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Phil Launches Campaign for Barcelona World Race |
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 |
Last year proved to be an exciting sailing year as I donned a wetsuit and trapeze harness instead of my oilskins and took to the waters in the high performance 49er skiff class. This is an Olympic class of boat, involving adrenaline-packed racing at the highest level against pretty much all the big players from the previous two Olympics. Skiff sailing is something that provides sailors with a huge insight into boat handling, advanced trimming technique, round-the-cans racing, and race tactics, whilst teaching you the fundamentals behind the interaction of the sails and rig in order to squeeze that fraction of an extra knot out of your boat. All these skills can be passed on heavily into many big-boat classes, including Open 60 sailing, and my participation in the class has really filled in my sailing spectrum and given me invaluable knowledge that will only benefit my performance in further offshore races.
The big year ahead, 2010, looks to be very exciting for offshore racing, with both the Route du Rhum and the Barcelona World Race taking place towards the end of the year, back to back. Having won the last Route du Rhum race in a Class 40 the aim is now to do this in an Open 60. Both these races I think provide a priceless experience to a competitive and reliable entry to the notorious Vendée Globe in 2012. It is my primary goal is to get to the startline of this incredible adventure in order to strive to be the first British, and also non-French sailor, to win this epic race. It stands only at the pinnacle of competitive sailing, whilst remaining to be one of the most challenging adventures in the world today: Non-stop, around the world, alone, without assistance.
The boats used in this race are the Formula 1 boats of sailing today. At 60ft long they are the fastest monohulls in the world for there size. Pioneering technology, low design constraints, and built almost entirely from carbon-fibre, these boats are capable of attaining speeds as high as 35 knots and can cover a staggering 500 miles a day in ideal conditions. The challenge for one person to handle these thoroughbred offshore weapons non-stop around the world is massive, and that’s what I find makes the Vendée Globe so inspiring.
The next few months present a critical time for me step up to the Open 60 class, in which my team is looking for a major partner that can take advantage of the exclusive benefits that sailing can offer to sponsors, in particular ocean racing at this highest level. There is always adventure with offshore sailing, therefore always interesting stories being produced that have the potential to give very good media return, with return on investments as high as 10 to 1 being realistic for sponsors.
Sailing has the unique feature of lengthy events, with round-the-world races lasting up to three months, providing good consistent return over these periods. However it is the added value that really starts to make sailing stand out from other sports, in particular the unique and diverse corporate hospitality opportunities these highly technical boats can offer. This gives sponsor the chance to actively get involved in the sailing and provide once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable experiences to clients and employees alike.
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