Mr Lucky

While mystery still shrouds Brian Thompson's departure, we speak to Artemis' new skipper Jonny Malbon

It came as a shock to hear the news last week of Brian Thompson being replaced as skipper of the Open 60 Artemis Ocean Racing, by boat captain Jonny Malbon. One of the most capable offshore sailors in the UK, particularly when it comes to skippering giant racing multihulls, Thompson scored a disappointing sixth in last November's Route du Rhum, his first solo Open 60 race.

Everyone is keeping their lips tightly shut about why this split has occurred. Unfortunately as a result several theories are doing the rounds, ranging from Thompson getting a better offer to getting fired. One suspects that the reality has more to do with the Vendee Globe - Thompson either not wanting to do it, now he has child no.2 on the way or that given the impossibly strong field lining up for next year's ultimate solo race, he rightly feels that to be competitive a new boat is required and time is rapidly running out to build one. To date no announcement has been made about Artemis getting a new Open 60 and considering that the Edinburgh-based investment company only announced their Open 60 sponsorship - their first major sports sponsorship - in July last year, perhaps it is just too early for them to make this next step.

"I can’t say much more than the press release. I’ll definitely be letting you know what the next thing is for me," is all Thompson will tell us.

Nick Wells, Product and Communications Director of Artemis Fund Managers says little more: "The position is as has been covered with parties going in separate directions, but there are a lot of things that surround it as well. You have the nuts and bolts of it there and that’s all we are prepared to talk about."

We sincerely hope the talented Thompson has had a better offer.

In the meantime happy as Larry on the one hand, terrified to the core on the other, is the pretender to the Thompson throne, Cowes' own Jonny Malbon. The appointment confirms Malbon's reputation as being a man who finds £20 notes on the street - how often does a boat captain get elevated to skipper, particularly within an Open 60 campaign? "It is the most exciting thing ever," Malbon confirmed to thedailysail. "To get an opportunity like this is fantastic. We’ll all be doing our best to make sure it works for Artemis."

Malbon would shed no more light on Thompson's departure other than saying: "It is sad not to have Brian there because I love working with him, but I am going to take the opportunity and it is good of Artemis to offer me it."

Malbon is heading out to Antigua this week to carry out refit work on the Open 60. "We’re going to get stuck into servicing her and give her a proper tickle up after the Route du Rhum. There’s not too much to do because she was in really good shape when she got there."

Artemis will formally announce the program for the boat at the end of this month, but at present the same program is continuing as was announced in July. The boat has some corporate work in Barbados and will then compete in Antigua Saiing Week in April before heading back to Europe to race the IMOCA circuit, including the Calais Round Britain Race and the Rolex Fastnet Race, along with Round the Island. The program announced in July lasts up until October this year and at present it is unclear whether the boat will compete in the two handed Transat Jacques Vabre, although Malbon is obviously keen to do this.

While taking on Artemis for crewed races is one thing, racing the boat short handed or solo is another completely. Malbon, formerly Ellen MacArthur's boat captain on the Kingfisher, has sailed a lot of miles on Open 60s with full crew but the step to becoming skipper in shorthanded and solo races is a giant one. "I have been in and out of that world for a long time and seen it from one side," says Malbon of whether he ever dreamed something like this might happen. "It is obviously something I am interested in having been involved with it for so long. When the opportunity comes which is very rare, you’ve got to take it. So it is daunting and I have thought hard about it and the main reason it is going to be worth taking on is that Artemis are so behind it."

He adds: "It is pretty full on. I didn’t just say 'yes', without thinking about the implications and obviously having seen it all go off in the past I am aware it is very very difficult and isn’t something that should be taken lightly for sure. That’s why I am going to put so much time and effort into it."

Malbon acknowledges there are some large holes in his shorthanded sailing skill set. "I’ve told them I need training in various areas and all the areas I haven’t done much with and they’ve said we’ll give you whatever help you need to get there."

So it is off to Open 60 school for the 32 year old. Malbon says he is happy with maintaining the boat and sailing the boat but it is particularly weather and routing and tactical skills where he is lacking. Following her announcement at the boat show Dee Caffarri is going down a similar route with her new Open 60 program and so maybe the two will hook up in their training.

From watching attentively from the sidelines as his skipper sails off into the distance, Malbon now has this role reversed and as skipper of Artemis Ocean Racing there remains the possibility of his competing in the Vendee Globe - singlehanded, non-stop around the world - next year.

"For us that is a long way off and there is no guarantee that is going to happen for our team at the moment," says Malbon of the Vendee. "That is the big carrot further down the line and I’ve got to work towards it. Artemis haven’ tsaid anything, other than that they’re very very happy to continue. We have had a good year all of us, with Brian too and we’ve struck up a really good relationship with them."

In the meantime Mr Lucky is beginning his Open 60 training - and, of course, where is taking place? Antigua.