Four months of major refit work has been carried out on the BT Open 60 by the 10-strong shore team. Charles Darbyshire, Project Manager of BT Team Ellen, explains rudders, wind turbines and offshore video conferencing in this exclusive Q&A:

BT:
Can you outline the major refit work and highlight some of the new innovations to the BT Open 60?

CD:
We have a new mast and a lighter weight boom, optimised for solo sailing and, importantly, the Vendée Globe. A new battery and charging system has been installed which we hope will make more efficient use of the diesel we use to charge the batteries that power all the systems on board. This means Seb (Sébastien Josse, Skipper of the BT Open 60) can take less fuel onboard when he is racing so the boat is lighter and, therefore, more competitive. The (shore) team also added a wind turbine to charge the batteries - a good and reliable back up system to the onboard generator - and meets the team's desire to use nature's elements to provide power to the boat.

We have some new sail shapes and a simplified sail plan with bigger crossovers between sails. This is important for solo sailing as it demands fewer sail changes for Seb, with the sail configurations being in optimum conditions for longer periods.

The team has made adjustments to the balance of the boat, meaning it's lighter to steer and easier for the autopilot to function at optimum performance. The boat was already the best of her sister-ships in this regard but we have made further improvements.

After a spate of rudder problems within the IMOCA Class, we've chosen to permanently fix the rudders down in a more traditional system while the “kick-up” rudder solution is further developed to be totally reliable. Seb will carry a spare rudder onboard during The Artemis Transat in case of damage caused by a collision.

An important design innovation has been to add powerboat style “strakes” to the bow of the boat. This should provide extra lift to the bow of the boat in difficult conditions or big seas. The masts are now so large on these boats that downwind there is a lot of energy pushing the bow down, which puts the boat at risk of sustaining serious damage. These strakes are designed to provide lift to counter this.

BT:
Can you outline the media communications system the boat has?

CD:
With BT as our title partner we want to ensure we can do the best job for Seb to be able to communicate back to shore what he is experiencing at sea. The Fleet 77 housed in a large dome that sits at the back of the boat, provides the hi-speed satellite connection and the Iridium phone also connected via satellite provides all the boats communications solutions allowing a voice and data connections anywhere on the racecourse. Seb will be able to do live 2-way video conferences, send photos or video clips back as well as receiving the all-important weather data onboard.

Video conferencing has moved on a lot in the past four years, and we will be using dedicated hardware to make the very best quality connections as possible. Closer to shore BT (Group Chief Technology Office) are working together with CISCO on 'Shore-Link', a prototype device that gives the BT 60 seamless 3G and WiFi connectivity enabling live content distribution from the boat's on-board media system and other devices.

BT:
The boat has a fine new livery - can you explain the design process?

CD:
The team worked closely with BT and their design agency, Howell Wong Costello, to come up with the eye-catching design of the BT Team Ellen boats. The main focus was on ensuring that the BT 60 would stand out at the 2008 Vendée Globe where a record fleet of 27 IMOCA Open 60s will be on the start line at the beginning of the world's toughest single handed race. The design comprising of a composite mix of the BT Globe colours and shapes and distinctive Indigo Blue is used across the BT Team Ellen fleet.

BT:
What happens after The Artemis Transat and during the build-up to the Vendée Globe?

CD:
After The Artemis Transat the boat will be sailed back to France by Seb and members of the shore team, who will do some significant testing on the delivery. In particular, on the sails and electrical systems - and we will also be testing new B&G autopilot software. It will be critical for the team to use this time to decide the final direction of our development for the last few months leading up the Vendée Globe that starts in November. New sails will be designed at this time and a full service and check of all the onboard systems will be carried out before heading to Cowes for Skandia Cowes Week. After Skandia Cowes Week, Seb and the boat return to France for more training and making the final preparations for the Vendée Globe.

BT:
Tell us about the BT Open 60 shore team?

CD:
During the refit we have had up to 10 full-time people working hard on the boat and her systems, and a number of sub-contract companies making components. This work has been coordinated day-to-day by Pierre Emanuel Herisse with support from Technical Director Neil Graham. Full-time team members Charlie Carter, Paul-Ed Henry and Rhys Mellor have also been based in Lorient for four months, and seeing the boat sailing again is a great reward for the winter months of hard work.