KINGFISHER2 LEAVES LORIENT FOR START LINE

IN BRIEF:

* PLEASE NOTE TO USE
http://www.teamkingfisher.com for updates and not www.kingfisherchallenges.com

* AT 1420 (GMT) THE GIANT 110` CATAMARAN KINGFISHER2 LEFT THE DOCKSIDE AT LORIENT (FRANCE) HEADING FOR THE JULES VERNE START LINE AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE
ENGLISH CHANNEL

* SKIPPER ELLEN MACARTHUR: "WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PREPARE, NOW IT IS TIME TO RACE"... THE 14 CREW FROM SIX DIFFERENT COUNTRIES SAY GOODBYE TO
FAMILY & FRIENDS

* ESTIMATED START IS FOR TOMORROW MORNING BUT THAT REMAINS SUBJECT TO FINAL WEATHER BRIEFINGS THIS EVENING AS THEY SAIL TOWARDS THE START LINE

* NOTIFICATION OF THE START TIME WILL BE SENT OUT BY EMAIL, SMS AND POSTED ON http://www.teamkingfisher.com AS SOON THE START TIME IS CONFIRMED BY ELLEN...

* CURRENT RECORD 64 DAYS, 8 HOURS, 37 MINUTES, 24 SECONDS (set in May 2002 by Bruno Peyron), but Olivier de Kersauson and his crew on Geronimo are currently a thousand miles ahead of Bruno`s pace after just over 2 weeks at sea.

Listen to Ellen hours before the start at http://www.ocftp.com/audio/em270103a_uk.mp3

IN DETAIL:

KINGFISHER2 slipped her mooring lines and left her base in Lorient, (north west France) at 1420 GMT to sail to the Jules Verne start line off of the island of Ushant (northern western tip of France) and to begin their assault on the non-stop round the world record. This passage could take between 10 and 14 hours. Once KINGFISHER2 has reached the start area they will review the weather situation for the exact start time. Gaining a few hours by choosing the best moment to leave could of course make the difference in the end...

Skipper, Ellen MacArthur, and her 13 crew representing 6 different nationalities said goodbye to their families and friends gathered in Lorient. There was tension in the air, as each crewman said their final goodbyes, on the dockside or on the phone. It was time to get on with the job. "We have done everything we can to prepare and now it is time to race," said MacArthur. "It is always hard for everyone to say goodbye but I cannot wait to get out there. For me it is a big responsibility to be skipper - ultimately the safety of this boat and crew rests on my shoulders. But we are here for a record attempt and everyone
is committed to try to break that record. The weather is key and right now we have reasonable conditions for departure, but more importantly good conditions predicted further south, which is key to enable a fast link in to the trade winds and on towards the Equator. The first target will be the 6 day record to get there."

Of course the main target for KINGFISHER2 is to break the existing Jules Verne record of 64 days, 8 hours, 37 minutes and 24 seconds set by Bruno Peyron on board `Orange` in May last year OR a new record that could be set by Olivier de Kersuason on `Geronimo` who is currently on the Jules Verne race track in the Southern Ocean now 17 days into his record attempt. "At the start KINGFISHER2 will be loaded up with nearly a ton of stores," commented MacArthur. "So we have to take it easy and not risk the boat when she is at her heaviest - it`s a balance of pushing as much as we can but always to preserve the boat. You have to finish, to win" In the Jules Verne history that began in 1993 there have been 11 Jules Verne record attempts - but only four of them successful. It is a sobering thought.

Previous record holders:
1993 Commodore Explorer/Bruno Peyron 79 days 6 hours 15 mins 56 seconds 1994 ENZA New Zealand/Peter Blake & Robin Knox Johnston 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds 1997 Sport Elec/Olivier de Kersauson 71 days 14 hours 22 minutes 8 seconds 2002 Orange/Bruno Peyron 64 days 8 hours 37 minutes 24 seconds

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