© Sam Davies/Roxy
After 17 days, 17 hours and 38 minutes of harsh ocean racing, British sailor and ambassador for the BLUE™ Climate and Oceans Project, Sam Davies crossed the finish line of the Transat Ecover B to B Race at 0738 hours local time this morning (17 December 2007), in seventh place.
Sam left Salvador de Bahia in Brazil along with fourteen other world class solo ocean sailors just over two weeks ago to race 4,200 miles across the Atlantic Ocean to Port la Forêt, Brittany in France.
Sam waited for daybreak to complete her first solo transatlantic race onboard a 60ft Imoca yacht and in doing so, she also validated her qualification for the Vendée Globe single handed round the world yacht race, which starts next November. Being 
the first female skipper to compete the Transat Ecover B to B Race, Sam is also one of the only skippers not to have experienced any technical problems during the race, onboard the boat (now known as Roxy) that has twice won the single handed round the world race without stopovers, proving once again it's great reliability and potential.
Speaking from the dockside in Port la Forêt, Sam talks about her first single handed Open 60 racing experience: "I have had to beat a lot recently, but, because I felt that Yannick Bestaven was on my tail, I had to keep going. It put pressure on me as I wanted to finish in front of him more than anything.
"I have many reasons to be pleased with myself: I've finished my first solo race, my boat is the first of the older generation boat to cross the finishing line and I have confirmed my qualification for the Vendée Globe".
Having completed two transatlantic races back to back, Sam will take a break over the Christmas period and Roxy will go in to refit in preparation for the Vendée Globe 2008. Regular updates on Sam's preparations for the Vendée Globe will be posted on www.theblueproject.org.
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For further information about Sam Davies and the BLUE™ Climate and Oceans Project, please contact:
Teresa Page,
The BLUE™Climate and Oceans Project
T: +44 (0) 1752 600111
M: +44 (0) 7816 886651
E: teresa@theblueproject.org
Notes to Editors:
About the BLUE Project - TheBLUE™ Project is the first environmental campaign to use sport and adventure to highlight and raise awareness about the health of our climate and oceans and the resulting impact of global climate change. It provides a way in which corporations and individuals can become more active in caring for the health of our planet. The website www.theblueproject.org is a sport and social network that features cool BLUE™sportsmen and women who are communicating their adventures and activities as ambassadors for a cleaner planet. You can follow their progress and adventures online by visitingwww.theblueproject.org
About Sam Davies – The route to the Vendée Globe has begun and Sam Davies is now skipper of the Open 60, ROXY. A big step up from the Figaro, but the dream to race around the world solo, non-stop is becoming a reality. Sam and Roxy completed their first race in June, with an 8th place in the Calais Round Britain Race plus the world record for the fastest girls team around Britain and then with Jeanne Gregoire, she finished 10th in the Transat Jacques Vabre. The next Race for Sam is the Transat Ecover B to B single handed yacht race which will start from Bahia in Brazil on 29 November 2007. For further information about Sam Davies, please go to www.samdavies.com or www.roxysailing.com/en/.
