Challenger's Canadian Spirit in the RORC Transatlantic Race
by Louay Habib 13 Dec 2016 21:12 GMT
12 December 2016
Chris Stanmore-Major's Whitbread 60, Challenger crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada today (13 December) at 15 hours 12 minutes and 37 seconds GMT.
Arriving in time for the RORC Transatlantic Race prizegiving later today, Challenger is one of the sail racing school yachts owned by Spartan Ocean Racing based in Nova Scotia. Skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major summed up the aims and aspirations of the company in his last blog at sea before crossing the finish line in Grenada after 18 days at sea.
"After 3,300Nm we finally have Grenada in sight and the crew are elated. Whilst this has been a race and we have not won, the scale of the challenge we have completed is not lost on us, and as a sail training vessel, we are exceptionally proud of what we have accomplished. People with wildly differing skill levels have come together from all over the world and in just two weeks learned how to operate a boat that 20 years ago was at the cutting edge of performance.
"Hell's teeth, we have crossed the Atlantic! We have learned how to be the crew of an ocean-going yacht, pushing as hard as we could within the bounds of the new skills we have developed and we are proud; we are elated and boy are we looking forward to the ice cold beers the RORC Race Office are loading up into a cart to bring down to the dock for us.
"My very great thanks to my wife Kathie back home in Nova Scotia who has provided not only logistical support for the last 3,000+Nm, but also the 5,500Nm that preceded this, as Challenger made her way to the RORC start line from Canada to the UK, to France and finally to Lanzarote.
"My thanks also to Keith Davidson, Daniel Degenais Gaw and Diane Reid, my pro crew who have made the last 8,500Nm not only possible, but fun and safe. They will be going to their own new Spartan steeds in the coming year and I wish them great luck. Finally my thanks to RORC who have once again put on a fantastic race and given us a bucket list experience everyone here will remember for a lifetime.
"For the RORC Transatlantic Race 2017 we hope to return with up to eight boats, all Volvo 60's and IMOCA 60's, all with charter crews on board and all sailing within an agreed set of class guidelines that finally allow these boats to once again compete on a level playing field. Exciting? You bet it is. Watch this space." www.spartanoceanracing.com
About the race
Bound for Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada, 2,865 nmiles across the Atlantic, the third edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race attracted a varied fleet, from MOD70s, Super Maxis, four Class40s and everything in between from 40-112ft (12.19-34.14m). Veteran professional sailors will race on the same course as first time Corinthians; all making tricky tactical decisions to ensure the fastest crossing and keep the momentum going on this long, intense race. The race is a competitive adventure and on the bucket list of many sailors. Two boats are still to finish the race.
All the latest news can be found at rorctransatlantic.rorc.org
Blogs from the crews at sea at rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/news/2016-blogs