Save Our Seas Ocean Racing uses B2G as warm up

by SOS Ocean Racing on 7 Mar 2010 Save our Seas Ocean Racing is preparing to set off to break the world record for sailing solo non stop around Australia. Departing in May from Airlie Beach, skipper Ian Thomson, is using the Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race as a trial for his new boat and also to gain additional coverage for his campaign.

Ian set up Save Our Seas Ocean Racing to raise awareness for the damage plastic bags are doing to our environment. Statistics on his website state that Australian's use 6.9 billion plastic bags a year, 36,700 tonnes of bags go into our landfill every year and they kill in excess of 100,000 marine mammals. His campaign is simply to raise awareness and then he will campaign local, state and federal governments to make changes to current regulations including a total ban on non-biodegradable bags like South Australia have.

Ian's Welbourn 12m has raced in the last 3 Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht races fully crewed and Ian has sailed in the last 5 races on e11even, Too Impetuous and Identity Crisis. However this year he is going solo. Rather than race against the fleet, which would be against race regulations, Ian has been granted permission by race directors to sail from the start line 15 minutes prior to the main fleet. This 15 minute head start will give the campaign and it's sponsors priceless exposure and keep them out of the way of the bashing and crashing typically seen on the Brisbane to Gladstone Start line.

Ian stated 'It is with great thanks to the race directors that I can sail off the start line 15 minutes early. I wanted to sail alongside the fleet to see how I was going for pace as sailing alone won't give me a guide. To sail against the fleet and hopefully stay up with the other 40 footers for most of the race will be great. I will probably be a bit slow out of the bay as the challenges of solo sailing in confined spaces mean you have to do things slowly, however once out in the ocean I will be pushing hard to stay with the fleet. It will be the perfect warm up for the record attempt in May when I am planning to break the world record for sailing solo non-stop around Australia'

Ian plans to break the record set by David Beard of 68 days, 8 hours and 30 minutes. Ian has set a goal to break 50 days stating 'There are other challenges for this record coming in the 2011 so I need to set a time that they can't break.'

www.sosoceanracing.com