SPIRIT OF CANADA MAKES GOOD PROGRESS
16th April, 2003

Derek Hatfield continues to make steady progress northwards and has settled back into the rhythm of life at sea. The first few days were nerve wracking which is certainly understandable. They say that if you fall off a horse, the best thing you can do is get right back on the horse and keep riding. Easier said than done. Derek came very close to losing his life at Cape Horn, and the stress of rebuilding the boat is a lot to bear even for a former Canadian Mountie. Still the boat is back sailing and the grateful skipper is taking time to send emails to the many people that supported him in his time of need. He is a long way behind the rest of the fleet and that also adds to the stress. Around alone skippers rely on each other if they ever need rescuing. There is no boat to divert to help Hatfield should he have a problem, and the incident yesterday with BTC Velocity and the whale must surely give Derek reason for concern. Meanwhile Hatfield continues with newsy updates from on board. This was received yesterday.

"I have just cleared the top tip of the Falkland Islands and am headed straight for Salvador, just under 2500 miles away," he wrote. "The conditions are a little light right now as a high pressure system moves over the area from west to east. I was actually becalmed for about 2 hours overnight as the wind went from SE into the NE. I had a long busy night negotiating through the huge fishing fleet that is just outside the entrance to Stanley Harbor. The weather is getting better all the time although it is still very cold. I am starting to feel good about the boat again and it's great to be back racing and making the boat go fast. With the new rig and sails, the boat's performance is right up there where it should be."

This morning Hatfield checked in with another report. "The conditions continue to be light but the seas are flat and we are making steady progress northwards. The first part of the night was made magical by the full moon guiding me along. It is still very cold at night and I was reminded of my childhood days growing up in New Brunswick with the moonlight shining through the frost covered windows. Through the night I could occasionally see dolphins swimming along beside the boat. When inside the boat, you can hear the clicking and squeaking they make as they play with the bow wave. I wonder what they are saying to each other."

Besides making the most of the sailing Derek is also keeping an eagle eye on the mast and rigging. Normally a boat would undergo a few weeks of sea trials once a new mast has been installed. It allows time for the rigging to stretch and everything to settle down. There was no time for such luxuries on Spirit of Canada and because of this the skipper is being very cautious. "The weather grib files tell me that I will have another few days of light air and then a storm later in the week and into the weekend," he wrote. "I am constantly checking the mast and rigging looking for things that we may have forgotten. The new rod rigging will stretch a little when stressed so I must keep adjusting the tension to maximize the tune in the rig. So far the mast and the work everyone did looks top notch and strong. I want Spirit of Canada to be in top form for the bad weather."

We will continue to bring you Derek's position and reports. He is still in the race and a part of the Around Alone family even though he is 3,000 miles behind.

--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net

Source: Around Alone Official Site