Welcome to Team Oscar Mead, the web site of one of Britan's top solo and short handed sailors. 2009 was a great year with success in the singlehanded transatlantic race (OSTAR), the race which started off singlehanded yacht racing in the 1960's.
Oscar was the youngest ever competitior to enter (18 at the start), but, in his own words "to be the youngest starter, that'sd do-able, to be the youngest ever finisher, that's harder!" After 22 days at sea solo, and having sailed throuigh the ice fields of Nova Scotia, the 30 foot waves of the North Atlantic and the fog of the Grand Banks, Oscar duly finished. He was 7th across the finish line and 5th overall on handicap from the 31 starters, despite sailing one of the smallest boats in the race.
Oscars Blog (tab on the left) has a daily report from the race.
NEW.....Interview with Justin Chisholm from Offshore Rules.com
Hello All, I gave an interview to Justin a few days ago and he has posted it on his website which you can reach with the link above. Osc!
13th April 2010
Hey All!
Yesterday I spent the whole day on what I hope will be my boat for the VELUX 5 OCEANS and I felt totally at home, I admit I was kind of scared looking out the window to see a towering deck spreader, but super cool!
Things are going realy well will the 199 Club. Just so you are aware we are only looking for a pledge of support at this stage, when it becomes concrete we will look at collecting money but just a pledge for now. We can't make the start line without a minimum of 101 supporters so the plan is to announce the fact when we get to that number and only then call in the pledgses. That way you won't be sending me money only to find I don't make the start line...!
All you have to do is send me an email via teamoscarmead@rocketmail.com or via the contact form on tis site and just provide your name and contact details. It’s a simple as that, you could be Open 60 sailing during the summer. How cool is that!! So come on down, I had four more pledges yesterday which was great, so with luck it'sgoing to be a busy summer. The boat is looking good, and we are in negotiations to get her all squared away. So its all up from here. A bit of paint, a bit of polish and wola, its going to be perfect.
I am currently working away looking for that title sponsor........
Cheers guys and girls
Tuesday March 30th 2010
The BIG news is that I have entered the 2010 VELUX ROUND THE WORLD SOLO RACE. The start is in 203 days so lots to do. Below is the press release that went out yesterday. As part of the funding I am hoping to persuade 199 of you to support me by becoming official supporters of Team Oscar Mead and in return for your GBP1,000 I would love to take you sailing for the day on the new (old) boat that I have identified for the race. I am billing this a a Once in a Lifetime opportunity but in truth I would be happy to take you as often as you want if you join up and can help me get to the start line!!!. OK, enough waffle, onto the press release..... Cheers, Osc.;
PRESS RELEASE
29th March 2010
19 year-old Oscar Mead launches Velux Round the World Solo 2010 campaign.
Introduces the
“Team Oscar Mead 199 club”
A once in a lifetime opportunity for all serious sailors
Although he’s not ready to hit the start line yet, 19 year old Oscar Mead has today confirmed his intention to enter the 2010 Velux 5 Oceans Round the World singlehanded yacht race. The Velux, which starts on October 22 2010 from La Rochelle, France and will finish 6 months later after stops in South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and the USA has been won by some of the worlds leading solo sailors, and Oscar is setting out to try and join that list.
Oscar was the youngest ever finisher in the legendary OSTAR (singlehanded across the North Atlantic) last year and assuming he makes the start line of the Velux, Oscar, who will be 20 at start time, would be the youngest ever competitor, although as he has already said he is aiming to be at the start as a race worthy contender. “I know that lots of young people are doing all sorts of sailing because they are trying to be the youngest ever at something or another, but that’s not me. I am planning to enter the Velux as a race not as an adventure and not to try to be the youngest competitor. I have to finish University as well and luckily this race fits nicely into that schedule!!!!”
Since the OSTAR Oscar has been hard at work at Southampton Solent University, who are again backing his race project. Oscar will take a year off for the Velux before finishing his last year at Solent Uni when he gets back from his lap of the planet. He also did bow on the winning Etchells One Design in the British National Championships last year, and has led the Southampton Solent University Rowing team in his other great passion over the winter.
Oscar said “I have considered my options going forward after the OSTAR very carefully, I know that I have to continue to develop all aspects of my sailing ability, and plan to do everything from racing one-design keel boats, through to open 60 sailing. At this point however I have to recognise that the single biggest obstacle to being a properly funded pro sailor, is finding the sponsorship, I feel that doing the Velux will both develop the appropriate skills, as well as allow me to build my profile on the back of the OSTAR. After that it would be back to one designs, and possibly Figaro racing to build my race experience, before a possible Vendee entry.
“Team Oscar Mead 199 club”
A once in a lifetime opportunity for all serious sailors
With the race start only 6 months away, Oscar was fortunate to land support from an as yet unnamed sponsor three weeks ago which has secured 40% of his projected race budget. This has enabled him to start the process of acquiring his chosen boat, which is well underway.
