It is not every day you are asked to cut open a pig’s trotter with a sharp knife then stitch it back together again. But that’s exactly how the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers spent an afternoon as they learnt how to cope with medical emergencies at sea. Ocean racers Brad Van Liew, Derek Hatfield, Zbigniew Gutkowski and Chris Stanmore-Major were put through their paces by Dr Spike Briggs and Dr Mark “Tommo” Tomson from Medical Offshore Support (MSOS) in a day of hands on medical training.

As well as navigators, engineers, sailmakers and cooks, the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers must also become their own doctors – and in extreme cases, surgeons – trained to recognise and treat any illness or ailment they might pick up during their epic solo circumnavigation. Whether it is an illness such as a fever or an infection, or a physical injury such as a broken bone, the ocean racers have no choice but to deal with it themselves.

Fortunately, although the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers may be alone in body, they are far from on their own should disaster strike. Thanks to modern communication technology MSOS experts will be on hand around the clock to make sure the skippers are given the best advice should something happen. MSOS have also designed medical kits for the skippers ensuring they will have all they need at sea.

Watch the medical training video – click HERE

As part of their comprehensive skipper support package, Spike and Tommo flew out to La Rochelle to run the sailors through dealing with all manner of medical emergencies from the treatment of common ailments such as dehydration and ‘gunwale bum’ (the result of sitting on wet decks all day long) to serious injuries like bone fractures and open wounds. The sailors got to practice stapling and sewing wounds back together on pig’s trotters as well as muscular injections. Spike and Tommo also showed them how to insert intravenous lines should they require a drip.

Brad Van Liew watches on as Dr Spike Briggs inserts an intraveneous line into Dr Tommo Tomson

“We concentrate on physical skills during the training course such as suturing, inserting intravenous lines, immobilising fractured limbs, giving intra-muscular injections because although we can give all advice over the telephone, we can’t actually do the things for them,” said Spike.

“Running through the medical kit is also vitally important, so that when they open the kit in an emergency, it is not the first time they have seen inside it. Part of medical training for a single-handed race like the VELUX 5 OCEANS comprises of knowing how to treat oneself because there’s no-one else to do it for you, but also how to treat others in an emergency, in case a casualty is recovered from another boat or the sea.”

“As a solo ocean sailor you never want to be in one of these situations where you have to deal with medical emergencies or even perform surgery on yourself,” said Canadian ocean racer Derek Hatfield, skipper of Active House. “This medical course is invaluable. You don’t want the first time you have to perform a procedure such as suturing to be when you are alone at sea.”

The ability to cope with medical emergencies offshore has come on in leaps and bounds since the early days of solo ocean racing. Back then, sailors had no medical support whatsoever, save from their copy of the Ships Captain’s Medical Guide. In 1969, no-one was on the end of a phone to help British sailing legend Sir Robin Knox Johnston when he got battery acid in his left eye, or excruciating stomach pains that later turned out to be appendicitis.

Gutek is shown how to stitch wounds back together by Dr Spike Briggs

The past 28 years of the VELUX 5 OCEANS are littered with examples of sailors who have had to deal with all manner of medical problems. In the original VELUX 5 OCEANS race, held in 1982, medical support was limited. In the 1986 edition of the race French yachtsman Jean Luc Van Den Heede sailed to the aid of Finnish competitor Pentti Salmi, giving him antibiotics after Salmi got blood poisoning from diesel fuel getting into a cut.

During the 1998/9 race, Russian sailor Viktor Yazikov developed an excruciating infection in his elbow after injuring it on the first ocean sprint. In an amazing display of skill and composure, Yazikov performed open surgery on the infected wound, stopping the infection and ultimately saving his arm. He carried on racing and even beat some of the fellow competitors into port. Even before reaching the Bilbao startline in the last edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, New Zealand yachtsman Graham Dalton developed septicaemia during his qualification passage.

