West Country sailor Pete Goss has answered the question most asked of him in
recent years: “When are you returning to solo ocean racing?” He announced
today that he is to compete in the gruelling Route du Rhum race later this
year.
Pete has partnered with “Team Concise”, winners of last year’s Class 40
World Championship, to enter a brand new boat in the 3,500-mile race
commencing on Sunday 31st October 2010.
The Route du Rhum is a major fixture on the sailing calendar attracting a
fleet of more than 60 boats. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the race
village prior to the start off St Malo and watch the boats as they track
down the French coast before they head out across the Atlantic for the
Caribbean, finishing at Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadalupe.
Racing a Class 40 will be very different to his last challenge, sailing
‘Spirit of Mystery’, a 37-foot wooden lugger weighing 16-tonnes, to
Australia at an average speed of about 4 knots. A Class 40 weighs a quarter
of that and can sail at speeds in excess of 25 knots.
Challenge and Adventure’s Colin Merry attended today and was able to tour the boat. Below is a gallery of photos of Concise up close.
Pete says that he is excited by the new boat Concise 2. During recent sail
trials it more than lived up to his expectations. He said: “It has been a
few years since I have sailed such a fast, high-tech boat and the systems
have come on leaps and bounds. Concise2 is fun, responsive and eager to
please so I am looking forward to working up to, and competing in, the Route
du Rhum. It’s one of the ‘greats’ that I have always wanted to do. The
competition will be tough, but I am going for a result and then looking
forward to enjoying Guadeloupe. Despite all my miles at sea I have never
sailed in the Caribbean. I just know I am going to love it.”
‘Team Concise’ is made up of two halves, with the current young World
Championship Crew working up the boat to defend their title in Gijon in July
before they compete in the Seven Star Round Britain and Ireland race. Pete
will be working in parallel with this programme until Concise 2 moves to
Plymouth in August when he will start his own full time preparations.
According to Pete, “mixing it up with the young guns” will be a tremendous
help as he gets to know the boat.
The 48-year-old from St John in Cornwall is no stranger to sailing solo in
high performance boats though. He is perhaps best known for his
extraordinary single-handed rescue of Frenchman and fellow competitor
Raphael Dinelli during a severe Southern Ocean storm in the 1996 Vendee
Globe, for which he was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty The Queen and the
Legion d’Honneur by the President of France.
It is this sort of experience that Pete brings to the ISAF World
Championship winning team. Team Concise owner Tony Lawson said: “This is a
truly symbiotic relationship. Pete will race a brand new boat prepared by my
boys as part of his short-handed offshore racing program. Meanwhile we can
benefit from the advice and inspiration of this world-renowned offshore
sailor, building on our knowledge base as we prepare for bigger challenges
ahead. We hope it is the start of a long-term relationship”.
Asked if this race signals a return to a career as a solo ocean racer, Pete
said: “I have never had a career, just a series of adventures and who knows
where this one will lead. I never say never, so let’s see where this takes
us.”
Pete’s entry in the race has been made possible thanks to the support of
silver sponsors including: Girlings, Talisker, CSR and a fourth one to be
announced shortly; but he is still looking for a title sponsor. So if you
want to become part of the Team and support Pete’s return to solo ocean
sailing, please contact him through the website www.petegoss.com .