2012 is set to be another year of challenges as we set sail once again with the training runs aboard the Open 60 Spirit of Canada. These sessions are aimed at keeping Derek and the team competitive while offering individuals an opportunity to experience an Open 60 in offshore mode. The training sessions for next year will be expanded to include a five hour classroom period that will cover the important elements of offshore sailing and safety issues. The addition of the classroom training session and two new destinations; a longer route to include the Azores and a shorter one to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon ensure that the sail training seasons will be even more informative and challenging for those involved.

Upcoming Events and Lectures

During the upcoming boat show season, Derek and his team will be making appearances at a number of Canadian boat shows and will be conducting inspirational talks about the 2010/11 VELUX 5 Oceans Race and the Spirit of Canada story. The schedule includes:

January, 2012

Nepean Sailing Club, Ottawa – Jan 11th
Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club, Toronto – Jan 12th
Toronto International Boat Show (check the Show Guide for the Speaker’s Schedule
and location) – Jan 14th – 22nd
Port Credit Yacht Club, Port Credit – Jan 18th
The Oakville Club, Oakville – Jan 19th
Frenchman’s Bay Yacht Club – Jan 24th at 8.00pm

February, 2012

Vancouver International Boat Show, Vancouver – Feb 8th – 12th
Vancouver Marine Museum Speakers Series – Feb 10th
Halifax International Boat Show – Feb 23rd – 26th

March, 2012

Moncton Boat Show, Moncton NB – Mar 23rd – 25th

Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Happy Holidays to Everyone.

Take Care,

Derek and the Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges Team

Contact us for more information: training@spiritofcanada.net or call 902.531.2532

Copyright (C) 2011 SPIRIT OF CANADA OCEAN CHALLENGES All rights reserved.

Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges is preparing for the 2012 training season and has announced that a number of training sessions with Derek Hatfield on the Open 60 Active House Spirit of Canada will be offered to individual crew members during the summer of 2012 as Derek continues his offshore training for the next big challenge.

Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges training sessions are a unique opportunity for individuals with all levels of sailing ability to experience first-hand an Open 60 ocean greyhound built for single-handed racing in the same conditions it was designed for. Derek has participated in three round the world races including the Around Alone 2002, the Vendee Globe 2008 and the VELUX 5 Oceans 2010 and has accumulated over 200,000 offshore nautical miles racing single handed and two podium place finishes. Derek understands the sheer exhilaration and the sense of accomplishment in completing an offshore passage on a world class Open 60 and wants to share this experience by taking sailors along on an extended offshore passage while conducting training sessions that will improve performance.

As in business, success on the water depends on strong teamwork, leadership, communication and a competitive spirit. Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges draws on all of its combined experience in offshore sailing to take Individuals on the adventure of a lifetime. Crew members can expect to learn about aspects of preparing for shorthanded cruising and racing including the setup of the boat, nutrition, sleep patterns, psychological factors, weather analysis, safety at sea, shorthanded sail selection, medical emergency procedures, navigation and communications.

Two Boat Testing
Derek and his Open 60 Active House Spirit of Canada will be joining forces with another Open 60 skipper and his team to conduct offshore two-boat testing on the open ocean. As in any grand prix level sail training, two boat testing is critical to improved performance in sail selection, handling and tactics. For sailing offshore, the collaboration with another Open 60 is invaluable.

2012 Offshore Sail Training Dates

May 18th – Lunenburg, NS to Bermuda (727 nm)
May 25th – Bermuda to Lunenburg, NS (727 nm)
June 9th – Lunenburg, NS to Bermuda
June 15th – Bermuda to Lunenburg, NS
July 1st – Lunenburg, NS to Azores, Portugal (1800 nm)
July 12th – Azores, Portugal to Lunenburg, NS (1800nm)

To receive an information package on the details regarding the offshore training sessions please contact training@spiritofcanada.net or call +1.902.531.2532

The 2011 hurricane season has been extremely active this year and a few, like Irene, have severely threatened the East coast. Active House Spirit of Canada has been taken out of the water and safely placed in its in ground “pit” cradle at East River Marina. The Spirit of Canada shore team is now conducting a mini refit over the next few months so the boat will be ready to go sailing again in May 2012.