Other ocean races are full of similar stories. In the Vendée Globe in 1992, Bertrand de Broc was left with no option but to take needle and thread to his own tongue following an accident. Even with today’s high standards of medical support, accidents can and do happen. During the last edition of the Vendée Globe, Frenchman Yann Elies suffered every ocean racer’s worst nightmare: a broken bone. A huge Southern Ocean wave smashed into Elies’ yacht, fracturing his thigh bone. Two competitors, Britain’s Sam Davies and France’s Marc Guillemot, went to his aid but Elies was eventually rescued by an Australian Navy ship before being airlifted to hospital in Australia.

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Charles Hedrich and Simon Chalk will not race in 2010/11 edition

TWO sailors will no longer be racing in the VELUX 5 OCEANS. French skipper Charles Hedrich and British ocean racer Simon Chalk have not fulfilled their obligations to the VELUX 5 OCEANS race management and as a result will not make the start line of the 30,000-mile singlehanded round the world race.

Both sailors did not respect a number of rules laid down by the race management regarding the process of qualifying for the race, known as The Ultimate Solo Challenge. The race management team has therefore been forced to refuse their entries to the race, which starts in La Rochelle, France, on October 17.

Both skippers failed to arrive in La Rochelle by September 26, the cut-off date laid out in the race rules. Ocean rower Chalk, 37, had set out on a qualification passage from Plymouth, UK, earlier this month but returned after several days due to the imminent birth of his second child. He applied to race management for an extension, which was granted, but he has since been unable to resume the passage and subsequently did not arrive in La Rochelle by the cut-off point.

French adventurer Hedrich, 52, announced his participation in the race at a press conference in Paris in July but has not taken the necessary steps to ensure his participation. His yacht Respectons La Terre, famous in the sailing world as La Cigare Rouge, has remained untouched for several months.

Four other VELUX 5 OCEANS racers, Chris Stanmore-Major from Britain, Christophe Bullens from Belgium, Australia’s Garry Golding and Polish sailor Zbigniew ‘Gutek’ Gutkowski, will all arrive in La Rochelle by the end of the week, joining Brad Van Liew (USA) and Derek Hatfield (CAN) who arrived over the weekend. Due to extenuating circumstances the skippers applied to the race team for special dispensation to arrive late, which was granted.

Charles Hedrich

VELUX 5 OCEANS race director David Adams said: “The key priority for the VELUX 5 OCEANS race management is safety. Charles and Simon failed to prove to the race management that they and their yachts are up to the challenge of sailing solo through some of the world’s most hostile environments. Both skippers failed to comply with a number of the rules set out by the race management, leaving us with no choice but to refuse their entries. Our decision does not change in any way our commitment to the rest of the VELUX 5 OCEANS fleet and the race looks set to be a fantastic event for all stakeholders.”

“If it was easy, everyone would do it,” added American ocean racer Brad Van Liew, who has now qualified for his third VELUX 5 OCEANS. “I don’t think anyone expected it to be this difficult to reach the starting line, and the economic times have definitely contributed to the difficulty of getting here, but here we are and there are plenty of competitive entries to make it a great race.”

The decision by race management means the VELUX 5 OCEANS will now go ahead with six international skippers. Throughout the nine months of the race these sailors will be backed by an unparalleled structure of support. More than €1.3 million is being invested in accommodation, logistics and onboard communication ensured by title sponsor VELUX Group and other race partners. The skippers will also compete for a prize fund of €500,000, the largest prize in solo ocean racing.

Simon Chalk

Each team will be given €3,500 per stopover to assist with accommodation costs. Danish shipping line Maersk Line is providing complimentary marine transportation services to skippers, shipping 18 containers around the world. Furthermore, each yacht will carry a cutting edge communications package including a system of high-tech onboard cameras and powerful SAILOR 250 FleetBroadband satellite broadband connection. Skippers will also be provided with M-Link Voyager video editing and compressing software, as well as a broadband airtime package to facilitate daily multimedia content and the latest weather information.

Through the support of VELUX, the race is investing in excess of €2.6 million to promote the event around the world, communicating across all channels in three languages (English, French and Polish), and engaging some of the leading providers of content for television, photography, press relations and digital applications. With the race village set to open in La Rochelle on October 9, the event will be a fantastic celebration of solo ocean racing.

