.pdf