Conrad Humphreys has announced that he has secured sponsorship for a two-year Open 60 campaign, taking in the Transat and Vendee Globe, from Motorola. Humphreys has purchased Mike Golding’s old Finot-designed Ecover and is planning a number of modifications before the Transat which starts at the end of May. These are being made with three objectives in mind, which are to increase reliability, improve upwind performance and improve the sail handling systems.

Ecover was probably one of the best-maintained and managed boats in the Open 60 fleet and although, like some of the other Finot boats, she was not at her best upwind, she is fast downwind and on a reach. A generator will be fitted, the foils will be optimised for upwind performance and a Harken pedestal winch fitted in the cockpit. The coachroof has been extended to provide a shelter at the forward end and all control lines will be moved aft. Humphreys hopes to have the boat back in the water by April for some concentrated training and has appointed his shore team.

Sailing with Paul Larsen in last year’s Transat Jacques Vabre on the 50ft HelloMoto Humphreys won his class by a margin of 600 miles. He also was skipper of the winning boat in the 2001 BT Global Challenge.