Profile

wet-golfo_2Skipper Profile: 

I come from strong sailing stock; my grandfather built yachts for the family in the front yard and my father sailed short-handed halfway around the world before meeting my mother and again taking to the seas for years on end. 

After graduating from university wanted to pursue ocean racing instead ofeconomics and set off for Europe with a bag of sailing gear and a dream. After becoming a sailing instructor and racing coach to a national sailing and learning solo sailing from the school of hard knocks I am now chasing the Mini Transat in 2009. 

Pre sailing stats:

Born: New Zealand

Education: Bachelors degree in Economics and Political Science

Accomplishments: Former business owner and semi-pro mountain biker

 

Armand Co-skipper for Mini Fastnet Francaise: Armand de Jacquelot

Armand and I met last year while racing with the GBR Yacht Racing Academy in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. A veteran of two Tour de France a la Voile and a longtime member of the Sopra ORMA 60 sailing team, he also accompanied me for the first part of my catamaran delivery in Italy. 

A trained naval archiect, boat builder, bowman and Mini enthusiast, Armand is a great team mate and ideal companion for what promises to be the most competitive event of the Mini circuit.

 

Co-skipper for Mini Fastnet RWYC: Jerry Richards

A veteran of two Olympic campaigns and the Americas Cup, Jerry has a resumé that includes victories from around the world in dinghys and keel boats. Winner of the 1993 Rolex Fastnet, Jerry will be joining me as co-skipper for the English Mini Fastnet, and with a tactical race that heads East from Plymouth to the Needles before commencing the traditional Fastnet route, his experience will be crucial. 

Jerry is the National sales manager for Gill Marine in North America and in addition to counseling me in how to make it as a sailor he will be flying in for the race!

  • Mini Pavois

    The Mini Pavois serves up the season’s first race across Biscay and provides a trial run for many who will be racing this course later this year during the Mini Transat. It was a warm up for the organisers, Grand Pavois, too who pulled out all the stops and had electronic billboards all over the [...]

  • Qualified insanity

    There are highs and lows in all parts of life, but these are certainly amplified by sailing a little boat a long way by oneself.The Mini 6.5 racing yachts like mine are designed specifically for doing long downwind races like the Transat later this year but because they are so optimised for one point of [...]

  • Est-ce que tu parles le Français?

    France is sexy, I’m not breaking new ground there. This is the country of Moulin Rouge, lingerie and voulez-vous couche avec moi. Ever since American GI’s came back from the war from torrid adventures with liberated housewives the world has always looked to the French to see what is chic and sexy. Indeed the the [...]

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