Fastnet or bust on Hugo Boss
Today I've been getting ready for my first Fastnet Race, sailing with Alex Thomson and a few other big name sailors (such as Andrew Cape with 10 Fastnets to his name) on Hugo Boss which has to be the coolest looking of all the Open 60s.
If today's stints on the pedestal grinder are anything to go by this is going to be an extreme exercise and fitness regime, well for me anyway. I suppose I needed to get trim for the holidays but there must be easier ways.
They've shown me around the interior and it's very des res with a rather fetching orange bucket for our ablutions. The form is that you take a biodegradable bag from one of the pockets, squat in the leeward cuddy, then throw the contents over the side. So now you know. The format for urination is to go over the back in light winds but to pee in the aptly named cockpit if its getting a bit rough.
Thomson is never afraid to experiment (with technology) and this year the on board novelty is live streaming film reports from the boat to his website here.
Graham Bell, former British Olympic skier turned TV presenter is broadcasting from the boat. The race starts on Sunday 9th August, when the onboard cameras will go live 10 minutes before the start at 11.50 am.
Live feeds will then follow every three hours after the start enabling Hugo Boss to share all the action live from the race course with people online (except, I hope, any cuddy action).
“We have always been able to send back video and do live interviews, but we thought it would be great to go to the next level and test the boundaries of what is possible. I hope it will give people a real insight into life on board and share the race with us,” says Thomson, Hugo Boss skipper.
The live feeds lasting at least 3 minutes will be able to be watched every 3 hours, starting at 1500 on Sunday 9th, then at 1800, 2100, 0000, 0300, 0600, 0900 and back to 1200 until the race finishes.
The cameras will also be turned on as we round the Fastnet Rock off the Southern tip of Ireland.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Fastnet disaster of 1979 when 15 racers died and a number of others in following boats.
The 300-strong fleet will feature a range of yachts from the smallest at just 30 foot to the largest at 100 foot. Hugo Boss will be lining up in the IMOCA Open 60 class against some of the best offshore sailors in the world, including Sébastien Josse, Sam Davies and Mike Sanderson.
The full IMOCA Open 60 entry list (yachts and skippers) for the Rolex Fastnet 2009 is:
Akena Vérandas - Arnaud Boissières
Team Pindar - Mike Sanderson
Artemis Ocean Racing II - Samantha Davies
Artemis Ocean Racing The Profit Hunter - Simon Clay
Aviva - Dee Caffari
BT - Sébastien Josse
Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson
Ocean of Smiles - Christophe Bullens
Pakea Bizkaia - Unai Basurko
Safran - Marc Guillemot
Toe in the Water - Steve White
If today's stints on the pedestal grinder are anything to go by this is going to be an extreme exercise and fitness regime, well for me anyway. I suppose I needed to get trim for the holidays but there must be easier ways.
They've shown me around the interior and it's very des res with a rather fetching orange bucket for our ablutions. The form is that you take a biodegradable bag from one of the pockets, squat in the leeward cuddy, then throw the contents over the side. So now you know. The format for urination is to go over the back in light winds but to pee in the aptly named cockpit if its getting a bit rough.
Thomson is never afraid to experiment (with technology) and this year the on board novelty is live streaming film reports from the boat to his website here.
Graham Bell, former British Olympic skier turned TV presenter is broadcasting from the boat. The race starts on Sunday 9th August, when the onboard cameras will go live 10 minutes before the start at 11.50 am.
Live feeds will then follow every three hours after the start enabling Hugo Boss to share all the action live from the race course with people online (except, I hope, any cuddy action).
“We have always been able to send back video and do live interviews, but we thought it would be great to go to the next level and test the boundaries of what is possible. I hope it will give people a real insight into life on board and share the race with us,” says Thomson, Hugo Boss skipper.
The live feeds lasting at least 3 minutes will be able to be watched every 3 hours, starting at 1500 on Sunday 9th, then at 1800, 2100, 0000, 0300, 0600, 0900 and back to 1200 until the race finishes.
The cameras will also be turned on as we round the Fastnet Rock off the Southern tip of Ireland.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Fastnet disaster of 1979 when 15 racers died and a number of others in following boats.
The 300-strong fleet will feature a range of yachts from the smallest at just 30 foot to the largest at 100 foot. Hugo Boss will be lining up in the IMOCA Open 60 class against some of the best offshore sailors in the world, including Sébastien Josse, Sam Davies and Mike Sanderson.
The full IMOCA Open 60 entry list (yachts and skippers) for the Rolex Fastnet 2009 is:
Akena Vérandas - Arnaud Boissières
Team Pindar - Mike Sanderson
Artemis Ocean Racing II - Samantha Davies
Artemis Ocean Racing The Profit Hunter - Simon Clay
Aviva - Dee Caffari
BT - Sébastien Josse
Hugo Boss - Alex Thomson
Ocean of Smiles - Christophe Bullens
Pakea Bizkaia - Unai Basurko
Safran - Marc Guillemot
Toe in the Water - Steve White
Labels: Alex Thomson, Fastness race, Fastnet Rock, Graham Bell Marc Guillemot., Hugo Boss, Safran
posted by Richard Donkin at
3:22 PM
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