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, is the longest running solo round the world race, and has 28 years of rich heritage as the BOC Challenge and then the Around Alone. This edition features five ocean sprints over nine months. After heading from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France. The VELUX 5 OCEANS will start at 4pm on October 17 from La Rochelle.

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Derek slipped on to the berth in the Bassin des Chalutiers in the city’s Vieux Port under the cover of darkness shortly after 6.30am. The 57-year-old is the second VELUX 5 OCEANS skipper to arrive in the historic French port ahead of the race start on October 17. American Brad Van Liew arrived on Thursday having sailed 4,000 miles from Charleston, South Carolina. British ocean racer Chris Stanmore-Major is set to arrive in La Rochelle early next week.

The delivery to La Rochelle allowed Derek to put Active House, formerly solo sailor Rich Wilson’s Great America III, through its paces. During the 13-day North Atlantic crossing Active House was battered by storms bringing wind speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.

Derek, who won class three of the VELUX 5 OCEANS (then the Around Alone) in 2003, said: “We were hit by one storm in particular that kicked up really dangerous waves of about 10 metres. It didn’t last for that long but it was really violent. It was another good test for Active House and she performed beautifully.”

Now berthed in the Bassin des Chalutiers, Derek will spend the following weeks leading to the race start making final preparations to Active House on shore as well as taking her for test sails in the Chef de Baie.

“We will now be pretty flat out for the next couple of weeks getting Active House ready for start day,” Derek added. “We have a list of jobs following the delivery and also a new suit of sails coming. It is great to be in La Rochelle. This is the last stage in our pre-race preparation and I’m really looking forward to starting the VELUX 5 OCEANS.”

Recently Derek and his Spirit of Canada team signed a title sponsorship deal with Active House, a global alliance of companies, research institutions and other organisations promoting sustainable buildings. Derek’s Eco 60 has since been branded with the Active House Alliance’s livery on the yacht’s hulls, decks and sails.

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, is the longest running solo round the world race, and has 28 years of rich heritage as the BOC Challenge and then the Around Alone. This edition features five ocean sprints over nine months. After heading from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France. The VELUX 5 OCEANS will start at 4pm on October 17 from La Rochelle.

Please visit www.velux5oceans.com

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/velux5oceans
Follow us on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/Velux5Oceans
Watch us on Youtube www.youtube.com/velux5oceans2010
Check out the official VELUX 5 OCEANS blog at www.blog.velux5oceans.com

For Immediate Release: 9 September, 2010

Active House backs Derek Hatfield for VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010-11

CANADA’S top ocean racer Derek Hatfield is heading full speed for the VELUX 5 OCEANS start line after securing a title sponsor for his campaign. For the forthcoming race the 57-year-old solo sailor will be sponsored by Active House, a global alliance of companies, research institutions and other organisations promoting sustainable buildings.

The title sponsorship is the last piece in the puzzle for Derek, who purchased Rich Wilson’s proven Eco 60 Great American III in March and has since notched up more than 10,000 miles at sea in preparation for the gruelling solo race around the world, known as The Ultimate Solo Challenge. Derek’s Eco 60 Spirit of Canada will now be renamed Active House and will display the Active House Alliance’s livery on the yacht’s hulls, decks and sails.

“I couldn’t be happier to be teaming up with Active House for the VELUX 5 OCEANS,” Derek said. “The Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges team has worked hard for a long time with many partners and supporters to see our VELUX 5 OCEANS project realised. Active House has a wonderful approach to sustainability and looking after the planet, something that is very close to my heart and that will play a key role in my VELUX 5 OCEANS campaign. I have a very special affinity with the race, having competed in it before winning class three. With Active House as title sponsor our dreams of taking part in my second VELUX 5 OCEANS are well and truly alive.”

Mikkel Skott Olsen, from Active House, said “Active House is proud to be sponsoring Derek Hatfield in the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010. The Active House Alliance was just launched this summer, and the sponsorship offers a platform to raise awareness about Active House and attract more international members to the alliance. The opportunity was a particularly attractive proposition, not only to create global awareness over nine months, but because the race and its key stakeholders share common values with Active House. This synergy of ideas, combined with the Eco 60 class and Derek’s commitment to circumnavigate the world without using fossil fuels, supports our vision. Derek is a fantastic skipper and we wish him all the best in this incredible endeavour.”

