Derek Hatfield and Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges announce a sailing opportunity of a lifetime for an individual sailor to co-skipper the IMOCA 60 Algimouss Spirit of Canada on the delivery leg from Hobart, Australia to Les Sable d’Olonne, France. The route will take the two sailors into the Southern Ocean; round the famous Cape Horn and northward in the Atlantics across the equator to France.
On 28th December 2008, Derek was forced to retire from the Vendee Globe 2008 after a large breaking wave rolled the IMOCA 60 Algimouss Spirit of Canada breaking two of the mast spreaders. Unable to complete repairs without outside assistance, Derek was forced to retire from the race and headed for Hobart in Tasmania where repairs are currently being completed.
The boat will be ready to set sail again in February in order to deliver the boat back to the northern hemisphere for the 2009 IMOCA racing season. Derek commented on this unique sailing offer; “We have been looking at a number of different options with regard to getting the boat back to France. We have a very limited budget and someone suggested that we might be able to raise money by auctioning off sailing positions on the delivery back to France. I know a lot of sailors would love to have a chance to sail in the remote southern ocean, round Cape Horn and cross the equator. This is a unique opportunity to do all of these things on an IMOCA 60 fully kitted out for the Vendee Globe. We are attempting to find out if there is any interest in this opportunity and if there is, we will hold an auction for the co-skipper position. The successful bidder can decide to sail the entire trip or leave the boat at a number of ports along the route.”
Individuals interested in this unique opportunity to sail an IMOCA 60 around Cape Horn, contact Derek Hatfield at: derek@spiritofcanada.net