Katie Miller gets a backer

Bristol software firm bluQube to back British solo sailor for two years

Down at the Royal Southampton YC today, Katie Miller, 21, unveiled her 32ft Beneteau Figaro emblazoned in the colours of her new sponsor bluQube – the Bristol-based financial management software company. At the ceremony, the new bluQube was christened by Dee Caffari, recently returned from notching up a sixth place in the Vendee Globe.

BluQube, who is also a backer of Steve White’s Toe in the Water Vendee Globe entry and of Petit Bateau’s annual offshore event, have signed Katie Miller for two years. “We did the season last year with pretty much no budget at all,” says Miller, who a year ago acquired the former Offshore Challenges Figaro previously campaigned by Sam Davies and James Bird. “We competed in the bluQube 1000 mile Solo which is the race that has made us to be honest and met bluQube.”

The season this year for Miller and bluQube is to include the OSTAR, Cowes Week and the Rolex Fastnet, although Miller says they will start off with the Spring Series as an opportunity to sort out their new sail wardrobe from Crusader. “We have made some adjustments to the sails for the Atlantic and also to see if we can drop a class for Cowes Week under IRC,” says Miller. “We are using Bainbridge OceanTech - really heavy duty stuff - to make sure we get to the other side in one piece.”

There is also a requirement for more safety gear to bring the boat up to Category 1 for the OSTAR, but aside from the sails bluQube is out of class as a Beneteau Figaro because she also has Raymarine instruments and pilots, whereas Figaros are obliged to carry exclusively NKE. “I am happy to have it all to be honest, because it has been really reliable,” says Miller of the electronics. “We haven’t taken her much out of class. Literally at the end of this year it is a case of whipping her out and putting it all back in.” The boat has literally just come out of refit.

For Miller the OSTAR will be her first Atlantic crossing but prior to the start she may find herself struggling to keep her eye on the ball. She is coming to the conclusion of her third and final year at Southampton University and has her dissertation between now and the OSTAR start. “I will finish the day before the race or something, because they have had to move my exams as well to get the race in…”

Her aim for the OSTAR is to make it across in 21 days. “I know Mary Falk [who also attended today] did it in Q2 in 18 days - she is 35ft. So that is my aim. If I get there earlier, then fine.” However working against her is that this year the OSTAR is being run solely under IRC (Blondie Hasler would turn in his grave) rather than length bands. “Getting over there is the aim. There are a few Open 40s and some Open 35s, so it is quite a wide ranging fleet and it will be quite interesting to see how I do to be honest,” says Miller.

After that 2010 will be all about joining the Figaro class in France. This could see Miller jumping in at the deep end with the 2010 season opener - the two handed Transat AG2R - and this could be her first event in the class. She will also be competing in the Royal Western YC’s doublehanded Round Britain Race in 2010, provided there isn’t a date clash with the no1 event she wants to complete in – la Solitaire du Figaro, along with the qualification races leading up to it.

So will Miller head for Port la Foret and Figaro school as Sam Davies did? “What we are trying to do is to get four Figaros in Portland and then Nigel and I are going in April for some boat on boat stuff in Portland. We would really like is to get some French Figaros and set up something similar here and pay for a French coach to come over. So that we can almost stay in Britain.” An issue with staying the UK has been berthing fees - very often it is free for Figaros in France. However they have negotiated a similar deal in Portland with Dean & Reddyhoff.

The bluQube boat will be kept in East Cowes close to where Miller lives, but will head for Portland whenever they wish to train. “For proper offshore training Portland is much better given the Solent is full of ships and shallows and to get out there into some heavy weather off Portland and check the boat out. But then again I would like to go to France to be honest, because it is such an amazing set up. Sam [Davies] has benefitted so much from it. She is an amazing example of what they can do. I just need to improve my French a bit more!”

Frankly we feel she needs to bite the bullet and move to France - the only way to live and breath Figaro sailing.

Miller's ambition remains the Vendee Globe, but not until 2016 or the race after next. This puts her on to a time scale similar to Sam Davies. “I have got seven years to get to a position where we actually might be a reasonable contender in the Vendee. I don’t want to do it in four years time. The Figaro is an amazing training ground to be honest. So a minimum of four years or maybe more in that and then try and get some rides on Class 40s and Open 60s. But keep the Figaro as the main thing. Michel Desjoyeaux is going back to the Figaro and Sam is. It is the place to be and I love the boat and I love the sailing on her.”

In terms of support, Katie Miller runs ‘Katie Miller Racing’ with the help of partner Mark Lamble [very important to have someone called Mark working for you...] Having worked for the Ellen MacArthur Trust she also has access to an extremely useful source of knowledge in Ms MacArthur herself. “We sat down the other week and we chatted through the OSTAR, because she did it [and in fact won it in 2000 aboard Kingfisher]. We sit down and talk about different things - from sources of weather and different things to take, right down to what tea cup to take - because she recommends a wide fat bottomed one because they don’t fall over…. It is just all stuff that she’s learned from experience that I don’t know yet.” Ellen has yet to come for a yacht on the Figaro, but Miller hopes to get her out along with another well qualified individual - Dee Caffari.

So what is Caffari’s opinion of Katie Miller? “I think she is potentially the next best new thing in female offshore sailing. She has the grit and determination that will see her through a lot of the hard miles ahead. She is a tenacious character and it is fantastic to see her with a sponsor, and a clear plan of where she wants to be in five years time. She will do a great job on the way. You forget she is as young as she is but in preparing for the OSTAR, she is prepared to take stuff head on and that is a good trait to have for what lies ahead of her.”

We hope this translates into someone who can kick butt on the race course to the degree Ellen, Dee and Sam have.