That still leaves Oscar some way from starting as the boat needs some work doing to it and to fund this Team Oscar Mead is today launching a supporters club, aiming to raise the balance of his minimum funding with his “Once in a Lifetime” plan. .
Opening today, Team Oscar Mead will be offering 199 limited places for supporters to join his campaign for a donation of GBP1,000 (US$1,500) which will secure a day’s sailing with Oscar on his Open 60 yacht.
This is truly a “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity for people to sail an Open 60, not with a reef in on a corporate day out, but fast and furious as Oscar trains hard for the Velux (yes certain wags will no doubt point out that with a bunch of enthusiastic supporters onboard it will hardly be singlehanded training but it will be ocean time and that’s what counts!). So, if you fancy booking your slot, or if you just want to support one of the world’s top young guns, email a pledge of support to teamoscarmead@rocketmail.com or visit www.teamoscarmead.co.uk .
The minimum number of supporters to make the project viable is 101 so until Team Oscar Mead gets to that level only pledges of support are being sought. An announcement will be made as soon as the first target is reached. The supporters club will be limited to the first 199 applicants.
The search for a title sponsor will continue apace but without underwritten funding being in place within 4 weeks Team Oscar Mead won’t have the time to make the start line. With the fabulous support that Oscar got in the OSTAR, the Team Oscar Mead 199 Supporters Club is a solution to the timing issue which will, at the same time, deliver a once in a lifetime opportunity for 199 enthusiastic sailors.
Oscar said after announcing his campaign “I thought long and hard about what to do after the OSTAR and I know this is a big step but I need to move on from the last race and this is the logical step. Once I am back from the Velux I will have one more year of Uni to finish and then I can seriously think about doing a Figaro campaign and some more one design sailing before shooting for the Vendee in 2016, not as an adventurer but as a racer. I spoke with many top solo sailors and they were all supportive of the program, so here I am!!!!!”
Oscar has lined up the purchase of an Open 60 in France and will be flying to inspect the yacht within the next 10 days. After that it will be a spring of University work while the boat is taken into the shed and wound up ready for a summer of sailing and the start from La Rochelle in 203 days time.
To be one of “The 199”, or for more information please contact:
Team Oscar Mead,
Phone +44 7503 461259
Background
Oscar Mead is one of the UK's top up and coming solo and shorthanded sailors, despite the fact that he is only 19.
As the youngest ever competitor in the OSTAR (3,000 miles from Plymouth UK to Newport USA acros the North Atlantic) Oscar posted a great result of 2nd in class and 6th overall.
Oscar has a long term goal to be a race winning contender on the start line of the race all singlehanders want to compete in, the Vendee Globe round the World Race. Oscars target is 2016!
Oscars 2008 season featured 5 race wins in the Royal Southampton Yacht Clubs 2-handed series (and 1st overall in Class 1 after the 8 race series) as well as winning the "Rookie of the year Trophy in Petite Bateau's Singlehanded Race Week.
In 2009 Oscar did the OSTAR as well as doing bow on the winning boat in the highly competitive Etchells class, British National Championships.
History
Born in Hong Kong Oscar started sailing when he was 8 years old, crewing for his father in the Hong Kong match racing championships which were held in Wanderer dinghies that year. They won! Three seasons in a 29er dinghy sailed out of Middle Island in Hong Kong followed, then a season in Toppers in the UK and two years in Laser radials, before a move to Cowes and a growth spurt put Oscar more in line for big boat sailing (or maybe a Finn, but who is going to beat Ben Ainslie??!!!!)
In early 2006 Oscar had an opportunity to sail his first long offshore when he joined Peter and Louise Morton on board Frank Pongs Richel Pugh 76 footer "Boracay" (the ex Enigma of Charles Dunstone) in the China Sea Race, the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club / RORC race from Hong Kong to Manila. After a first night of 20 to 25 knots of wind which went well Oscar suffered 48 hours of sea sickness which was an inauspicious start to his offshore career!!! He survived and by the end of the series was doing mainsheet inshore.
The following winter he rebuilt a Quarter tonner, having acquired the shell of a Dubois designed Starflas from Peter Morton which he steered in Cowes Week 2006, but only after bolting the last few fittings on the boat (which he called Wild Bean) on the Sunday night. Several top 5 places were achieved despite the lateness of the re-build and the inexperience of the helmsman!
In June of 2007, and still only 16 years old, Oscar was bowman for James Howells and David Bedford in the Etchells class World Championships sailed in Cowes where they finished 4th overall. Oscar was the youngest competitor in the event which was sailed in unrelentingly strong winds.
In March 2008 Oscar got the use of a J105 for the season with an aim of starting his shorthanded sailing career and together with Juneau Oscar has sailed over 2000 miles solo this year as well as another 500 miles double-handed.
Stay tuned for more updates regularly and if you would like to join Team Oscar Mead please contact us via the online form on this site.
Contact us
Thanks for reading!!!
