Around Alone 2002-2003

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Class I
Simone Bianchetti, 34 is a professional sailor and resides in Italy.  He served in the Italian Navy, completed the 1st leg of Around Alone 1994-95 and finished the most recent Vendee Globe
in 121 days.

Tiscali is a 1998 Open 60 designed by Marc Lombard.  It was formerly campaigned by  Catherine Chabaud as Whirlpool.  Builder was Mag France material Carbon/Kevlar.  Beam is 18.2 feet, draft is 14.75 feet.  The boat nearly completed the previous Vendee Globe dismasting near the finish.

Website: http://tgc.tiscali.com/

Thierry Dubois, 35, is a professional sailor from France.  Has has sailed 2 Vendee Globes,  officially finishing neither.

Solidaires is an Open 60 by Joubert & Nivelt.  Duboius built the boat himself of Glass/carbon  fibre sandwich in 1998-99.  Beam is 17 feet, draft 14.75.  The boat completed the most recent  Vendee Globe as a non official finisher in 105 days.  The boat no longer carries its distinctive striped paint scheme.

Website: http://solidaires.free.fr/

Bernard Stamm, 38, Finistere France,is a professional sailor.  He currently holds the east west Trans Atlantic record for crewed monohullls.

Bobst Group Armor Lux is a Pierre Rolland designed Open 60 that Stamm build himself and  launched in the summer of 2000.  Material is Carbone-Airex-Epoxy.  Site of the build was  Lseconil France.  Beam is 18.5 feet, draft 14 feet.  Bobst Group started but did not finish  the 2000 Vendee Globe and completed the Transat Jacques Vabre.

Website: http://www.bernard-stamm.com

Graham Dalton, 50, Clevedon, NZ most recently worked in publishing and has 4 children.  A long time sailor previous races include Sydney to Hobart.

Hexagan is one of the newest boats in the fleet launched this year at Southern Ocean Marine.  Designer is Owen Clarke Groupe.  Beam is 18 feet, draft 15.4 feet.  Hexagon has over  5000 miles sailed already.  Recently the boat dismasted while being delivered to Newport  for the start.

Website: http://www.education.hsbc.com/race/

Patrick De Radigues, , from Monaco is a professional sailor.  He completed the 1996 Vendee  Globe, but not 2000 as he was injured and could not continue.

Garnier is a Finot designed Open 60 formerly sailed by Yves Parlier as Aquitaine Innovations.   She was built in 1996 out of Carbon/Nomex Sandwich by Thierry Eluère.  Beam is 19.3 feet, draft 14.75.  Successes include 1sts in the Route du Cafe and Route de Rhum transat's.

Emma Richards, 27, is a native of Scotland.  For several years she has been a professional  sailor at the highest level.  Experience includes a Jules Verne Attempt, class win the Jacques Vabre Transat and the most recent Volvo Ocean Race.

Pindar is a Finot designed Open 60 built by JMV Cherbourg in 1998 of carbon.  Beam is 18.3 feet, draft 14.75. Original name was Gartmore with Josh Hall as skipper. Pindar is conventionally ridged.  As Gartmore sailed the first 2 legs of the previous Around Alone and finished the Vendee Globe in 111 days.
Website: http://www.pindaroceanracing.com

Bruce Schwab, 41, is a professional rigger from California.  His most significant previous race win  is the 1996 Single Handed Trans Pac.

Ocean Planet is the first Open 60 designed by Tom Wylie.  Construction of Wood/Carbon/Kevlar was completed in 2001 by Schooner Creek Boat Works.  Beam is 12.5 feet, draft is 14.75 feet.  Schwab has sailed Ocean Planet from California to Newport via the Panama Canal and has  completed his qualifying voyage.

http://www.oceanplanet.org

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Class II
Brad Van Liew, 33, hails from California and is a professional sailor.  He competed in the 1998-99 Around Alone finishing 3rd in Class II.

Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America is an Open 50 designed by Finot.  IT was built by JVM in 1997 of Carbon/Nomex.  Beam is 16 1/4 feet, draft 13.5 feet.  The boat sailed the 1998-99 Around Alone as Magellan Alpha finishing 2nd in Class II. 
Website: http://www.oceanracing.org

John Dennis, 57, Toronto Canada is a real estate executive.  He is also a type 2 diabetic.  His longest previous solo voyage was 18 days from California to Hawaii.

Bayer Asensia is an Open 50 designed by Peter Ebbutt and build by Concordia Yachts in 1994 of e glass/carbon.  Beam is 10 feet while draft is 12.  The boat has a history of almosts.... Brian Hancock almost sailed it in the 1998-99 Around Alone and Ellen Macarthur almost sailed in the Route De Rhum.

Website: http://www.boldstatement.tv/

Duncan Gladman, 38, from Vancouver Canada is a sailmaker.  He is a long time racer of everything from windsurfers to keelboats.

Canada Challenge is an Open 50 that has twice previously sailed Around Alone.  In 1998 she was Balance Bar. On Gladman's qualifying sail problems with the steering system forced him to return to California.

Website: http://www.canadachallenge.com

Derek Hatfield, 49, works in the banking and security industry.  He is an experienced sailor including 2nd place in the 1997 and 1999 Bermuda One-Two race.

Spirit of Canada is an Open 40 designed by Bob Dresser and built of Composite/Foam built in Bear Island New Brunswick by Hatfield and his father and then finished by Wiggers Yachts.  Beam is 12.1 feet, draft 11.5. As of early August Spirit of Canada is nearing Newport and completion of it's qualification.

Website: http://www.spiritofcanada.net

Alan Paris, 37, resides in St. Georges Bermuda.  His profession is the Hospitality Industry.  He has over 18,000 offshore miles more than half solo on a J 105.  He was overall winner of the 1995 Bermuda One-Two.

BTC Velocity is one of Class II's Open 40's.  The designer is Scott Jutson who was responsible for 1994-95 Class II winner True Blue.  Boat was built of Divinycell/Eglass/Kevlar in 2001 by All Yacht Spars of Australia.  Beam is 11.5 feet, draft 11.75 feet. In the spring of 2002 Paris completed his qualifying voyage from Bermuda to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.

Website: http://www.aroundalone2002.com

Kojiro Shiraishi, 34, is from Tokyo Japan.  He is an accomplished adventurer.  At age 26 he completed a sailing circumnavigation.

Spirit of Yukoh is a Finot design Open 40 built in 2001.  The boat was built at Sam C3 shipyard in Barcelona Spain.  Spirit of Yukoh has a beam of 13 feet and draws 10 feet.  Delivery from Japan to the US was on own bottom.

Website http://www.jp.real.com/kojiro

Tim Kent, ,Milwaukee WI USA formerly worked in educational publishing.  His biggest solo sailing achievement is 1st to finish in the 330 mile Chicago-to-Mackinac solo race.

Everest Horizontal is an Open 50 designed by Jim Antrim and built in California by  James Betts Enterprises, Inc launched in December of 1999 with the name as Convergence. She carries a 70 foot mast and 3181 square feet of offwind canvas and is constructed of carbon.  Everest Horizontal completed the Great Lakes racing season in 2001.

Website: Http://www.everesthorizontal.com