Hello from Active House Spirit of Canada

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 harbor, 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. We will 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 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.

Happy Canada Day to everyone!
Take care,
Derek

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