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| 'BT Open 60', skipper Seb Josse. ?ThMartinez/Sea&Co/BT Team ellenPLYMOUTH'
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Latest News from the BT60 team.
Last week the BT Open 60 was in Port la For?t in Southern Brittany (France) taking part in a special training programme with some of the other top-runners for the Vend?e Globe. 'It has been really important to sail in Port la Foret as it's a great opportunity to line up against the big opponents and to compare BT with the other boats. I'm really happy with the boat speed and am feeling very confident onboard her now,' commented Seb. The team then sailed BT back to their base in Lorient (France) to continue working on the boat and will return again to Port la For?t next week for the final training session.
Vend?e Globe: Key Statistics:
What makes the Vend?e Globe a race apart? Here are some key statistics:
- Less than 100 sailors have raced solo around the world
- 26,600 miles, 3 capes, 3 oceans alone
- Race record 87 days, 10 hours, 47 mins and 55 secs (Vincent Riou, 2005)
- Record breaking, 30-strong fleet will compete in the 2008 edition
- Amongst the 30 skippers, 32 round the world journeys completed, among which 21 Vend?e Globes
- 1.5 million miles raced around the world between them
'We're professionals, it's our job, but the Vend?e can never be seen like another day at the office.' S?bastien Josse, skipper, BT
S?bastien Josse: Taking Nothing For Granted
S?bastien Josse is about to embark on his fourth circumnavigation after having successfully tackled the three biggest challenges an offshore racer can dream of - the Jules Verne Trophy, Vend?e Globe and Volvo Ocean Race. No other sailor on the planet has completed all of these events, and even though S?bastien is not the type of man who would walk around displaying his medals, his rivals know who they're lining up against.
At 33 he already has a very impressive CV and has many times been under the spotlight on the international scene, but it doesn't seem to have affected his sense of reality. 'I'm quite indifferent to the glitz of it, and if I wasn't a professional sailor, I'd be perfectly happy running a modest shipyard,' comments S?bastien, who studied mechanics and is always keen to get involved with his technical team when the boat is in the shed.
Raised under the blue skies of the C?te d'Azur in southern France it did not take long for him to find his way onto adventures. 'My family settled in Nice when I was very young. I've been a quiet child, until I discovered that there were a lot of things to see and do outside!' The sea came into the picture when S?bastien's father bought a sailboat which soon became the Josses' secondary home. Racing only came later, and S?bastien waited until he was 18 to take part in his first regattas.
Having met a local coach, he then started to train in Monaco, where an active J24 fleet was based. 'Eventually, we entered some rather high-level competitions, and I became hooked. I then crewed on various boats, and after my 'Bac' (A-Level), I was granted a sabbatical: my father dreamt of crossing the Atlantic with one of his sons, so we geared up for that expedition, which was our first ever real offshore adventure.' After a memorable journey, S?bastien and the boat stayed in the French West Indies, enjoying complete freedom. 'My father flew back to France due to his professional obligations, and trusted me with the boat. so basically, I cruised around on my own for 9 months.' Needless to say this interlude dramatically sharpened the young Josse's singlehanded skills, and shortly after his return to France he took a shot at the Espoir Cr?dit Agricole Challenge, a Figaro One-Design competition for young guns.
'That year, I won the Challenge Espoir, which gave me access to two fully funded seasons on the Figaro circuit.' The stepping-stone also meant relocating to Brittany, a region with which S?bastien quickly developed a strong bond. 'I landed in that universe like a kid who can't believe his eyes - all the great names I used to read about in magazines were there, very accessible.' He worked relentlessly, and his rivals quickly understood it wouldn't be long before he joined the ranks of the best in the class. Most of whom became close friends - like Yann Eli?s, J?r?mie Beyou or Vincent Riou. This gifted generation today finds itself among the natural favourites for this year's Vend?e Globe.
In 2001, fresh from a brilliant second place overall in the Solitaire du Figaro, S?bastien became part of the Orange maxi-catamaran crew and went on to become co-holder of the Jules Verne Trophy with a record-breaking 64-days circumnavigation. The 2004 Vend?e Globe soon followed and, despite a collision with an iceberg, the skipper managed to not only finish but also capture a very creditable fifth place. He was appointed skipper of an international crew for the 2005 Volvo Ocean Race and, to this day, Josse is the only sailor to have completed all three of these events, which represent the pinnacle of professional offshore racing. Yet, he remains very humble about those achievements: 'I've worked hard, and yes I've come a long way in 10 years, but there is still a lot to be done and I have a massive hurdle in front of me. The 2008 Vend?e Globe is exceptional in terms of lineup, all the greatest sailors are on the startline and there's an impressive number of new boats. The competition level never has been quite as high.'
by Jocelyn Bl?riot
by Jocelyn Bl?riot/BT Media
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