The Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges team announces our first trip to St Pierre to celebrate St. Bastille Day in France.

Imagine departing historic Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and sailing into the Atlantic all the way to France..in less than two days. St. Pierre is an Island owned by France in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, just off Newfoundland and only two days aboard the Volvo 60. Upon arrival you are immediately immersed in the European culture with fresh baguettes, croissants and great French wine and hospitality.

The National holiday of France in Saint-Pierre & Miquelon happens on July 14th to celebrate the end of the French revolution. This holiday has become a very popular event for it’s musical and cultural celebrations.

Only two days of sailing from Lunenburg to St. Pierre it’s a must do event for those that don’t have enough time for a full transatlantic but would still like to go somewhere exotic, participate in festivities and either get back on the boat to sail it back to Canada on Air St. Pierre or continue traveling through the Maritimes.

For more information on how to participate in this event or any of the sailing adventure with the Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges team please call us at 902.529.2626 or email at sail@spiritofcanada.net

Happy Sailing.

Busy 2013 and 2014 Training Season Ahead

The Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges team has had a busy winter season marketing the new training and racing programs; attending boat shows, conducting presentations and preparing the two ocean racers for the upcoming busy offshore training season. The Open 60 Spirit of Canada will soon be launched from its in-ground slip at East River Marine and tuned up for the first training run to Bermuda. The Volvo 60 Amer Sports One is currently in Cartagena, Spain preparing for the Spain to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia transatlantic sail/delivery at the end of April. After arriving in Canada, the Volvo 60 will go through a minor refit before the summer training season.

The training sessions are not only a great way for Derek and the team to stay in shape but a great personal challenge for people just like you who want to experience an ocean passage in a safe, reliable and trusted offshore sailboat. This truly is a world-class adventure with world-class skippers aboard podium finishing boats.

Something like a holiday where you leave with more than you came with.

For a full list of dates and availability please contact us at sail@spiritofcanada.net or call us at 902.529.2626.

Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges offshore training program continues to develop with the addition of RYA sailing courses and the introduction of Safety at Sea Seminars at the beginning of each offshore session. The Safety at Sea seminars will provide participants an opportunity to experience first-hand safety procedures involving life rafts and critical safety gear required for ocean passages.

Happy Sailing,

Derek

“Sailing one of these boats offshore is not like a cruise or charter, it’s not particularly fun or relaxing; it is however and experience in team work & adventure that you will never forget.”

The Volvo 60 Amer Sports One to join the 2014 Caribbean Winter Circuit

The Caribbean regattas offer the perfect combination of competition, enjoyment and international flare to a very long winter.

The year starts for us with the 6th edition of the Caribbean 600; this is the first offshore race to circumnavigate the Caribbean Islands; it runs from February 24th. The Caribbean 600 is a world-class endurance race and is not easy lasting for about 3 days sailors need commitment and enthusiasm to do well. During the course of the training and the race itself participants will develop and use sailing and communication skills and will find the campaign a personal challenge, but also immensely satisfying when completed. Ocean Challenges aims to make sure that everyone has fun, stays safe and enjoys the challenge.
Starting just off Fort Charlotte, just outside English Harbor in Antigua, the fleet will head north; pass marks off Barbuda, Nevis, Saba and St Barth’s before circling St Maarten and head south for Guadeloupe. Finally heading back north to a mark off Barbuda, returning to Antigua for the finish; 10 legs and 600 Nautical Miles of racing in fantastic trade wind conditions with spectacular scenery. The turquoise sea and trade winds produces exhilarating sailing conditions and whales, dolphins and turtles are a common sight. By night, sailors will race in warm Caribbean breezes under a carpet of stars, seldom seen with such clarity make this event one of the most popular offshore races in the world. All should expect to race around the course in a brisk breeze and warm seas. The racecourse around the Caribbean is the ultimate sailor’s playground.

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

The 2014 Heineken Regatta is the 34th edition of the race. This international event plays host to more than 32 countries and close to 200 entries, making it the largest regatta in the Region! What could be better than racing in the Tropical sun with crystal clear water and ice cold Heinekens? Nothing!

Over the years thousand of sailor have graced the shore of this ideal location, don’t be left out in the cold from some of the best sailing in the Caribbean.

Voile de St. Barth April 7-12th

The 5th edition of this very competitive event starts with boat arrivals and crew parties on the 7th of April, 2014. Racing commences on the 9th and 10th with a crew party after the 2nd day of racing then a well deserved “day off” at the St. Jean Beach on the 11th. Two more days of racing then a spectacular light and sound show then awards and big end of regatta party.