Active House is a vision of buildings that give more than they take. It proposes a target framework for how to design and renovate buildings that contribute positively to human health and well-being by focusing on the indoor and outdoor environment and the use of renewable  energy. Active House is also a network that facilitates experience sharing in the building trades and prepares the way for propagation of a new international sustainable building standard.

The vision of Active House is a view shared by the VELUX 5 OCEANS race in line with its TAKING ON THE ELEMENTS initiative. TAKING ON THE ELEMENTS is the race’s commitment to promoting sustainable development. It is also key message of Derek’s campaign, and in order to reduce his impact on the planet he will be using solar, wind and hydro power instead of fossil fuels during the VELUX 5 OCEANS.

In training for the gruelling solo ocean race Derek has sailed more than 10,000 miles on Active House including the delivery of the yacht from France to Canada and two return voyages from his home port of Lunenburg, to Bermuda. Derek also took line honours in the 350-mile Route Halifax Saint-Pierre race, setting a new course record in the process.

“The boat performs brilliantly, and much better than my last Open 60,” he added. “Every time we go out sailing I learn something new about her. We’ve clocked up a lot of sea miles since taking it on in March. It has been great training and I really feel like I know the boat well.”

Derek is currently making final preparations to Active House before saying his final goodbyes on Sunday, setting sail for La Rochelle and the start of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. “It is a very exciting time,” Derek added. “We have a lot to do before next Sunday but we are on top of everything, we are geared up for it and I am now just really looking forward to racing in the VELUX 5 OCEANS.”

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, is the longest running solo round the world race, and has 28 years of rich heritage as the BOC Challenge and then the Around Alone. This edition features five ocean sprints over nine months. After heading from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France.

Please visit www.velux5oceans.com
and www.activehouse.info
and www.spiritofcanada.net

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/spiritofcanada

Follow us on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/spiritofcanadasailingteam

-ENDS-

MEDIA NOTES TO EDITORS

Rights-free race images, video and audio available to download in high-resolution:

www.w-w-i.com/velux_5_oceans_2010_race/

For broadcast-standard video please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/Velux

If you are a first-time user, please take a moment to register. In case you have any questions, please email journalisthelp@thenewsmarket.com

For interview requests and further information on the VELUX 5 OCEANS, please contact Sarah Hames, Race Press Officer:

T: + 44 7813 009 783
E: shames@velux5oceans.com
W: www.velux5oceans.com

For questions related to Active House, please contact Kurt Emil Eriksen:
T: +45 23 20 01 41
E: kurt.emil.eriksen@activehouse.info

For more information on Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges, please contact Patianne Verburgh:

T: +1 647 288 7342
M: +1 902 529 2626
E: patianne@spiritofcanada.net
W: www.spiritofcanada.net

NOTES TO EDITORS

VELUX 5 OCEANS – The Ultimate Solo Challenge

The VELUX 5 OCEANS is the Ultimate Solo Challenge, the ultimate human endeavour. More than 500 people have been into space – less than 180 have sailed round the world solo. The VELUX 5 OCEANS is a series of five high-pressure ocean sprints within a marathon 30,000-nautical mile circumnavigation. The race, run every four years since 1982, has a rich heritage which has given rise to some of the world’s best sailors. The VELUX 5 OCEANS is not only the longest round the world yacht race but at nearly 30 years old is also the longest running. Always at the forefront of ocean racing innovation, the 2010/11 VELUX 5 OCEANS will see the premiere of the Eco 60 class of yachts, pushing a message of sustainability, accessibility and affordability.

www.velux5oceans.com

About the VELUX Group

The VELUX Group holds the title sponsorship of VELUX 5 OCEANS for the second time. The spirit, values and nature of the race and its skippers are similar to those of the VELUX Group. As a manufacturer of roof windows, the VELUX Group employs creativity and an innovative approach to the development of new products and business strategies. In its mission to create better living environments with daylight and fresh air through the roof the Group has earned the reputation of being one of the strongest brands in the global building materials sector. The VELUX Group has manufacturing companies in 11 countries and sales companies in just under 40 countries, it has about 10,000 employees and is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by foundations and family.

