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    <title>News RSS Feed</title>
    <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/</link>
    <description>The official website of the BT Team Ellen project</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    
    <pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2003 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
    <lastBuildDate>Thu, 11 March 2010 12:04:35 GMT+1</lastBuildDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[ BT on her way back home]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22807</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Upon arriving back in the UK this Sunday, the BT IMOCA 60 yacht will be lifted out of the water in Cowes and go straight in to short but intensive refit to bring her back to full racing condition for the 2010 IMOCA season, albeit no longer as ‘BT’. BT, skippered by Seb Josse, whose chances of winning the Transat Jacques Vabre were shattered by a giant breaking wave which crushed her coachroof less than three weeks ago, is now on her way back towards England, after having left Praia da Vitoria (Terceira Island, Azores) on Monday, November the 30th. Aboard the "Beautriton" cargo ship, the IMOCA 60 will arrive in Southampton next Sunday, before being towed across the Solent, back to Medina Yard in Cowes on the Isle of Wight - the yard where she was built in 2007. Considering the beating she took in the Atlantic after having suffered the blow that forced her crew to abandon her, the boat is in very good shape and has not suffered structurally, as the surveyor who assessed the damage in the Azores was able to confirm. As a result, the repairs and refit should prove to be straightforward, and everything is already in place in Cowes to welcome the BT yacht.]]></description>
      <pubDate>03 Dec 2009 11:40:01 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[First battle won, just in time...]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22663</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The BT yacht is now inside the harbour in Terceira (Azores), all but submerged but safe from the Atlantic ocean waves that have been battering her since Friday. The BT Team technical crew let out a sigh of relief upon entering the port of Praia da Vitoria this morning. After more than 60 hours without any proper sleep, Charles Darbyshire, Rhys Mellor and Pierre-Emmanuel H&#233;rrise now have to wait for the 60-knot winds to drop before craning the monohull out of the water. As Charlie reported at 0800 GMT this morning: "We're inside the harbour so things are better but we're waiting for daylight and a container ship to leave so we can get alongside. BT is completely underwater when upright and when she lists over you can just see the top of the BT logo on her topsides. We've come this far, we're determined to finish the job but even now it's not a done deal."]]></description>
      <pubDate>18 Nov 2009 15:19:51 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[BT skippers in Paris today, Ellen on BBC1 tonight...]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22636</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In the Paris studio today during the Transat Jacques Vabre daily radio vacation, S&#233;bastien Josse and Jean-Fran&#231;ois Cuzon gave more details about the rescue operation that followed the breakage of the BT IMOCA 60 yacht… An operation that has been captured on video by the Portuguese Air Force, and which is now available for viewing on the website (details below). In the meantime, on the Atlantic, things are still complicated as far as the boat's salvage process is concerned. On a more lighter note, tonight on BBC1 at 9.00pm see the final episode of 'Around the World In 80 Days', the challenge that sees celebrity guests attempt to recreate Phileas Fogg’s famous fictional journey for Children in Need. The two celebrities, Josie Lawrence and Shane Ritchie, who have to cover America, the Atlantic and the final hurdle - the English Channel - where they enlist the help up a certain famous sailing Dame! Ellen joins the celebrity duo and the crew of the IMOCA 60 Artemis to bring Josie and Shane back to UK shores for their final sprint to London.]]></description>
      <pubDate>17 Nov 2009 09:32:04 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[Tricky salvage operation underway for the BT Yacht]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22629</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Having left Horta (Azores) yesterday mid-afternoon, the "Ilha de Sao Luis" tugboat chartered to try and salvage the BT yacht is currently attempting to tow the stricken monohull back to the Azores… but difficult weather conditions and the sheer weight of the IMOCA 60' full of water make for a very tricky operation. The 26-metre long "Ilha de Sao Luis" tugboat, with BT Team members Charles Darbyshire, Rhys Mellor and Pierre-Emmenuel H&#233;riss&#233; on board, reched BT's position at approximately 12:00 GMT today. The stricken monohull was drifting in rough seas some 115 miles North of Terceira (Azores). The yacht is listing on her port side, due to the keel being canted, the cockpit, the coachroof and the area aft of the mast are underwater…The "special convoy" is crawling its way towards the Azores, not expecting to be able to exceed 4 knots of speed at best. The BT Technical Team is expecting to spend long and difficult hours at sea, but everyone is fully determined and focused on that mission.]]></description>
      <pubDate>16 Nov 2009 16:50:13 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[S&#233;bastien Josse: “My biggest concern was that we could sink in a few minutes…"]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22597</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ S&#233;bastien Josse and Jean-Fran&#231;ois Cuzon were airlifted from the BT yacht at approx 1800GMT today (Friday, 13.11.09) by a Portuguese Air Force helicopter and headed for Lajes Field air base on the Azores island of Terceier. A full salvage operation is now underway to recover the boat. Today’s harrowing story began at 1020GMT this morning when the duo activated their EPIRB distress beacon this morning at 1020 GMT after suffering catastrophic structural damage caused by the sheer power of the waves. The shore team finally spoke to S&#233;bastien Josse and Jean-Fran&#231;ois Cuzon tonight at 2245 GMT: “I was afraid we'd have to spend the night on a boat that could go under at any moment,” said Jeff Cuzon before handing over to Seb. Sounding exhausted and understandably subdued, Seb relayed their daunting experience.,, ]]></description>
