MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News Update

Samantha Davis

Headlines: Vendée Globe competitors pass by on last long leg of the race; Founder of Desire Petroleum loses fight with illness; Moto-X to make a comeback.

Vendée Globe competitors pass by on last long leg of the raceALL last week, the first of the remaining competitors in the Vendée Globe single-handed yacht race have been rounding Cape Horn, sailing past the Falkland Islands and beginning the long haul up the Atlantic towards France and the finishing line at Les Sables d'Orlonne. In theory, the Vendée Globe is an utterly simple affair, a sailing race around the world, for singlehanders, without any stopover. In practice, since its beginnings in 1989 it has become the place where the latest technology and human endurance meet in a pitched battle with some of the most extreme climatic conditions the oceans of the world can produce. Were this not all challenge enough in itself, the advances in communication technology made in recent years mean, on the one hand, that single-handed sailors are no longer quite as alone as they once were; they can receive accurate weather information, seek advice, reassure and be reassured by loved ones, via ever-circling satellites. On the other hand, in addition to the physical and mental challenges of keeping their vessels moving at peak speeds for one hundred days or more, lone sailors must now also feed the relentless appetite for news of their many sponsors and the world's media, by streaming video images and updating their blogs. Samantha Davis, in her pink yacht, Roxy, is both the leading woman and the leading Briton in the race. She is currently lying fourth overall, 1,667 nautical miles behind the race leader, Frenchman, Michel Desjoyeaux. Thanks to the internet, we don't have to wait for Samantha Davis to complete another 6,321 nautical miles (roughly the distance she still has to cover) to learn that when passing the Falklands, she had to swerve to avoid the wildlife sanctuary of Beauchene Island and then passed it a mile and a half to leeward, a manouevre she describes as, "a smelly mistake." On January 13, in her daily message to the Vendée Globe official web site, Samantha describes being buzzed by jets from Mount Pleasant and concluded, "the little girl in her pink boat stood there wide-eyed, big smile, totally bewitched by these Top Gun heroes who just made her day!" Continued on page 3 Founder of Desire Petroleum loses fight with illnessFREQUENT visitor to the Falkland Islands and founding Chairman of Desire Petroleum plc, Dr Colin Phipps, died on January 10. Dr Phipps, 73, a veteran oil man, first made his mark as a Labour MP for Dudley West in the 1970s. Later, after falling out with Labour, Dr Phipps was one of the founding members of the Social Democratic Party. Dr Phipps was requested by the Rt Hon James Callaghan to report back personally to him, when he made his first visit to the Falklands, in the guise of a visiting UK parliamentarian. This was the precursor to the Shackleton Team visit. This visit also gave rise in 1977 to Dr Phipps' authorship of a paper called, What Future for the Falkland Islands?which was published by the left wing Fabian Society In 1979 Dr Phipps joined and ran AClyde Petroleum and helped build it into one of Britain's leading independent oil companies. Convinced that the Falklands North Basin had the potential to contain significant quantities of recoverable hydrocarbons, Colin Phipps saw the potential of Falklands oil more than 30 years ago. When the opportunity presented itself, he became the driving force to launch Desire Petroleum Limited in 1996. A particular feature of this start-up, for which the company gained much credit in the Islands, was the encouragement given to local investors, whether large or small. A commentator recently mused, "If oil is ever found off the Faklands it will be because of him." Increasing ill health in recent years caused Dr Phipps to resign from the Chairmanship of Desire Petroleum, a responsibility which was taken up by his son, Stephen. Moto-X to make a comebackONCE a hugely popular sport in the Falklands, for both participants and spectators alike, Moto-X enthusiasts are again getting together to bring new dimensions to off-road motorcycling. This resurgence of off-roading and the proposed reformation of the Falkland Islands Motorcycle Association (FIMA) in the Falklands was kick-started on the weekend, when 13 riders set off from Moody Brook to make a round trip of Tumbledown, Goat Ridge, Two Sisters, Mount Longdon, the Murrell and finally back over Wireless Ridge. Making good use of the wide open spaces and in perfect weather conditions Sean Moffatt lead the intrepid riders up Moody Brook Valley at the start of a three hour, challenging, round-trip that all agreed was a "grand day out." • Find out more about the day and future plans for FIMA on page 3.