Go SolO
A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR OLD HANDS

As part of the 'Try a Boat' experience, the Artemis Offshore Academy will be running daily one hour GO SOLO sessions between the 12th -21st of September, aimed at giving experienced keelboat sailors the chance to give solo sailing a go.  

Usually hidden away in the marinas of northern France, two of the Artemis Offshore Academy’s five striking blue Figaro Bénéteau II’s will be on display at this year’s Show, giving visitors the opportunity to have a go on the helm, inspect the high-tech instruments or just have a poke around the modest cabin below – 10 points if you can find the loo!

At 33ft, the Figaro Bénéteau II is French short-handed racer built for speed, designed by Marc Lombard for the purpose of competing in the 2000-mile solo Solitaire du Figaro – the pinnacle race in the class Figaro calendar.   As well as a guided Figaro tour, the Artemis Offshore Academy will offer a ‘GO SOLO’ experience to those with a few more sailing miles under their belt - a first for the PSP Southampton Boat show. Under the watchful eyes of the Academy’s professional team and skippers, a more experienced visitor to the show will have the opportunity to try their hand at ‘solo’ sailing as part of the Show signature attraction Try A Boat.

Those with the right skills can expect about an hour of sailing with an Academy skipper.  Academy skippers typically undergo 72 hours of grueling physical and mental testing before they’re let loose at the helm of the Figaros, visitors to the PSP Southampton Boat Show are privy to an exclusive coached solo experience this September.  “The Academy specialises in providing the Solo sailing training to an elite group of sailors,” explained Artemis Offshore Academy Sailing Team Manager Charles Darbyshire. “By bringing this GO SOLO experience to the show, we hope to raise the profile of solo sailing in Great Britain, and provide those sailors who have a wealth of fully crewed experience with a fresh challenge. Perhaps we'll even find the next Alex Thomson at the show.” 

Established in 2010, the Artemis Offshore Academy is the UK’s only centre of excellence for solo and short-handed offshore racing, giving British sailors the chance to train exclusively in the discipline. Physically and mentally demanding, highly competitive and all encompassing, single and shorthanded racing requires a unique skill set and the Artemis Offshore Academy provides a structured training programme for British sailors competing on one of the most demanding and dynamic racing circuits in the world. Having this year recorded some of the best British results in the history of the prestigious Solitaire du Figaro, the Academy is moving ever closer to the overall goal – to see a British sailor win the Vendée Globe.