Sébastien Josse at the helm of BT IMOCA 60 during the JPMorgan Asset Management Round The Island Race 2009. Image copyright Offshore Challenges Sailing Team.
by Julie Royer
The first start of the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race got away on time at 0730 BST on Saturday, 20th June. The giant 100ft monohull ICAP Leopard led off the line followed by Sebastien Josse and Ellen MacArthur onboard BT. The weather forecast had quashed any dreams of breaking records and after 8 hours of racing in a mix of weather conditions, from light winds at the start to 18 knots at the Needles, BT crossed the finish line at 15:47:53 BST to win the IMOCA class ahead of Artemis I, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's Grey Power and Steve White's Toe in the Water. "We started in a very light breeze and had a difficult beat to The Needles. Later in the eastern Solent it went light again. Basically, we followed the shore all the way round to get out of the tide. We were close in at The Needles, St Catherine Point and Bembridge. It was challenging, sometimes a bit stressful but a good race," explained Sébastien.
BT IMOCA 60 during the JPMorgan Asset Management Round The Island Race 2009 at the Needles. Image copyright Offshore Challenges Sailing Team.
The annual JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, is one of the most popular fixtures of the UK racing calendar. Competitors come from Europe and the USA, as well as all over the UK, to follow the 52-mile course round the Isle of Wight. This year, 1779 boats entered the race: "It's absolutely crazy to see such a fleet on the water, having professional and big boats like Leopard and IDEC racing against families on cruising boats or old wooden boats! It is a unique moment and I enjoyed it from the first minute to the end."
Ellen MacArthur onboard BT IMOCA 60 during the JPMorgan Asset Management Round The Island Race 2009. Image copyright Offshore Challenges Sailing Team.
The BT IMOCA 60 has returned to France for a training session before the team take a well-earned holiday ahead of returning to the UK for Cowes Week including the Artemis Challenge - that also takes the IMOCA fleet around the Isle of Wight – and the Fastnet Race which BT will race double-handed as a qualifier for the major IMOCA race of the 2009 season - the Transat Jacques Vabre.
Sébastien at the top of the mast of BT IMOCA 60 during the JPMorgan Asset Management Round The Island Race 2009. Image copyright Offshore Challenges Sailing Team.
BT Team Ellen
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