Pro Sailor & Author Alex Bennett Alex Bennett Pro Yachtsman & Author

In the year 2000 Alex was one of 7 elite sailors onboard the World's biggest racing Catamaran Team Philips. The Giant 120 foot revolutionary yacht spectacularly broke up under the full force of an Atlantic Ocean Hurricane in December making global news headlines.  The team were 800 nautical miles west of Ireland in the worst weather conditions imaginable. This is Alex's account of what life was like during the worst of the weather when the crew battled to stay alive long enough for rescue to come.  

For further information see Alex's website alexbennett.co.uk where you can get your own copy of his Ebook, High Seas, High Stakes. For now, sit back and enjoy the podcast. 

Episode 03: Onboard with Pro sailor & Author Alex Bennett. 

 Have you ever wondered what it is like to sail across a vast ocean singlehanded on a boat not much bigger than the average family estate car ?

The internationally acclaimed Mini Transat Race is a 4,000 mile singlehanded adventure, sailing across the vast Atlantic Ocean against 80 of the Worlds best solo sailors. Its an ironman event. An epic test of endurance and skill. 

This 52 minute Podcast details my experience of the infamous 1999 race which proved to be a test beyond expectations. For many of the competitors It was to become their worst nightmare. Ferocious storms battered the fleet causing mayhem and destruction. After this edition of the race, the organisers would change the rules for entry.

Using my original audio footage from onboard, this is my account of how I got through the worst of the weather and on to the finish line to achieve the best British result in the history of the race.

To get the latest updates, don’t forget to click on the subscribe button on my website or on the podcast reader.

The Solo Trans-Atlantic Ocean Race

In 2008 professional ocean racer Alex Bennett set out on a huge adventure. Ever since a young child Alex dreamed of building his own racing yacht with the aim to compete in the legendry Singlehanded Transatlantic race from Plymouth to America.

The race itself is known as the grand father of all modern-day solo races. Originally conceived in 1960 as a half crown bet by cockleshell hero Blondy Hasler and legendry round the world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester. The Solo Transatlantic race was born.

Its three thousand miles across the North Atlantic from Plymouth UK, to America. This is one of the toughest and most competitive solo ocean races any yachtsman can face. Certainly, one of the three most hazardous solo ocean races in existence.

Immerse yourself into the world of the professional solo ocean racer. In this pod cast Alex walks the listener through the highs and lows of sailing across one of the most inhospitable oceans in the world with captivating real time audio footage recorded during his 18 day voyage.

International yachtsman Alex Bennett has conquered the Southern Ocean, the North and South Atlantic and survived mid ocean rescues, clocking up nearly 200,000 ocean miles in his career.  In 1999 he sailed 4000 miles solo across the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny 21 foot yacht against eighty of the World’s best yachtsmen and women in the International Mini Transat Race. Having battled through ferocious storms in the Bay of Biscay Alex achieved 5th overall, the best British result in the twenty year history of the race. In 2000 he was invited to join adventurer Pete Goss as a full time crew member on the World’s largest racing multi-hull Team Philips. As part of this elite team Alex was on-board the giant catamaran when the vessel spectacularly broke up mid Atlantic during Hurricane force winds. A German container ship diverted course to attempt a rescue but Alex and his team mates were still faced with the daunting fifty foot climb from their stricken catamaran up a flimsy rope ladder to the relative safety of the huge cargo ship.

Undaunted by that experience in 2001 Alex won the Transat Jacques Vabre ocean race, known as the biggest double handed yacht race in the World. The result was also enough to establish a new course record in the Open 50 division that still stands today.

2005 became a landmark year for Alex when he achieved one of his life long ambitions to sail through the Southern Ocean and around the infamous Cape Horn. Alex was competing in the Oryx Quest Around The World Race on-board one of the World’s most famous racing catamarans, the 120 foot Cheyenne formally known as Playstation. The giant catamaran was owned and operated by the late billionaire adventurer Steve Fossett.

In 2007 Alex secured the support of the global corporation Fujifilm as title sponsors for a two year programme of ocean racing. This incorporated the build of a new, state of the art 40 foot yacht designed to the International Class 40 racing rule.

As an ambassador for Fujifilm, Alex project managed the construction of the new yacht from its conception and went on to compete in the solo transatlantic race, The Artemis Transat in 2008. Arguably one of the three toughest solo ocean races in the World. Alex  successfully completed the race, secured the best British result and 6th over all.

He is a professional dedicated to the adventure of ocean racing, driven by a fierce, competitive spirit to succeed whilst tackling the world’s toughest short handed ocean races. Alex is also an Author . 

High Seas High Stakes.

A true story of life and death at sea. Alex Bennett’s autobiography is an adrenaline fuelled action packed charge through life as a professional offshore yachtsman.

Alex has survived two dramatic mid Atlantic rescues including abandoning the ill fated Team Philips as the giant catamaran disintegrated during hurricane force winds in December 2000.

Alex's story unfolds with unique passion and an inspiring sense of honesty as he describes his sailing adventures, the highs and lows of his roller coaster charge through life as an ocean racer. His story includes the captivating journey to winning the biggest two handed yacht race in the world only to sink mid ocean on the return journey whilst sailing back from Brazil to the UK singlehanded.

This tale is one of unfettered ambition by one man with the vision and personal drive to succeed when others say it can't be done. This determination has propelled him around the world on breath-taking ocean adventures. One of the great sailing books, read his true life story and you can't fail to be inspired.