By Tim Saunders on
The stars hit the water during Cowes Week earlier this week, as celebrities competed in the annual Artemis Challenge, an event that saw a 50 mile high speed sprint around the Isle of Wight, with the winning skipper taking away £10,000 for their chosen charity.
Leading the pack of well-known faces was Bryan Adams, who was competing for the Bryan Adams Foundation, a charity he set up in 2006 to improve the quality of people’s lives around the world. Also in the race were Zara Phillips – daughter of Princess Anne, Princess Royal – as well as rugby stars Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood, and James and Oliver Phelps, aka the Weasley Twins from the Harry Potter films.
Unfortunately, lack of wind meant the race was abandoned after 7 hours, with final placings seeing Bryan Adams’ boat ranked third.
“It was a brilliant day sailing on Artemis,” said Adams. “The sun was out, we had some wind for a bit and we sailed a great race. We were even leading when the race was abandoned so I am claiming it as a moral victory.”
The race winner was declared as BT, with the £10,000 prize money going to the Ellen MacArthur Trust, a charity that inspires young people’s cancer recovery through sailing. To find out more about the charity, click here .
Copyright © 2009 Look to the Stars