www.velux.com

Clipper Ventures Plc

This year marks 41 years since Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s historic solo and non-stop circumnavigation in 1969. Now, as Chairman of Clipper Ventures PLC, he is at the forefront of promoting round the world yacht racing. Clipper Ventures, the marine sports company founded in 1995, is focused on developing and promoting major events capable of attracting significant participation, income, media coverage and associated sponsorship revenue. Knox-Johnston founded Clipper Ventures on the belief that sailing should be made available to everyone and therefore created the Clipper Round the World Race, with 2,000 people having now completed one of the seven races to date.

www.clipper-ventures.com

Race Partners and Suppliers

Transportation Partner, Maersk Line: www.maerskline.com

Start/Finish Port, La Rochelle (France): www.ville-larochelle.fr / www.agglo-larochelle.fr

Host Ports: Cape Town, Wellington, Salvador, Charleston

Technical Clothing Supplier: www.henrilloyd.com

Navigation/Routing Supplier: www.maxsea.com

Research Partner, Portsmouth University: www.port.ac.uk

Sustainability Partner, Sailors for the Sea: www.sailorsforthesea.org

Marine Forecast Supplier, PredictWind: www.predictwind.com

Hurricane Earl rolled over Nova Scotia this past weekend bringing winds up to 70 knots. The storm came ashore not far from where Spirit of Canada is undergoing final preparations for the Velux 5 Oceans race. The boat is currently on the hard at East River Marine with the keel hanging in a ten foot well that was dug so the bottom of the boat could be brought down to ground level to put on the racing bottom. “It’s a great way to work on the boat and the well kept the boat and mast out of harm’s way” commented the skipper.

The team are working away fervently to get the boat ready for departure on Sunday morning, the list is getting shorter every morning. He and the crew will sail the boat off from Nova Scotia to arrive in La Rochelle and they can be followed on the website position plotter.

Stay tuned for a major announcement later this week.

Team Spirit of Canada

Up and coming French solo sailor Louis Duc today announced his withdrawal from the 2010/11 VELUX 5 OCEANS. Constrained by a lack of time and struggling to find sufficient financial support, the 26-year-old from was left with no choice but to concentrate on the 2014/15 edition of the race.

Race director David Adams said: “Louis is a promising solo sailor with lots of talent and it is a shame he will not be joining us for the 2010/11 edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. We sincerely hope to see Louis on the start line of the 2014/15 race and wish him the best of luck in the meantime. I am confident Louis will go on to become a prominent name in solo ocean racing.”

Eight ocean racers from seven nations are now set to be on the start line of the gruelling 30,000-mile round the world race, dubbed the Ultimate Solo Challenge. They are:

The eight ocean racers are now entering the final preparation stage before assembling in La Rochelle, France, on September 26 ahead of the race start on October 17. Each skipper will shortly be setting off on their qualification passages before making last minute modifications to their Eco 60 yachts. A system of high-spec video and still-image cameras along with a satellite broadband link-up are also being installed on each yacht by onboard media specialists Marine Camera Solutions.

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, is the longest running solo round the world race, and has 28 years of rich heritage as the BOC Challenge and then the Around Alone. This edition features five ocean sprints over nine months. After setting off  from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France.

The Eco 60 Class website – www.eco60.org or www.eco60.net – goes live today with detailed information about the yachts and the background to the class, as well as a section devoted to Eco 60s for sale.

The class is all about allowing enthusiastic sailors with limited funds to make their mark on the world of ocean racing, and will be premiered in the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2010. The Eco 60 Class takes advantage of the large market of third generation Open 60 yachts for sale, effectively recycling them back into the world they were built for – solo ocean racing.

As the ever increasing costs of the new Open 60s puts them beyond the reach of all but the few very big sponsors, there is a need to produce a class that is affordable to more sailors with the spirit of adventure and keep around the world solo sailing accessible. These tried and tested racing machines, proven in the toughest oceans around the world with a pedigree of success, are lying unused. However, their potential remains and can be harnessed as Eco 60s.

