Conrad Humphreys, skipper of the winning yacht in the 2000/01 BT Global Challenge, will commence his third circumnavigation in November 2004, but this time he will sail non-stop and alone in the Vendée Globe.

Although a solo race, the Vendée presents what is possibly the greatest test of leadership and teamwork there is. Building on the success of leading LG FLATRON to victory, Humphreys is looking for new commercial partners who share his determination and ambition to succeed.

Together this team will build a new Open 60 campaign that is capable of taking on the world’s top sailors and winning the Vendée Globe. Since his success in the BT Global Challenge, Humphreys has logged over 12,000 nautical miles, racing two of the fastest Open 60s on the planet. He teamed up with Mike Golding onboard ECOVER for the “no-limits” EDS Atlantic Challenge, before sailing Ellen MacArthur’s Kingfisher back from Bahia, Brazil to the UK.

The experience has left him in awe of the speed and power of this exciting class and determined to skipper his own campaign. Humphreys commented: “The Vendée is the greatest test. I appreciate that I have a steep learning curve to ensure that come November 9th 2004, I am ready to tackle this marathon event. As always, preparation is the key to success, as is having a good team of people behind you from the start.”

The Vendée Globe is the ultimate challenge in ocean racing. It is three months non-stop around the globe, against the fiercest of competition and elements. It is a human adventure and a highly competitive sporting event without equal. In 1996, Pete Goss brought the media’s attention to this event with his dramatic rescue of Raphael Dinelli from deep in the Southern Ocean. In the 2000/2001 race Ellen MacArthur shattered the race record becoming not only the youngest woman but also the fastest, to circumnavigate the planet.

In 2004, the world’s top ocean racers will again line up to race solo around the globe, following in the footsteps of the legendary Slocum, Chichester and Knox-Johnston. Having raced in both directions around the globe, Humphreys plans to be on the start line with a new Open 60, but this time his team will remain ashore.