Open 60s in 2002

James Boyd looks at what happening in the Open monohull circuit this year

Despite the next Vendee Globe being some way off still, the Open 60 class seems to be as buoyant as ever with at least 10 boats taking part in the fully crewed regattas and the major offshore events this year.

To blow the cobwebs off, the first event in this year's calendar is a fully crewed regatta in Lorient, running from 1-4 May. This event will be a prelude to a new offshore event, the Regate de Rubicon. This starts from St Nazaire at the mouth of the Loire river and will visit Yaiza on Lanzarote for a brief stop before continuing on to Santa Margherita, near Genoa in Italy. Again all the boats must be sailed with a full crew, which in the case of Open 60s amounts to five.

12 Open 60s are currently entered, although there is a question mark over at least one boat. For example British sailor Josh Hall, who now lives in France, is entered but is in final negotiations with a sponsor and is uncertain about whether he will be taking part.

Three new faces to the class this year are Jean-Pierre Dick, Antoine Koch and Antoine Cornic.

Dick won the Tour de France a la Voile last year and much to everyone in the class' envy has managed to get Michel Desjoyeaux's Vendee Globe winner, PRB. Dick is soon to announce his sponsor.

Aged just 23, Antoine Koch has spent four years on the Figaro circuit and has bought Giovanni Soldini's Fila Open 60, that won the last Around Alone. Similarly Antoine Cornic, has Philippe Monnet's former UUNET which Simone Bianchetti raced in the last Vendee Globe and which in a previous life was Philippe Poupon's Fleury Michon ketch. Monnet is currently having a new Nigel Irens-designed trimaran built.

Italian sailor Simone Bianchetti has bought Catherine Chabaud's Lombard design Whirlpool and renamed her Tiscale Global Challenge after his new sponsor, a leading internet service provider.

Loic Pochet is expected to be taking part on the former Petit Navire(the boat with the canting rig - now removed), called La Rage de Vivre. Bob Escoffier is racing the only Open 50 taking part.

However the fight for first place is likely to be between five boats - Ellen MacArthur's Kingfisher, Mike Golding's Ecover, Roland Jourdain's Transat Jacques Vabre winner Sill Plein Fruit, Dominique Wavre's powerful Groupe Finot design Temenos and monohull transatlantic record holder Bernard Stamm on Armor Lux/Bobst Group.

Among the Brits, Ellen MacArthur is hoping to have her book finished in time to take the start line. Kingfisher has just been undergoing a refit in Cowes where she is being de-Vendeeised. Mark Turner says much weight has been removed from her, such as a redundant generator and her rigging has been changed from rod to PBO. Current plans are for Ellen to skipper Kingfisher on the first leg of the Regate de Rubicon and then hand over to Nick Moloney (who, touch wood, will be freshly returned from his Jules Verne record attempt on board Orange).

Ellen will be rejoining Alain Gautier on board the brand new Foncia 60ft trimaran for the Courses des Phares.

The two main events later in the season for the class are the Route du Rhum and Around Alone, which unfortunately clash. For French sponsors the Route du Rhum represents a better return and lower cost and several British sailors are taking part, whereas at present none are taking part in Around Alone.

In addition to Ellen, Miranda Merron will be undertaking her first singlehanded offshore race with her French sponsor Un Univers de Service. The boat is to be rechristened with the catchy name UUDS, confusingly similar to Monnet's UUNET. Josh Hall is also planning on taking part on board the former Gartmore.

Mike Golding has still not announced whether he will be taking part in the Route du Rhum or Around Alone.