Route Halifax Saint-Pierre Ocean Race

Route Halifax Saint-Pierre Ocean Race is an ocean race held in late June or early July, every two years (in opposite years from the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race), from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for a distance of approximately 360 nautical miles (670 km) to Saint-Pierre, in the French Archipelago of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon off of coastal Newfoundland. It is raced by crews of two or more people, most commonly in sailboats in the 30 to 40 foot (9.1 to 12.2 m) range, but boats from 21 feet (6.4 m) to 60 feet (18 m) have been raced in the past.[1]

The race attracts both amateur and professional sailors from Canada, United States and Europe to compete on true time or under handicap rules in double-handed or fully crewed monohull boats. Winning times are often in the 36 to 48 hour range, but it can take more than 60 hours to complete the race. The race record time is currently 29 hours.[2]

History

Sailors Philippe Paturel and Hal Davies met while competing in North American sailing regattas. Davies, then retired as an officer in the Canadian Forces Maritime Command, was an active racer in the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Davies and Paturel met and joked over a drink about the next opportunity to compete again in ocean racing, suggesting a race where the winner would be the first to arrive in Saint-Pierre. In 2002, as a result of their discussions, the Route Halifax/Saint-Pierre was established. It was first sponsored as a joint project of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax and the Yacht Club de Saint-Pierre. There were 20 boats entered in the first race, with 40 sailboats of all sizes in later years.[3]

The race is run every two years, starting at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax.[3]

Davies died in February 2011, but the race he helped to found continues to be run.[3]

The race

The scheduled day for the 2018 Route Halifax Saint-Pierre start is Tuesday, June 26, at the Halifax city waterfront. The First gun for the start of Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2018 is at 1155 hrs.[4]

By July, the winds in the region are dominated by the Azores high and historically this has resulted in a 75% chance of moderate (11-16 knot) winds aft of the beam for ideal sailing conditions.[5] Records of the seven races indicate that six have tended to be fast with boats with a PHRF rating of 75 finishing with an elapsed time ranging from 47 to 56 hours. But, there was one slow race where an equivalent boat took 80 hours to finish.[6]

The race record is held by Derek Hatfield's Open 60 "Spirit of Canada" which in 2012 set an elapsed time of 29:43:56.[6]

The race receives a warm welcome from the residents of Saint-Pierre. Local families each adopt a racing crew and there is live music at the completion of the race, all part of the French national holiday, Bastille Day on July 14.[5]

Awards

The André H. Paturel Trophy is awarded to the first monohull to finish Route Halifax Saint-Pierre on elapsed time.[4]

The Friar Trophy is awarded for the best combined finish in both the Route Halifax Saint-Pierre Ocean Race and the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race in consecutive years.[7][8]

Division and class prizes (2018)

  • The Binnacle Trophy is awarded to the best boat in Division I – Ocean Class
  • The Trophée de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon – Des îles d’exception is awarded to the best boat in Division I – Class 40
  • The Trophée de la Ville de Saint-Pierre is awarded to the best boat in Division II – ORC-Racing
  • The Trophée de la Collectivité Territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon is awarded to the best boat in Division III – ORC-Non-Spinnaker
  • The Founders’ Trophy is awarded to the best team of two monohulls in Route Halifax Saint-Pierre scored under ORC.
  • The Etat Français trophy is awarded to the best boat in any monohull division of Route Halifax Saint-Pierre sailed by a crew of two, scored under ORC.
  • The Hal Davies Memorial Trophy (2012) is awarded to the best monohull in Route Halifax Saint-Pierre, scored under ORC, where the Person in Charge is entering for the first time.
  • The Trophée SPM 1ère is awarded to the boat providing the best on board, or race-related, reporting.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Route Halifax Saint-Pierre - Racing up the coast of Nova Scotia". sail-world.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Route Halifax/Saint-Pierre » The Race". Route Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Route Halifax / Saint-Pierre » A Long History of Ocean Racing". Route Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2018 Notice-of-Race-and-Program" (PDF). Route Halifax Saint-Pierre. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2016: A Battle Between Big and Little". Canadian Yachting Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Going Offshore to Saint-Pierre". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "The Race - Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race". Boston Yacht Club. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "CAF sailing duo team up again to take home trophy from Marblehead race". Trident Navy Newspaper. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
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