Bidding has closed on this racing adventure: Bidding opened on 15 May and all bids closed on 25 May 2009.

On 9 August, the crew of Polar Bear will take on one of the most physically and mentally demanding yachting challenges in the world: the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race, which now welcomes over 250 yachts from all over the globe. Recognised as one of the world’s yachting classics and a real ‘must-do’ for serious sailors, the 608-mile race isn’t for the faint-hearted. Ever-changing weather and tidal conditions make this a tricky challenge: participation demands skill, courage and endurance.

 

Polar Bear is a robust 72-foot yacht usually employed for Arctic expeditions, so she may just have enough advantages of stability and endurance to have a chance of going all the way. Dee Caffari skippered her when she became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in 2006—against prevailing winds and currents. 

 

The 18-strong crew includes 2 skippers (both Yachtmaster instructors); Paul Rose (explorer and presenter of the BBC TV series Oceans); the boat’s owners (a father and son who regularly take Polar Bear on charters into tough Arctic waters); the two co-sponsors (Bill Holt from Foretel and Mark Styles of People First Group); 8 experienced yachtsmen and 2 novice sailors; and a lucky competition winner who will have bid successfully for the final crew appointment. 

 

The two charities which will benefit from the auction are Martin House Children’s Hospice http://www.martinhouse.org.uk (near Wetherby, West Yorkshire) and Earthwatch, http://www.earthwatch.org an international environmental charity committed to conserving the diversity and integrity of life on earth.