Award of Excellence

Last week in Oakville Ontario, the Executive Director for Ontario Sailing presented both Derek Hatfield and VELUX Canada with the 2011/2012 Sailing “Award Of Excellence” for their combined efforts in the VELUX 5 Oceans Race 2010/11. “It is great to be recognized in this manner, as the Canadian competitor in the VELUX 5 Oceans single handed race around the world and it’s great to share this award with our long standing partner VELUX Canada”, says Derek. Shown here in the picture to the right is Derek and Nels Moxness, President of VELUX Canada.

Busy Boat Show and Public Appearances Season

The busy boat show season is approaching and we are preparing a new presentation to utilize during our public appearances. The presentation will document the highlights of the most recent race around the world, the grueling VELUX 5 Oceans aboard the Open/Eco 60 Active House Spirit of Canada as well as stories from the Vendee Globe 2008 and Around Alone 2002. We have some new sailing footage and amazing photos to show as well.

Derek and the team are very interested in doing as many public appearances as possible over the coming months. These appearances are considered the backbone to the success of Spirit of Canada as we prepare our next challenge. If you or someone you know are interested in having Derek and/or Patianne speak at a yacht club, business association or corporate function, please contact us.

Derek and the Spirit of Canada team want to thank you for your continued interest and support and hope that we have a chance to thank everyone in person over the coming winter season.

Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges

Via email: patianne@spiritofcanada.net
Via phone: 902.531.2532

Active House Spirit of Canada has arrived safely back in Canada and sits quietly at the dock in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It has been a busy time for the team since the finish of the VELUX 5 Oceans single-handed race came to an end in La Rochelle, France. The last leg was a fantastic climax to the race and securing a position on the podium with a third place overall was amazing. We have Active House and a lot of people to thank for supporting Spirit of Canada and believing in us as a team.

After the end of the race, we did a couple of small repairs to the Open 60 before Patianne delivered it back to Canada by herself. It was very strange indeed helping her out of the harbour, getting the sails up and setting her off for her first transatlantic in solo mode. She has arrived in Canada safely and is much more experienced for the 16 day crossing. I flew home to get some much needed rest and time with the family after a grueling nine month race. I figure it has taken at least three weeks to clear my head from the stresses of the race.

The remainder of 2011 will be hectic as I will be finishing the Spirit of Canada book about all three single handed races around the world. At the same time we are in the planning stages to build an “Active House” here in Canada. Along with the book writing and house building, I will be attending media events and conducting speaking engagements.

At this point, I am not sure what is next for the Open 60 Spirit of Canada; it will take about three months to unwind from the Velux 5 Oceans and organize future racing plans. In the mean time we are be conducting two training trips to Bermuda with crew just to keep the boat and myself active. There are a few spots left for crew members so if anyone wants to experience a full blown Open 60 in open ocean conditions, please let me know. There are also corporate opportunities for training & branding aboard the Open 60 and for keynote speaking engagements for this year and next.

Take care,
Derek

CANADIAN ocean racer Derek Hatfield has crossed the finish line of the final sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS singlehanded round the world yacht race in second place to secure a third place overall in his second successful solo circumnavigation of the globe.

The 58-year-old sailed his 60ft yacht Active House into La Rochelle, France, and across the ocean sprint five finish line at 0907 local time (0707 UTC) in fourth place, bringing this edition of the oldest and longest solo round the world race to a close.

From Mahone Bay, NS, former mountie Derek also finished on the podium of Class II in the 2003 edition of the race (then the Around Alone).

Derek completed the 3,600-mile final sprint from Charleston in South Carolina to La Rochelle in 14 days, 12 hours and 07 minutes.

Audio, images and footage will be made available later today.

-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

AMERICAN solo sailor Brad Van Liew has crossed the finish line of the final sprint of the VELUX 5 OCEANS solo round the world yacht race to secure overall victory. The 43-year-old sailed his 60ft yacht Le Pingouin into La Rochelle, France, and across the ocean sprint five finish line in first place at 2053 local time (1853UTC), making it a clean sweep of all of the legs.

