Roxy relaunched

Sam Davies ready for Artemis Transat after her Open 60 undergoes winter refit

After a three month winter refit in Lorient, France, Sam Davies’ Open 60 boat Roxy is now finally back in the water. After a busy year of racing in 2007, Roxy went into the shed in January in France in preparation for The Artemis Transat and looking ahead to Davies’ Vendee Globe challenge at the end of the year.

For Davies, 33, this will be the biggest year of her career since being appointed as skipper of the Roxy Open 60 at the end of 2006.

2007 was a good first year for Sam and ‘Roxy’. As skipper of the only all female crew in the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre in October, she finished the race in tenth place out of a fleet of 17 and first among the older generation boats. Sam went on to compete in her first solo race aboard Roxy on the return trip to Europe in the Transat Ecover B to B race and finishing 7th - a tremendous achievement as Sam battled with food poisoning during the first few days of the voyage and was one of the only skippers to finish the race without any damage. In completing the race, she became the first British skipper to qualify and the fifth confirmed entry for the Vendee Globe 2008.

Prior to the Vendee Globe, Sam will compete in the Artemis Transat starting from Plymouth, bound for Boston, on 11 May.

November sees the start of the Vendee Globe. Completing this race is Sam’s ultimate goal and in addition to this she aims to beat the current record set by Vincent Riou on the same boat in 2004/2005. As one of only three female skippers in the field and one of seven Brits, Sam is working hard to complete the challenge that remains one of the toughest sporting trophies in history.

Over the winter, Roxy has undergone a number of adjustments which Sam and her crew felt were necessary in order to adapt the boat to her style of racing. Sam has worked hard to ensure her boat is one of the most competitive in the field, despite the number of newly built boats being launched, specifically for circumnavigation. Twin daggerboards have been fitted which will allow the boat to go faster upwind; new deck fittings have also been installed as well as a ‘new look’ exterior design.

"I enjoyed so much the race back from Brazil last December that I was sad to have to take the boat out of the water," commented Sam. "After three long months of refit without racing, I am now really really happy to see Roxy back in her element and pleased of all the work we have done on her. It is a great achievement from the Roxy Team. I look forward to our first sail tomorrow and then to The Artemis Transat. It is a key race for my program and a good test leading up to the Vendee Globe. All the major replacements we have made, like the rigging, are in place so they can be properly tested! I am also delighted that the race starts from my country!"