Hello from Spirit of Canada
The summer months are flying by as we continue with our offshore training sessions and preparations for the Velux 5 Oceans this October. I now have almost 10,000 nm and six training sessions on Spirit of Canada ECO 60 and I am very impressed with the performance of the boat. As you can imagine, sailing with 3 or 4 other sailors on a boat designed to accommodate one person has created some interesting scenarios but I will keep those stories for the book. Each session has taught me valuable lessons about the performance of the boat and how it can be pushed. I feel very confident about our preparations at this point.
One of the training sessions was as a race participant in the Route Halifax St. Pierre Ocean Race; we covered the 340 odd miles in under 30 hours; setting a new race record and receiving line honours for the effort. The race was not without event as we struck a log while sailing at about 12 knots and did some minor damage to the keel fairings. The boat is slated for repairs and will be hauled out next week at East River Marine here in Nova Scotia where Philip Young and his professional boatbuilding and repair crew will bring the boat back to racing trim.
The title sponsorship hunt has proven to be daunting and even though we continue to put names on the hull and conduct training sessions thereby reducing the price of the title sponsorship, we have not been able to secure that elusive support. The budget situation is becoming critical as we need to order new sails for delivery before the start. But we are staying focussed on the start line in October. Any suggestions and or referrals with regard to securing potential sponsors are very welcome.
Stay tuned for more regular updates as we approach the Velux 5 Oceans race start on October 17th 2010.
Take care,
Derek