Brad is a past winner of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, having won every leg in class two in the 2002/3 edition of the race. His victory this time round makes him the only person in the 29-year history of the VELUX 5 OCEANS (formerly the BOC Challenge and Around Alone) to make two clean sweeps of the race.

During ocean sprint three from Wellington in New Zealand to Punta del Este in Uruguay Brad made his third successful solo rounding of Cape Horn, the most southerly tip of South America, making him the only American ever to race solo round the famous landmark three times.

Brad completed the 3,600-mile final sprint from his hometown of Charleston in South Carolina to La Rochelle in 12 days, 23 hours and 52 minutes.

The pair have been locked in a bitter duel for second place for the majority of the 30,000-mile solo round the world race since it began in La Rochelle last October. In an exciting twist both opted to enter stealth mode – which cloaks their positions from each other and the public for 24 hours – at 0000 UTC yesterday right as they entered the sprint five speed gate, each making their move for glory under the cover of invisibility.

When they appeared on the course again this morning it couldn’t have looked any different. Active House skipper Derek chose to sail fast and straight, and is now the most southerly boat on the race course. Onboard Operon Racing Gutek decided to split from Derek opting for a northerly position for the final few days of racing.

With both skippers tied on overall points, the outcome of the final sprint will decide which of the two skippers claims the second place on the podium behind outright leader Brad Van Liew. With a maximum of three bonus points on offer this leg for the quickest passage between longitudes 35° W and 20° W, the speed gate could prove the deciding factor in the overall podium positions.

“Now it’s going to be a real race to the finish,” Derek told the VELUX 5 OCEANS race team today. “We’re moving along really well. We’re all still in the speed gate and very close to one another. I think Gutek has a bit of an advantage now because of his angle to the wind but we will keep pushing hard and just see how it goes.

“I have been pushing harder on this leg but that is also tempered by the fear of breaking the boat at this last stage. We only have three days left now so I do feel I can push a little harder but you always temper that aggression with not wanting to break anything. We just have to get there now and get a good result. The dice have been cast and we just have to see how it all plays out.”

Despite notching up speeds of more than 16 knots in the past few hours Gutek is also wary of pushing his Eco 60 over the limit in the final stage of the race.

“The low pressure we had for the last few days left really big waves, monsters like in the Southern Ocean,” he said. “I haven’t been pushing so hard. I managed to escape from Derek, although our distance to the finish line is similar now. It all depends on the winds we get now.”

After ten days of racing, just 120 miles separate the entire fleet, with around 800 miles left to sail to the finish line. Brad’s ETA into La Rochelle is currently early afternoon on Friday, May 27.
Positions at 1200 UTC

Skipper / distance to finish (nm) / distance to leader (nm) / distance covered in last 24 hours (nm) / average speed in last 24 hours (kts)
Brad Van Liew, Le Pingouin: 761.5 / 0/ 321.3 / 13.4
Zbigniew Gutkowski, Operon Racing: 838.6 / 77.2/ 343.7 / 14.3
Chris Stanmore-Major, Spartan: 847.6 / 86.1 / 347.1 / 14.5
Derek Hatfield, Active House: 885.9 / 124.4 / 288.5 / 12

23.05.11

Latest Race News

CSM FEARS SINKING AS SPARTAN FLOODS IN VELUX 5 OCEANS SPRINT FIVE DRAMA

Fellow ocean racers diverted help British skipper

VELUX 5 OCEANS skipper Chris Stanmore-Major feared his yacht was sinking after finding the cabin flooded with hundreds of litres of water in the middle of the North Atlantic. The 33-year-old, competing in the 30,000-mile round the world yacht race known as The Ultimate Solo Challenge, discovered the potential disaster halfway into the final sprint of the event from Charleston, USA, to La Rochelle in France.

CSM had been locked in battle with fellow racers Derek Hatfield and Zbigniew ‘Gutek’ Gutkowski around 1,000 miles east of the Canadian province of Newfoundland when the drama unfolded. His yacht Spartan had been travelling at around 18 knots in strong winds when he returned to the cabin following a sail change to find it flooded.

“My immediate thought was that something had breached the hull,” CSM told the VELUX 5 OCEANS team. “I have literally never seen that much water inside a boat before. I informed race control that I thought I was dealing with a hull breach. I started to pump out the water then carried out a full check of the boat and found there was only one place the water was coming into the cabin, and that was by the rear bulkhead.”

