Shock Mitigation Directory

BRITS are Sailing Around The World in 2017

01.01.2017

2017 is going to be a very interesting year! As BREXIT makes the world news we BRITS are constantly being asked by friends on both sides of the Atlantic – What will it mean for the UK?

Putting politics aside – we are an island nation with a long history of dealing with change and adversity. We are also good at turning challenges into opportunities!

Britain lefts its mark at the Olympics in Rio winning medals against the world’s finest sailors. As a maritime nation we have always liked the odd race...

Vendee Globe – Round the World by Sail

The French skipper, Armel Le Cléac'h, passed the legendary Cape Horn landmark at midday on 23 December. He is leading the eighth edition of the Vendée Globe solo round the world race.

British sailor Alex Thompson is in second place, around 750 nautical miles behind the race leader. British hopes are still high as the weather after Cape Horn finally looks more complicated for the leader.

STOP PRESS: Friday 30 December - HAVE THE TABLES TURNED?

Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss appears to have completed one of the biggest comebacks ever in the history of the Vendéee Globe, reducing his distance from the leader to 28 miles on Friday 30th from over 800 miles last Friday.

The solo non-stop round-the-world race started on the west coast of France on 6 November. The winner is expected to finish back in France around 20 January. The current record stands at 78 days.

29 skippers entered the current race. Since the first race in 1989 only 71 of 138 starters have completed the voyage, which is known for being one of the most gruelling sporting challenges in the world.

Team Britannia – Round the World by Power

Team Britannia led by Alan Priddy, is a British bid to design and build the fastest and most fuel-efficient wave-slicing powerboat to circumnavigate the globe and break the UIM world record.

Designed and constructed in the UK from aluminium, Team Britannia is 80 feet (24 metres) long with an exceptionally efficient hull designed by Professor Bob Cripps.

The round the world powerboat record is currently held by Pete Bethune and Earthrace of New Zealand. The current record stands at 61 days. Planning and endurance are more important than pure boat speed.

Team Britannia was due to set off on the 23,000 mile trip in October, but delays in construction meant the voyage was put back to March 2017.

Land Rover BAR – The Americas Cup Challenge

It is three years since British sailor Sir Ben Ainslie committed to forming his own racing team, Land Rover BAR, to challenge for the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017.

The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series is over and Land Rover BAR have two vital bonus points toward the next stage of competition as the team move sailing operations from Portsmouth.

Land Rover BAR’s opening race of the America’s Cup campaign will be against fellow challenger Artemis Racing from Sweden on Friday 26 May 2017.

Britain has never won the America’s Cup, a competition that dates back to an original race around the Isle of Wight in 1851. Ben Ainslie and the team are determined to bring the Cup home for Britain.

WE WISH THEM ALL SAFE & FAST SAILING IN 2017

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