Reliable and safe, these racing yachts also come at a fraction of the cost of their newer counterparts, making ocean racing more affordable and accessible.

Race rules will set limitations on the number of sails, the size of shore crews and the extent of refit work permitted in order to further reduce budgets. But it’s not just about money – the Eco 60 Class will also be governed by a framework designed to improve the ecological and environmental impact on the planet. This includes a limit on the use of fossil fuels to encourage sailors to use more sustainable methods such as wind, solar and hydro power.

VELUX 5 OCEANS chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston has been a pioneer of the Eco 60 Class after sailing one to glory in the 2007 edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. He said: “In ocean racing, to finish first you first have to finish. For my 2006/07 VELUX 5 OCEANS campaign I chose an older boat, strong and well tested. Of seven starters, four of us finished. In the 2008 Vendée Globe, only five out of the twenty one new generation yachts completed the course, compared to six out of the nine ‘Eco 60’ yachts which successfully returned to Les Sables D’Olonne after circumnavigating the planet.”

“The 28-year history of the VELUX 5 OCEANS is peppered with stories of unknown sailors of limited means who emerged to make their mark on ocean racing. Some became famous; others simply achieved their life’s dream of a solo circumnavigation. The Eco 60 Class continues that tradition.”

Please visit www.eco60.org
Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/eco60
Follow us on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/Eco60
www.spiritofcanada.net
info@spiritofcanada.net
+1.902.529.2626

The VELUX 5 OCEANS today announces the dates of the starts of the five ocean sprints in the 2010/11 edition of the race. The race will start and end in the French port of La Rochelle, in between visiting Cape Town in South Africa, Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the USA.

Ocean Sprint 1: La Rochelle to Cape Town – 7,500 nautical miles
Start date: October 17
The first ocean sprint will see the fleet battle through the notorious Bay of Biscay before pushing hard through the Atlantic and the frustrating calm of the Doldrums to their destination of Cape Town, South Africa, where the two great oceans meet.

Ocean Sprint 2: Cape Town to Wellington – 7,000 nautical miles
Start date: December 12
This ocean sprint sees the race returning to New Zealand for the third time, having previously visited Auckland in 1998 and Tauranga in 2002. New Zealand’s capital city will host the race for the first time and will be the ideal venue for the competitors to recover from the long leg from Cape Town before preparing for the treacherous Southern Ocean Sprint around Cape Horn to Brazil.

Ocean Sprint 3: Wellington to Salvador – 7,400 nautical miles
Start date: February 6
The party spirit will be in the air for the start day of Ocean Sprint 3 – it falls on Waitangi Day, a public holiday commemorating the founding of New Zealand in 1840. This sprint is all about the Southern Ocean: freezing temperatures, mountainous seas and howling winds and the feared Cape Horn. The fleet will have to survive all Mother Earth throws at them before arriving in Brazil for the first time since the inaugural race in 1982. The fleet will arrive just in time for the Salvador Carnival, the biggest in Brazil, the perfect remedy after the hardships of this ocean sprint.

Ocean Sprint 4: Salvador to Charleston – 4,000 nautical miles
Start date: April 10
Another battle with the light, unpredictable airs of the Doldrums and the heavy weather of the North Atlantic face the fleet on ocean sprint four, as they make their way up the coast of South and Central America. Their destination is the historic city of Charleston in South Carolina, welcoming the race into its waters for the third time. The skippers’ departure will coincide with Charleston HarborFest, a four-day maritime festival celebrating the sea, that attracts over 100,000 visitors each year to the Charleston waterfront.

Ocean Sprint 5: Charleston to La Rochelle – 3,600 nautical miles
Start date: May 14
‘Sprint’ really encapsulates what the finale to the VELUX 5 OCEANS will be: an all out adrenaline-fuelled race across the North Atlantic and back into the Bay of Biscay, where La Rochelle will celebrate the unique achievements of the skippers in completing The Ultimate Solo Challenge. They are expected to arrive in La Rochelle in early June 2011 with prize giving on June 11.

The race has been billed as The Ultimate Solo Challenge since 1982 because of the stop-start nature of the high speed racing over the Ocean Sprints, covering the greatest distance and time alone at sea of any race around the world. It is also a truly international ocean race, visiting five continents and offering a worldwide media profile over an eight month period.

