Building an open 60 is a very complicated matter. Here you can follow skipper Derek Hatfields building process. Derek should have been in the VELUX 5 OCEANS 2006 but he missed the final deadline.
Expert knowledge
Building a state-of-the-art racing yacht requires unique expertise. Derek Hatfield himself has been deeply involved in the building process of the boat. But without cooperation with designer Merfyn Owen and a team of experienced boat builders he would never had made it. “Building a state-of-the-art racing yacht requires expert knowledge and craftsmanship in every little detail. I imagine it is a bit like designing and constructing a window”, remarks Derek.
The building process has been demanding in many ways. “We received the carbon fibres in a freezer from England, and within two weeks we had to complete the casting of the hull of the boat. From its frozen condition the carbon material was heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit– so you might say that we actually bake our boat”, says Derek.
Furthermore, there is a huge demand for expert boat builders world wide, and according to Derek the best of them have been occupied building boats for the America’s Cup. “It has been a constant struggle - I think the climate might have something to do with it, the Canadian winter is nothing like the south of France or Florida. But I have a French team coming from one of the America’s Cup syndicates and now we are close to completion. We plan on launching the boat in June in Lake Ontario. Then we will be taking it out to Halifax then sailing for Bilbao, Spain, where the race will begin on 22nd October.
Open 60’s are designed to be sailed by just one person. The skippers of these racing machines will spend most of their time in the navigation work station. This is the nerve centre, packed with electronics and computer equipment to help navigate, check performance, communicate and often it is also where they sleep.
‘Spirit of Canada’ has a number of different sails to suit various conditions - not as many sails as a boat designed for a large crew, but enough to keep the solo skipper working hard all the time to match the sails to the wind and sea conditions. There are three types of sails - a mainsail, headsails on furlers (rolled up around the stays) and spinnakers. The spinnaker is only used in stable conditions when sailing single-handed, as it would be disastrous to be caught in a storm with the huge balloon of sail.