Sailors gearing up for the Artemis Transat start May 11th
BBC News UK, May 7 2008-- Some of the best sailors in the
world are gathering in Plymouth for the Artemis Transat race, a
single-handed sprint to Boston, USA. Among the fleet is the 12m (40ft)
yacht Fujifilm, sailed and built by Devon sailor Alex Bennett.
Bennett, 32, is arguably Britain's brightest hope in ocean racing. And
he is aiming to be the winner or at least on the podium after the
finish, about 21 days after the boats leave Plymouth on 11 May. Alex
Bennett has a determined look on his face as he prepares his yacht
Fujfilm at Sutton Harbour in Plymouth.
Bennett started sailing at the age of seven in dinghies in his native Yorkshire. Turning down a chance to become a professional rugby player, he became a professional sailor at the age of 19. A few months later he entered a youth team in the Fastnet race from Cowes to the Fastnet Rock in southern Ireland and back to Plymouth and came second in his class. He followed that with a third in the round Britain race and in 1999 he came fifth in the Mini Transat, sailing the Atlantic single handed in a boat not much bigger than a Ford Mondeo. Now he faces his toughest challenge yet, sailing solo 2,800 miles across the Atlantic.
The Artemis Transat route takes the fleet in a northerly arc, with yachts facing the danger of collisions with icebergs and fog as well as the danger of falling asleep. Read More