VELUX 5 OCEANS race director David Adams said: “With five ocean sprints, the racing itself will be closer with the fleet tightly bunched from each restart. And if a yacht breaks down, there’s a chance to demonstrate the seamanship necessary to get to the next port, repair and restart.

“For sailors, there’s also the strong camaraderie that develops among the skippers and their teams ashore, as well as interacting with locals in each port. For sponsors, there are opportunities for international media, hospitality and promotions in some of the world’s most spectacular harbour cities. For spectators, there are more opportunities to meet the inspirational skippers at the various ports, and to watch the spectacular Sprint starts and finishes, whether ‘live’ or via the media or internet.”

“The VELUX 5 OCEANS race management team is working with our city partners to deliver high quality stopovers for skippers, providing world class services, global media coverage and reducing costs as much as possible across the board.”

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, starts from La Rochelle in France on October 17 and features five ocean sprints. After heading from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France.

Please visit www.velux5oceans.com

If you would like to support a stopover, please contact
partners@velux5oceans.com

VELUX 5 OCEANS veterans Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Derek Hatfield and John Hughes are to do battle in Canadian waters as part of a week-long sailing festival. The three renowned solo sailors will go head to head in the Clash of the Legends race today, just one of the many events organised for the Cape Breton stopover of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race.

Canadians Hatfield and Hughes will have the upper hand over the UK’s Sir Robin, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world, when they race around their home turf of Cape Breton Island’s Sydney Harbour at 10am local time. The presentation race falls in the middle of a week of festivities to welcome the ten Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race boats. The yachts, crewed mostly by amateurs, are on the seventh and final leg of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation.

Sir Robin, founder of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and chairman of the VELUX 5 OCEANS race, said: “It is wonderful to be sailing against Derek and John in the Clash of the Legends race as part of the Clipper fleet’s Cape Breton stopover. They are Canada’s most respected ocean sailors and all three of us have competed in the VELUX 5 OCEANS. It is great to be able to bring three veterans of the race together to help celebrate the arrival of the ten Clipper yachts to Cape Breton.”

Hatfield is a veteran of the 2002/3 VELUX 5 OCEANS race in which he came third in Class Two. He will be flying the flag for Canada again this year when he returns to the race with his Eco 60 yacht Spirit of Canada, which he has just delivered across the Atlantic from France. Hughes raced in the 1986/7 edition of the race, completing the circumnavigation in 189 days to finish eight in Class Two.

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, starts from La Rochelle in France on October 17 and features five ocean sprints. After heading from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France.

DEREK HATFIELD BUYS VETERAN US SAILOR RICH WILSON’S ECO 60 YACHT

CANADA’S most experienced round the world yachtsman can today announce the purchase of a yacht to race in the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Derek Hatfield and Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges has bought the Eco 60 yacht Great America III (formerly Solidaires) from veteran American solo sailor Rich Wilson.

The boat will now be renamed Spirit of Canada ahead of the 30,000-mile VELUX 5 OCEANS race which starts from La Rochelle in France in October. It will be the second time Derek, a native of New Brunswick, has competed in the VELUX 5 OCEANS after finishing third in Class II in the 2002/03 race.

Derek, the 2003 Canadian Rolex Sailor of the Year, said: “The new Spirit of Canada has a fantastic pedigree for round the world races and I know the boat well. The boat is in perfect condition and Rich spared no expense in getting ready for the last Vendée Globe and it is ready to go again with very little preparation. We are very excited about the new ECO 60 class and the new Spirit of Canada.”

Designed by famous naval architect Bernard Nivelt for French single hander Thierry Dubois, the new Spirit of Canada was launched in 1999 before being raced in the 2000 Vendée Globe. She was then entered in the 2002/03 edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS finishing second in Class I. In both the 2004 and 2008 Vendée Globe races she was skippered to a credible seventh position.

Derek will now race her in the Eco 60 class in the VELUX 5 OCEANS race, dubbed the Ultimate Solo Challenge. The Eco 60 class is for Open 60 yachts launched before 2003, taking away the emphasis on money and putting it back on the skill, seamanship and determination of each sailor. Derek plans to be the first person in history to race around the world without the use of fossil fuels to operate the boat.