      <pubDate>13 Nov 2009 21:56:42 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[Day 5 - BT skippers safe and sound, boat salvage plan underway]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22595</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Just before 1800 GMT, S&#233;bastien Josse and Jean-Fran&#231;ois Cuzon were confirmed safe and sound, and in a helicopter heading back to Terceira (Azores). The helicopter was aboard the Ocean Explorer scientific vessel, which came to the crew's rescue. This episode has put an end to an extremely stressful and anguishing day. Aboard a yacht two thirds full of water following significant damage to the coachroof, the two BT skippers, S&#233;bastien Josse and Jean-Fran&#231;ois Cuzon, had activated their EPIRB distress beacon this morning at 1020 GMT. The rescue operation was immediately kickstarted by the MRCC (Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre), in conjunction with the BT technical team and the Transat Jacques Vabre Race Direction. A tugboat is now on standby in the Azores, and all efforts will now be made to salvage the BT yacht. The technical team left the UK at midday, and will be on the islands this evening to prepare this next phase. The BT sailing team extend their deepest thanks to the rescue services for all their remarkable efforts in finding and bringing assistance to Seb and Jean-Fran&#231;ois.]]></description>
      <pubDate>13 Nov 2009 18:23:15 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[Day 5 - BT crew awaiting rescue]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22585</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The rescue boat dispatched by the RCC Azores is underway in difficult sea conditions. We take a look at the events as they unfolded since the activation of the EPIRB distress beacon this morning...]]></description>
      <pubDate>13 Nov 2009 16:56:45 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[Day 4 - BT under pressure… and looking forward to a fight!]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22544</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Enjoying a little respite today, S&#233;bastien and Jean-Fran&#231;ois are looking forward to the return of fast downwind "drag race" conditions, now just 24 hours away. Under a lot of pressure from Safran - who overtook them early this afternoon - the BT boys welcome the prospect of a good fight, but before that another front is to be dealt with tonight. "Yesterday Jeff was telling me that it was his first real rough weather experience", explained S&#233;bastien this morning during a video conference from the cockpit, "and we were both marveling at the beauty of the elements in wrath. At times we had more than 50 knots and 6.5 metres swell, which is really something. Now, it's almost comfortable as the wind has dropped and the waves are much smaller. The boat is perfectly fine, we didn't break anything and we both feel very well, having been able to get some rest and with so little manoeuvering the tiredness was more mental than anything.]]></description>
      <pubDate>12 Nov 2009 13:33:49 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[Day 3 - BT toughing it out at the top]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22526</link>
      <description><![CDATA["It's a battlefield inside", explained Jean-Fran&#231;ois Cuzon before the connection was cut off. The voice sounded good, with a reassuring tone indicating that the situation was unpleasant, but nevertheless under control. Getting ahold of the BT boys has not been easy this morning, but the confidence in Jeff's voice was a good indicator of the fighting spirit that prevails as the duo hold on to their lead. Finally, the phone rang aboard BT after a series of unsuccessful attempts and upon picking it up, skipper S&#233;bastien Josse confirmed what we had perceived in the first brief exchange with his team mate - it's hard, but they're absolutely fine, accepting the consequences of the tactical choice they strongly believe in, enduring the conditions they have been preparing the boat and themselves for. "We're being properly battered here", said the skipper, "and we'll have to cope with it until tomorrow night. We're going against the waves in an average of 35 knots of breeze, and the boat slams a lot - the seas are not very high, not more than 3 to 4 metres, but very choppy and confused.]]></description>
      <pubDate>11 Nov 2009 14:02:57 GMT+1</pubDate>
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	<title><![CDATA[Day 2 - BT in the lead]]></title>
      <category>60 | News</category>
      <link>http://www.btsebjosse.com/news.asp?sid=22509</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It's still a very tight match at the front of the fleet, but this morning BT emerged as the leading boat with the unveiling of the first position report. Getting ready to take a major beating, Seb and Jeff have prepared the storm sails, tidied up the boat and lifted up the collars of their foul weather jackets - so to speak. The North - South divide is starting to be blatant on the race course, but for the moment it's difficult to foresee the outcome of that first tactical match. "We have to wait a few days to know who made the best choice", commented Seb, "for the moment the idea is to get through the rough weather safely." As Jean-Fran&#231;ois reported in an email sent early this morning, "Another beautiful starry night, after the front passed, but to be honest it's not easy to see the sky with all the spray coming on deck, it's a real high-pressure wash. Today on the menu, downwind conditions, nice!!! Then we're in for more hairy reaching and back upwind." Averaging between 15 and 18 knots this morning, BT slowed down a bit around midday  and but was still noticeably faster than her three closest rivals in terms of distance to the finish - respectively Aviva, Groupe Bel and Veolia Environnement.]]></description>
      <pubDate>10 Nov 2009 13:57:27 GMT+1</pubDate>
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