Solid start to 2023: Canada Ocean Racing finish the Royal Ocean Racing Club Transatlantic Race
by Canada Ocean Racing 18 Jan 2023 15:23 UTC
Canada Ocean Racing finish the RORC Transatlantic Race © Canada Ocean Racing
Racing double-handed, skippers Scott Shawyer and Alan Roberts finish the first race in Canada Ocean Racing history. Finishing with a time of 9 days 12 hours 57 minutes 53 seconds places the duo as 2nd in IRC super zero and Monohull Line honors.
The 3000-mile race took the pair from Lanzarote, Canary Islands, to Grenada, Caribbean. At 02:00 local time, the pair crossed the line outside of Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada. Despite crossing in the dark of night, the spirits of the team were not dampened as cheers could be heard from support vessels as well as from onboard the Canadian IMOCA 60.
The completion of this iconic race is a major milestone in the journey of this newly formed team. Although the team has three Transatlantic crossings under their belts, none have been in a racing mode. Therefore, to finish as 2nd monohull across the line is a great result for the team and gets their racing history off to a strong start.
After crossing the line, skipper and team founder Scott Shawyer said "To finish my first transatlantic race feels like a great achievement. It would not have been possible without the support from the entire Canada Ocean Racing team and from my wife and family. I would like to thank everyone that has been involved to this point in helping me start this journey towards the Vendée Globe."
Canada Ocean Racing's mentor and legendary offshore sailor Alex Thomson, who has been instrumental in setting up and managing the team said "To see Scott and Alan finish their first race with a strong first result is proof of their hard work and determination and the culmination of the whole team's dedication. It is an exciting time for us to be involved with this IMOCA team and I can see our experience and approach are paying off."
"Scott and Alan have done an excellent job pushing the boat and making some tough decisions. I have been impressed with Scott's persistence and determination to get the maximum from the boat, and himself, all the way to the end".
The race was a fairly typical transatlantic race in terms of the weather, but this did not mean there were not complex decisions to be made during the crossing.
"Throughout the race, Alan and I were assessing the positions of our competitors and looking at how they were doing. Jasi and Black Pearl, both with A-list crews of Ocean Race winners and Americas Cup sailors, provided a great benchmark to make sure we were on the pace. To finish in front of those teams feels very satisfying and reassures us that we are on a good path." said Scott Shawyer, Skipper, and Founder of Canada Ocean Racing.
The team will now begin the process of making their boat 'EMIRA' race ready again. Coupled with analysing the data from this crossing to make performance gains ahead of a busy year of racing on the IMOCA circuit.