It was a huge shock for the Spartan skipper, an experienced yachtsman but a newcomer to solo sailing. “When it happened it was like that feeling when you know you are going over the handlebars of your bike and everything goes out of your control,” CSM said. “It’s that kind of trapdoor feeling where you think ‘ok, this is serious’. I have enough experience of these situations to know the difference between having a bit of water inside the boat, and actually thinking I am sinking.

“As the water levels started to go down I could see better what was going on. I found there was a 3ft crack in the hull by the bulkhead. Thankfully, there was no hole in the hull – the water had flooded in from the back compartment of the boat which had been full of water to weigh the back of the boat down.”

Eventually all the water was pumped out of the cabin but the flooding had completely soaked the contents of Spartan including CSM’s computer and all his clothing. It also accidentally triggered his emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) which sent out a distress signal to rescue services.

Race control were then contacted by Falmouth Coastguard, and Derek and Gutek were diverted to CSM’s position. When it became clear CSM’s situation was not critical they returned to racing mode. Both skippers will be afforded redress by the race committee for their part in the incident.

“It is reminder that we have been out here for a long time now and I need to be very, very careful with my boat,” CSM said. “Not only is it a piece of sporting equipment, it is also my survival cell if something goes wrong. The speed gate is coming up and we’re still fully functional so we will give it the best shot we can. We’re still in the race and we will try to give the other guys hell before we get to the finish.”

Latest Skipper News

Listen to CSM’s interview about all the drama of the weekend HERE

Derek’s interview about hearing that Chris was in trouble and diverting to help LISTEN Here

Derek’s blog, things that go bump in the night… CLICK HERE

Latest Positions

The fleet is about to enter the speed gate, check out the latest positions:

Lat Long date/time speed heading distance to finish
Brad;45.3895N;36.1846W;05/23/11 12:00:00 13.1 074 1452.0
Gutek;44.0074N;37.0790W;05/23/11 12:00:00 15.5 078 1512.2
Derek;44.1101N;37.1895W;05/23/11 12:00:00 15.5 086 1516.7
Chris;44.4045N;37.4543W;05/23/11 12:00:00 14.5 063 1526.4

http://raceviewer.velux5oceans.com/app/index.html?locale=EN

Learn more by visiting us at www.velux5oceans.com
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/velux5oceans.com
Follow us on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/Velux5Oceans

Foggy! Foggy! Foggy! After staring into the fog for a while, a person starts to visualize shapes and movements, very spooky. I’m sure it’s very similar to snow blindness where there are no contrasts that the eye can distinguish colors and shapes. During last night, the fog was so thick I could not see the windex at the top of the mast, just a glow in the night from the mast head navigation light up top. We will probably have another few days of fog until we are clear of the Grand Banks.

The Grand Banks used to be a hive of fishing activity with hundreds of fishing boats catching cod and other fish. Now there are no fishing boats, legal ones anyway, and the only activity out here is the Hibernia oil field and fishermen from other countries not concerned about the ban on fishing. I think there is a great lesson to be learned about the oceans and how humans can affect the fishing grounds by studying the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. It probably took a million years for the cod fish to reach the population it did on the Grand Banks, but it only took a few hundred to totally destroy the fishery. I don’t think I, or my children, will be around to see a productive fishery out here anytime in the future.

It’s great racing, we are all so close now and the speed gate is coming up. I have to make sure I have lots of rest for the race through the gate as I know everyone will be pushing hard.

All for now from Active House.

Take Care

Derek

Individuals can expect to learn about aspects of preparing for shorthanded cruising and racing including the setup of the boat and deck layout, nutrition, sleep patterns, weather analysis, safety at sea, shorthanded sail selection, medical emergency procedures, navigation and communications and is appropriate for individuals of all levels of sailing skills and experience. Participants will also be given special edition Spirit of Canada technical T-shirts and caps.

For further information regarding booking an offshore training session on Spirit of Canada, please contact Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges at:
info@spiritofcanada.net or call 902-531-2532.

Full day and half day sailing sessions on the ECO 60 Spirit of Canada are also available in Halifax and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia contact us for more details.