Winner of the solo Vendée Globe in 2004 and race favourite in the two-handed Barcelona World Race in 2007, before suffering mast failure, Vincent Riou has done more than enough ocean miles to qualify for The Artemis Transat, but it was a requirement for Riou to qualify the boat and mast in its new configuration. So Riou took PRB offshore for 36 hours off the south of Brittany and completed a 300-mile passage that has now qualified PRB ! for The Artemis Transat. Riou was more than happy with the boat's performance: "In 20 knots of breeze, we had boat speeds of no less than 17 to 18 knots!"
Mike Golding, skipper of the IMOCA 60 ECOVER 3, has been forced to abandon his hopes of defending his IMOCA 60 title in The Artemis Transat, and has officially withdrawn from the list of entries. ECOVER 3's replacement carbon keel blade will not be ready sufficiently early to safely allow the team to compete in this tough transatlantic event without compromising the campaign's goals.
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