Post by ©DURANMANIA Board Team on May 13, 2005 3:28:54 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Le Bon drums up a deal with Arnold Clark[/glow]
LUCY BANNERMAN/ May 13 2005
THINK of Duran Duran and yachts, supermodels, expensive holidays disguised as music videos and, perhaps, some girl called Rio spring to mind.
One name which usually does not feature among the white denim and hairspray is that of Arnold Clark.
Nevertheless, Simon Le Bon, the band's front man, has formed an unlikely partnership with the Scottish car dealer in an effort to compete again in the yacht race that almost killed him 20 years ago.
Sir Arnold has agreed to lend the singer his former yacht, Drum – the vessel in which he capsized during the Rolex Fastnet Race in 1985.
The multi-millionaire car dealer, who has a collection of expensive toys, including a Bentley once owned by Sir Elton John, bought the yacht from Le Bon a few years after the star's first ill-fated race attempt.
Le Bon and his team narrowly escaped death when Drum capsized in bad weather off Falmouth at the height of the band's popularity.
Now the yacht is more likely to be seen at its permanent Clyde home at Rhu, than under the feet of bikini-clad extras in a Duran Duran video.
However, the 77ft, £7m yacht will be reunited with its former owner when he competes in the 608-mile race from the Isle of Wight around the Fastnet Rock.
The biennial event, which is expected to attract about 250 crews, will begin on August 7 and is expected to last up to seven days.
Superstition has not prevented Le Bon from facing the challenge again with his original crew.
He is expected to meet Sir Arnold at Yorkhill Quay on Monday, where they will launch their plans for the super maxi-craft.
Sir Arnold said: "Simon phoned me to explain the situation, that he was wanting to get together all the original crew, and they have all agreed to do the first part of the race.
"He agreed that my skipper will go with them.
"What happened before was not anybody's fault," said Sir Arnold, adding that the team was looking forward to the race.
They both hope to raise money through the event, as well as the auction of a Ford Ka, to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
It was the RNLI crew from Falmouth that rescued the star and his crew in 1985.
Rachel Martin, spokeswoman for the RNLI, welcomed the support from both men.
She said: "The lifeboat crews are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and last year, they rescued more than 7500 people.
"So it's great when high-profile names support the charity, and we're delighted that Simon Le Bon and Arnold Clark are working with us to raise awareness and help us continue the lifeboat service."
Sir Arnold, 77, uses the yacht for his personal leisure about once a year. Its other outings, he explained, are divided between commercial customer charters and regular charity events.
Last year, the Arnold Clark Drum, as it is now called, raised about £30,000 for good causes.
The Rolex Fastnet is considered to be one of the world's classic ocean races and the course is a test for skippers and crews, with its tricky currents and changeable weather conditions.
In 1979, the races was the scene of the worst yachting disaster of modern times when five boats sank during a storm and 15 people died.
Then, just 84 of the 303 yachts involved completed the race as 60mph storms whipped up 30ft waves.
New regulations were introduced in the wake of the disaster, including making the use of VHF radios mandatory.
Le Bon, however, is not the only member of the glitterati to call on the car dealer's maritime services.
Stella McCartney's husband, Alasdhair Willis, sailed to Rothesay aboard it before their wedding at Mount Stuart House in Bute in 2004.
After opening his first showroom more than 50 years ago, Sir Arnold has developed a taste for transport at the top end of the market.
The former RAF mechanic, who now heads the largest independent car dealership in the UK and has a personal fortune estimated at just under £200m, bought the luxury 1964 Bentley S3 Convertible once owned by Sir Elton.
He also added to his collection another high-profile Bentley, a 1948 coupe Sedanca, formerly owned by Prince Rainier of Monaco, and latterly by Alfred Heineken, of Heineken breweries.
LUCY BANNERMAN/ May 13 2005
THINK of Duran Duran and yachts, supermodels, expensive holidays disguised as music videos and, perhaps, some girl called Rio spring to mind.
One name which usually does not feature among the white denim and hairspray is that of Arnold Clark.
Nevertheless, Simon Le Bon, the band's front man, has formed an unlikely partnership with the Scottish car dealer in an effort to compete again in the yacht race that almost killed him 20 years ago.
Sir Arnold has agreed to lend the singer his former yacht, Drum – the vessel in which he capsized during the Rolex Fastnet Race in 1985.
The multi-millionaire car dealer, who has a collection of expensive toys, including a Bentley once owned by Sir Elton John, bought the yacht from Le Bon a few years after the star's first ill-fated race attempt.
Le Bon and his team narrowly escaped death when Drum capsized in bad weather off Falmouth at the height of the band's popularity.
Now the yacht is more likely to be seen at its permanent Clyde home at Rhu, than under the feet of bikini-clad extras in a Duran Duran video.
However, the 77ft, £7m yacht will be reunited with its former owner when he competes in the 608-mile race from the Isle of Wight around the Fastnet Rock.
The biennial event, which is expected to attract about 250 crews, will begin on August 7 and is expected to last up to seven days.
Superstition has not prevented Le Bon from facing the challenge again with his original crew.
He is expected to meet Sir Arnold at Yorkhill Quay on Monday, where they will launch their plans for the super maxi-craft.
Sir Arnold said: "Simon phoned me to explain the situation, that he was wanting to get together all the original crew, and they have all agreed to do the first part of the race.
"He agreed that my skipper will go with them.
"What happened before was not anybody's fault," said Sir Arnold, adding that the team was looking forward to the race.
They both hope to raise money through the event, as well as the auction of a Ford Ka, to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
It was the RNLI crew from Falmouth that rescued the star and his crew in 1985.
Rachel Martin, spokeswoman for the RNLI, welcomed the support from both men.
She said: "The lifeboat crews are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and last year, they rescued more than 7500 people.
"So it's great when high-profile names support the charity, and we're delighted that Simon Le Bon and Arnold Clark are working with us to raise awareness and help us continue the lifeboat service."
Sir Arnold, 77, uses the yacht for his personal leisure about once a year. Its other outings, he explained, are divided between commercial customer charters and regular charity events.
Last year, the Arnold Clark Drum, as it is now called, raised about £30,000 for good causes.
The Rolex Fastnet is considered to be one of the world's classic ocean races and the course is a test for skippers and crews, with its tricky currents and changeable weather conditions.
In 1979, the races was the scene of the worst yachting disaster of modern times when five boats sank during a storm and 15 people died.
Then, just 84 of the 303 yachts involved completed the race as 60mph storms whipped up 30ft waves.
New regulations were introduced in the wake of the disaster, including making the use of VHF radios mandatory.
Le Bon, however, is not the only member of the glitterati to call on the car dealer's maritime services.
Stella McCartney's husband, Alasdhair Willis, sailed to Rothesay aboard it before their wedding at Mount Stuart House in Bute in 2004.
After opening his first showroom more than 50 years ago, Sir Arnold has developed a taste for transport at the top end of the market.
The former RAF mechanic, who now heads the largest independent car dealership in the UK and has a personal fortune estimated at just under £200m, bought the luxury 1964 Bentley S3 Convertible once owned by Sir Elton.
He also added to his collection another high-profile Bentley, a 1948 coupe Sedanca, formerly owned by Prince Rainier of Monaco, and latterly by Alfred Heineken, of Heineken breweries.