He added: “The VELUX 5 OCEANS is all about ‘Inspiring by Leading’, showing as many people as possible that everyone can make a difference and collectively we can make a big difference to future generations.”

Derek will start training in early May sailing the boat from its current berth in France to Nova Scotia where it will begin its transformation into Spirit of Canada. The yacht will adopt the instantly recognisable Spirit of Canada red colours as well as the familiar boat number 84, proudly placed on her bows. The names of 7,000 supporters will also be transported across from Derek’s last Open 60 Spirit of Canada. The names, collected during Derek’s eight-year-campaign, will serve as ‘virtual crew’ during the long solitary passages at sea.

For further information on Spirit of Canada, please contact Patianne Verburgh:

Office: +1.647.288.7342
Mobile: +1.902.529.2626

www.spiritofcanada.ne
patianne@spiritofcanada.ne

For further information on the VELUX 5 OCEANS, please contact Tim Kelly, Race Director of Communications:

T: + 44 7773 325 533
E: tkelly@velux5oceans.com
W: www.velux5oceans.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Derek Hatfield and Spirit of Canada

Derek Hatfield was the 2003 Canadian Rolex Sailor of the Year and the 126th person in history to finish a single-handed race around the world. Derek is the first to ever fly the Canadian flag as a competitor in the grueling Vendee Globe single handed around the world race. The VELUX 5 OCEANS will be Derek’s third race around the world and another first in Canadian sailing history.

Key Partner

Spirit of Canada is still looking for a Key Partner to take advantage of this great marketing opportunity. The Key Partner will receive a return on investment of approx 25 million in EVA (equivalent advertising value). The cost of the Key Partnership is a small fraction of this amount. For more information on a Key Partnership or any other multi-faceted sponsorship opportunity with Spirit of Canada, please contact Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges at 647.288.7342

VELUX 5 OCEANS – The Ultimate Solo Challenge

The VELUX 5 OCEANS is the oldest single-handed round the world yacht race. Run every 4 years since 1982, the race is the longest and toughest event for any individual in any sport. The VELUX 5 OCEANS is a series of five high-pressure ocean sprints within a marathon circumnavigation. In the course of the 30,000 mile race, the skippers cross five oceans alone. The VELUX 5 OCEANS will start in October 2010 and promises to reach a global audience as the dramatic stories are followed live across TV, radio, print, Internet and via mobile technology.

www.velux5oceans.com

About VELUX

VELUX creates better living environments with daylight and fresh air through the roof. Our product range contains a wide assortment of roof windows and skylights, as well as systems for flat roofs. In addition, VELUX offers many types of decoration and sun screening, roller shutters, installation products, products for remote control and thermal solar panels for roof installation. With manufacturing companies in ten countries and sales companies in approx. 40, VELUX is one of the strongest brands in the global building materials sector and its products are sold in most parts of the world. The VELUX Group has around 10,000 employees and is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by foundations and family.

www.velux.com

About Clipper Ventures Plc

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s historic solo and non-stop circumnavigation in 1970. Now, as Chairman of Clipper Ventures PLC, he is at the forefront of promoting round the world yacht racing. Clipper Ventures, the marine sports company founded in 1995, is focused on developing and promoting major events capable of attracting significant participation, income, media coverage and associated sponsorship revenue. The company owns the rights to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the VELUX 5 OCEANS.

www.clipper-ventures.com

About La Rochelle

For 1,000 years, La Rochelle has been known as France’s “rebel city”. Democratic a long time before the rest of France, it is Protestant when the whole France is Catholic; it always innovates and disrupts commonplaces and the city is a pioneer when it comes to urban ecology. Throughout history, La Rochelle has proven its difference. It has always been turned toward the sea and has a rich and turbulent past. Boating and sailing races are deeply rooted in La Rochelle’s culture and it has played host to many of the world’s biggest sailing events including the Volvo Ocean Race, Global Challenge and Clipper Round the World Race.

www.ville-larochelle.fr

www.agglo-larochelle.fr