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SOUTHAMPTON, (March 12, 2004) – The sixth and final race
of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club’s Frostbite series was
held on Sunday 7th March and Boating Partners is pleased to announce
that Clemency Williams, helming J105 Jos of Hamble, took victory
in Class 1 on corrected time by 42 seconds. Clemency’s crew
was also victorious overall for Class 1 in the series, having finished
on 7 points alongside Mike Moxley’s HOD 35 Malice, but winning
on a countback. The weekend’s victory is another important
development in Clemency’s sailing career and has provided
an excellent confidence booster in the run up to her hopeful qualification
for next year’s Mini Transat.
After last month’s announcement
that Clemency had secured a boat for her Mini Transat campaign,
she has been busy preparing
the Simon Rogers designed craft with a new rig courtesy of Formula
Spars. The Frostbite Series has meanwhile enabled her to continue
sailing in competitive conditions. Clemency is aiming to complete
her 1,000 mile qualifying in May after an official launch for her
boat in Hamble during early April. Clem would then like to be able
compete in three races during the early summer: Select 650, Mini
Cup and Mini Fastnet. The full campaign is still heavily dependent
on a commercial sponsor being secured for this year’s races
and both Clemency and BPUK are working hard on achieving this key
part of the project over the coming months.
" Winning the Frostbite Series was a great feeling – an
awesome performance from all of the crew. I’m very excited
about the progress that is being made with my Mini Transat boat
and really
looking forward to the launch and getting her on the water to start
my training in earnest. Winning my scholarship for the Ecover Ocean
Sailing Academy was another massive bonus and I can’t wait
for the first module at Calais during May,” said Clemency.
The
ultimate aim of the team is to enable Clemency to qualify for,
and compete in the gruelling 4,500 mile trans-Atlantic race in
her new 21ft. sailing boat; by achieving this goal, she would
become one of the few British females to compete in the race. The
event
is traditionally dominated by French yachtsmen, but previous
British female competitors have included Ellen MacArthur and Sam
Davies.
Clemency, from Hamble in Hampshire, whose ambitions include
competing in many of the major offshore events, sees the Mini
Transat as
a huge challenge, but one that she is desperate to achieve.
The race is an extreme test of tactics and endurance ocean racing
competing against some of the most impressive and professional
sailors in
the world.
Clemency would like to thank all the crew who contributed
to Jos of Hamble’s victory over the past few weeks: Steve
White & Will
Howden (Tactics), Nat Ives & Matt Curthoys (Main), Katie
Barlow, Shaun Frolich, Jeremy Troughton, Nick Martin & Nick
Butt (Headsail Trim), Keith Groves & Dom Akers-Douglas (Bow),
Andrew Anderson, Oli Curties, Rich Haines, (Mast), Ellie Haines & Rosie
Russell (Pit & Navigation).
www.clemencywilliams.com
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