Successful first year completed on the Volvo 60 Spirit of Adventure

by Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges on 15 Aug 2014 The Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges Team is delighted to have completed a successful first year on the Volvo 60 Spirit of Adventure. Some of the season highlights include: the safe completion of eight offshore training sessions which included two Caribbean regattas and two major international offshore races, (RORC Caribbean 600 and Route Halifax St. Pierre).

The sailing adventures aboard the fully commercially coded Volvo 60 Spirit of Adventure provided 91 individuals ranging in ages from 27 to 77 years old the opportunity to sail on a grand prix yacht with two round the world sailors, Derek Hatfield and Chris Stanmore-Major who between them have more than 400,000 ocean miles and five circumnavigations.

Along the way, two major records including the Sol Cup for fastest around the island during the 2014 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and the Andre H. Patural Trophy for Overall Line Honours during the Route Halifax St. Pierre Race, a 370 nm ocean race between Halifax and the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.

The team is now preparing for the second year of offshore training and ocean races while waiting to announce the next around the world race. The Volvo 60 Spirit of Adventure is currently undergoing a refit in Nova Scotia during the lull in offshore training created by the 2014 hurricane season. The VO 60 will be pulled from the water and undergo a number of upgrades that include a racing bottom and new sails.

The 2014/15 offshore training season schedule is now available for booking by individuals or teams. Each session includes two days of safety, boat handling and sail training prior to going offshore. All safety gear and food is supplied.

• Nov 8th – 21st Lunenburg to Lanzarote, Canaries Islands - 2400 nm
• Nov 29th – 11th RORC Transatlantic Race – Lanzarote to Grenada -2800 miles
• Jan 15th – 22nd Mount Gay Around Barbados Race Series
• Feb 21th – 28th RORC Caribbean 600 – non-stop Around the Caribbean Sea
• Mar 2nd – 8th St. Maartin Heineken Regatta – including the Commodore’s Cup
• Apr 11th – 18th Les Voiles de Saint Barth
• Apr 23rd–May 3rd Antigua to Lunenburg – 1800 nm
• May 15th – 20th Lunenburg to Bermuda – 750 nm
• May 23rd – 28th Bermuda to Lunenburg – 750 nm
• June 5th – 10th Lunenburg to Bermuda – 750 nm
• June 12th - 17th Bermuda to Lunenburg – 750 nm
• July 3rd – 10th Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race - 370 nm

Please contact us for full details on any of these sailing Spirit of Canada