Antigua Sailing Week April 26-May 2nd

Hosted by the Antigua Yacht Club this is a bucket list event for all sailors.
During the last week of April each year, yachts from all over the world arrive in English and Falmouth Harbours to participate in one of the world’s premier sailing events, Antigua Sailing Week. From small beginnings this regatta has developed over 45 years to become one of the preeminent yacht racing events in the Caribbean. Its international status ensures its ongoing fame worldwide. Over 100 yachts participate each year, ranging in size from 24 to over 100 feet. The Regatta attracts serious racing boats including state-of-the-art, high-tech racing machines, along with a variety of performance cruising and cruising boats.
The sight of all these yachts, both from vantage points on the shore and from spectator boats carrying onlookers alongside the races, is unforgettable. The reputation of Antigua Sailing Week allows the event to attract some of the world’s top racing yachts including in 2012 Geoff Hill’s Santa Cruz 72 Antipodes, Jan Rupert’s Tripp 75 Blackbird, Stefan Lehnert’s 56-foot Passion 4 C and, once again, Peter Harrison’s 115-foot Sojana.

For five days crews are challenged with a variety of coastal race courses encouraging tacking duels around the buoys – all set on the deep blue Caribbean Sea with the ever-present trade winds. It’s a picture perfect setting that is enhanced as the evening colours brighten the western sky and the sunburnt, salt-encrusted, weary sailors make their way to the bbq, steel bands and rum punches. While hundreds of locals and visitors carry on partying well into the evening, many of the yacht crews know there is another day of racing out there and so they leave the late night revelry for the others to finish.

After the week of ever-exciting racing, Antigua Sailing Week draws to a close in the romantic historic Nelson’s Dockyard with the final awards presentation attended by Antigua’s government representatives alongside the owners and skippers of the yachts with their crews, friends, well-wishers and race officials.

This exciting event is followed the next day by the Beating of the Retreat in historic Nelson’s Dockyard as the Antiguan flag is lowered to signal the close of Antigua Sailing Week for yet another year. It is a truly fitting end to a week of glorious racing.

2014 Summer Offshore Training Schedule
May 15th Antigua – Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
May 31st Lunenburg, NS – Bermuda
June 8th Bermuda – Lunenburg, NS
July Route Halifax – St. Pierre Ocean Race
July St. Pierre, FR – Lunenburg, NS
October Lunenburg, NS – Canary Islands

For more information on what we offer please contact Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges at 902.529.2626 or via email at sail@spiritofcanada.net

Copyright © 2013 SPIRIT OF CANADA OCEAN CHALLENGES, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
PO BOX 204 MAHONE BAY, NS. B0J2E0

TEL 902 529 2626

Crew can expect to learn about:

• Helming
• Sail handling
• Racing tactics
• Weather analysis
• Nutrition
• Communications
• Sleep patterns
• Navigation
• Psychological factors
• Safety at sea
• Safety equipment & food are inclusive

“Our goal is the give the crew a sense of real participation in all facets of sailing a Volvo 60 offshore. Everyone participates in the experience including maneuvers on deck, navigation, sail handling and helming”. – Skipper, Derek Hatfield

DISCOVERY SAILING & OCEAN CHALLENGES join forces to provide enhanced RYA sail training. With Discovery Sailing, an RYA Training Centre in Nova Scotia, the RYA Competent Crew and Watch Leader practical courses as well as ocean mileage building and RYA Yachtmaster Ocean qualifying passages are now available aboard the Volvo 60 Amer Sports One. RYA qualifications are known and respected the world over. For a list of available RYA courses see discoverysailing.com and for a list of Ocean passages see spiritofcanada.net.

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, couples and teams on the sailing adventure of a lifetime.

2013 Sailing Schedule:

June 14th Lunenburg, Canada – Bermuda
June 22nd Bermuda – Lunenburg, Canada

2014 Sailing Schedule:

Feb 24th Caribbean 600
Feb 28th St. Maarten Heineken Regatta
Apr 13th Voile de St. Barth
Apr 26th Antigua Sailing Week
May 15th Antigua – Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
May 31st Lunenburg, NS – Bermuda
June 8th Bermuda – Lunenburg, NS
July Route Halifax – St. Pierre Ocean Race
July St. Pierre, FR – Lunenburg, NS
October Lunenburg, NS – Canary Islands

Contact us for more information and pricing if you are interested in one of these events.

Contact: Patianne Verburgh
Phone +1.902.531.2532
Email: sail@spiritofcanada.net

Please feel free to forward this information to anyone that you think might be interested.

Happy Sailing,

Derek & The Spirit of Canada Team

2012 is set to be another year of challenges as we set sail once again with the training runs to Bermuda and Horta aboard the Spirit of Canada. These sessions are aimed at keeping Derek and the team competitive while preparing for the next race around the world.

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: patianne@spiritofcanada.net or call 902.531.2532

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

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