All girl team embark on Global Ocean Race qualifying sail
by Ian Dickens. H&A Racing 18 Mar 2011 18:58 GMT
English yachtswoman Hannah Jenner and her German team mate Anna-Maria Renken are the first team to embark on the mandatory 2,000 nautical mile qualifying sail, as they prepare for the start of the Global Ocean Race 2011-2012.
The team, who are the only all girl entry in the 30,000 mile circumnavigation of the planet, departed from Guadeloupe on 15th March. Ahead lies a 2,300 mile crossing of the Atlantic and they expect to make landfall in the Azores towards the end of March.
They will be joined by two media representatives before completing the final 1,500 miles back to Haslar Marina in Portsmouth Harbour, UK, which is where 40 Degrees, their Class 40 racing yacht will be based.
The Global Ocean Race departs from Mallorca in September and the crew pairings will first race to Cape Town in South Africa. From there, it’s on to Wellington in New Zealand, Punta del Este in Uruguay and Charleston, USA before returning to Mallorca for the finish.
Hannah Jenner is no stranger to sailing circumnavigations having lead Glasgow Inspiring Capital in the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race, where she achieved an overall podium place. She also competed in the last five races of Clipper 09-10, when she took over as skipper of Cork and lead her team to victory in the final race.
Co-skipper Anna-Maria (29), from Hamburg has an equally impressive sailing CV and between them, the pair has over 200,000 miles of sailing that includes ocean racing and shorthanded experience.
Hampshire based Jenner (30) says
“When we first met, it was clear that we both had the same ambition – to race hard with the aim of securing a podium position in this highly competitive race. Our first couple of days at sea have seen us working well as a team and we are now pushing the boat hard as we get to learn about her performance. It’s good to get underway at last!”
Global Ocean Race director Josh Hall was quick to praise the efforts of the team, saying
“With six months remaining until the Global Ocean Race start gun fires in Palma, Mallorca, the individual campaign-pace is picking up within the GOR fleet. It’s truly impressive that Hannah and Anna are right on schedule with their programme and are the first team to head out on their qualifying voyage. We’re following their progress and reports from the Atlantic and look forward to meeting up when they step ashore in England. Their racing calendar in Europe is extremely exciting and it’s good to see them showing the way to the rest of the GOR competitors.”
Ahead of the qualifying sail lies a busy summer for the all girl pairing. The team will compete in a series of races to ensure that come September, they will be in the best possible position to push hard from the outset.