SAM DAVIES FACES FIRST FIGARO TEST ON BOARD 'SKANDIA' IN TOUR DE BRETAGNE RACE...

Skandia is a leading international long term savings company and title sponsor to Sam Davies Figaro campaign http://www.skandia.com

IN BRIEF:

* UK skipper Samantha Davies will make her debut on the French Figaro circuit this Sunday on board 'SKANDIA', racing in the double-handed Tour de Bretagne á la Voile - a six day series of coastal races between St Malo and Lorient starting Sunday, 18th May.

* Davies co-skipper on SKANDIA will be British Volvo Ocean Race sailor Emma Westmacott - the two raced together on board the giant catamaran Royal Sun Alliance in an attempt to break the Jules Verne record.

* France's top sailing talent are named in the start list including multiple sailing champion and French national yachting star Loick Peyron and America's Cup TNZ tactician Bertrand Pacé recently returned from Auckland.

* Tour de Bretagne (Round Brittany) race is a unique test from rock-hopping to facing some of the world's strongest tidal gates, long days leads to extreme exhaustion... "I can remember a line of about 20 boats only a boat-length separating each boat threading through the rocks - there was no room to overtake, it was crazy..." from Ellen MacArthur who competed in 1999.

IN DETAIL:

Sam Davies will make her debut on the elite French Figaro circuit this weekend, racing her new Bénéteau Figaro 2 design SKANDIA in the double-handed Tour de Bretagne á la Voile starting this Sunday, 18 May from St Malo.

Her co-skipper on SKANDIA will be Emma Westmacott. Westmacott was a watch leader on Amer Sports Too in the last Volvo Ocean Race. The two first sailed together as crew on Tracy Edwards' Jules Verne giant catamaran Royal Sun Alliance in 1998. "We got on really well together when we sailed on the Jules Verne and someone who comes from a different area of sailing will have a different perspective and fresh ideas," said Davies. It may be new territory for Westmacott, a professional sailor for six years with over 230,000 miles at sea, but she's relishing the new challenge: "The Figaro has a reputation for attracting a high calibre of sailor and I think that it is great that Sam is not daunted, just extremely keen to learn more and develop herself and the boat which is great attitude to have."

The six-day series of coastal races from the port of St Malo (NW France) to Lorient is a unique test from rock-hopping to facing some of the world's strongest tidal gates. Long, long days leads to extreme exhaustion and little time to prepare the boat or weather strategy for the next day. "It's really tough," said MacArthur who competed in this event in 1999. "I can remember thinking that this is pretty extreme, I had never raced in anything like it before and struggled to finish in the top half of the fleet!"

The event has attracted some of France's most celebrated yachtsman, including national star Loick Peyron and five-time America's Cup sailor Bertrand Pacé are also out to master the new class. Pacé, on Cercle Vert, has recently returned to France after three seasons as tune-up helmsman for Team New Zealand - he was on board TNZ for the final race in the America's Cup as tactician to Dean Barker. His co-skipper Gildas Morvan won the last Tour de Bretagne in 2001 so the pair must rate as the top seeds in the 32-strong fleet.

The Figaro skippers have been provided with a new one-design Bénéteau Figaro 2 design for 2003 which will go some way to levelling the playing field for the newcomers to the circuit. "There's an element of mystery," explains Sam. "No one knows how their boats are going to perform against each other especially racing close inshore dealing with strong tidal waters and avoiding the obstacles on this rocky coastline - I've been training on SKANDIA in England and we're keen to know where we measure in the fleet," said Davies.

Several up-and-coming French soloists, including Mini-Transat winner Yannick Bestaven, are also out to forge a name for themselves on the ultra-competitive Figaro circuit this season. They are following in the wake of French solo sailing master Michel Desjoyeaux who won this event in 1997. Desjoyeaux won three Figaro titles, going onto win the pinnacle of single-handed ocean racing - the Vendée Globe non-stop round the world race four years later.

Tour de Bretagne á la Voile 18th-24th May 2003

Sunday 18 May, Saint-Malo to Saint-Quay Portrieux
Monday 19 May, Saint-Quay Portrieux to Perros Guirec
Tuesday 20 May to Wednesday 21 May, Perros Guirec – Brest Thursday 22 May, Brest – Port La Forêt Friday 23 May, Port La Forêt – Lorient Saturday 24 May, Lorient, parcours « banane » et côtier

http://www.tourdebretagnealavoile.com

Emma Westmacott CV - Summary:
November 2002-February 2003
Shore/Fitness Manager for Ellen MacArthur's KINGFISHER2 Jules Verne crew July 2001-June 2002 Watch leader Amer Sport Too, Volvo Ocean Race and responsible for all electronics on board September 1998-June 2001 Personal trainer for individual clients in Australia September 1998-June 2000 Managed fleet of 8 boats for West Australian Yachting Foundation at Royal Perth Yacht Club including coaching. April 1997-April 1998 Watch captain on board Tracy Edward's Royal Sun Alliance catamaran, to challenge for the Jules Verne non-stop round the world record. May-November 1996 Watch leader and mechanic/engineer on board "Elle Racing" in the Whitbread Round the World Race. November 1987-May 1996 Sailing instructor and skipper for variety of charter and racing boats in the Caribbean, Australia and England. Emma, born in the UK, moved to Australia in September 1998 and became a citizen in June 2001 setting up her home and personal training business in Fremantle, WA.

PERFORMANCE PARTNER : SONY
Sony have provided a Sony NX70V Clie [PDA - personal digital assistant] and a Sony PC laptop. Both products will allow Sam to be as fully prepared as possible for each Figaro racing - using the slim and lightweight Sony laptop to store crucial tune-up data and race information. The laptop will also allow her to communicate her races via email and send images to the media team as quickly as possible. http://www.offshorechallenges.com/sony