Conrad Humphreys and Ryan Crawford aiming set for the Raid
by Vikki Cheung 12 Jul 2009 13:21 BST
Aiming for a podium finish in Europe’s toughest adventure race – The Archipelago Raid
Conrad Humphreys and Ryan Crawford have been training throughout 2009 with one goal in mind, to secure a podium finish in Europe’s premier adventure sailing raid – The Archipelago Raid. The Scandinavian Islands are the unique arena of the competition. Rocks and islands everywhere, the archipelago is one of the most difficult areas for navigation and the event attracts some of the world’s greatest sailors drawn to the challenge of competing in the 5 days endurance race. The concept is simple. Each team sails intensely day and night on a Formula 18 (5,5 m catamaran), along a unique course drawn among 100,000 rocks and islands. On the way, the competitors have to find 20-25 checkpoints located on islands (pontoons, beaches, boats, lighthouses) as described in the "Archipelago Raid Book" (latitude, longitude). The teams are free to choose their route between two checkpoints.
To follow Conrad’s daily updates and navigation track over the 5 day event, he has recently launched his new look website (www.conradhumphreys.com) where he will be posting daily tweets, blogs and YouTube videos online. The website also features a close look back over 15 years of remarkable sailing events from the earliest Whitbread Round the World Race onboard the Russian crewed Odessa through to winning the BT Global Challenge in 2001, the epic Vendee Globe in 2004/5 and more recently his multihull sailing with the Extreme 40 and the F18.
Over the last few years, Conrad and his team have been working on a series of major events and projects focused on both Sport and the Environment. In 2008, they led the Host City bid for The Artemis Transat and successfully coordinated one of the city of Plymouth's most prestigious sailing events. On the 24th July 2009, in partnership with the South West England 2012 team and Plymouth City Council and as part of the Olympic Celebrations to mark the three years towards the London 2012 Games, they will be launching a major new event designed to engage more people actively with our “Blue” Environment.