Parade of Sailors

The television station in Saint-Pierre, France 1, covered the Parade of Sailors this year.  You can view the story by clicking through to see the video on this page.

Trophy Winners - Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2016

Guests of Halifax and Saint-Pierre Trophy:
For boats registered as sailing from clubs other than in Saint-Pierre or in the Halifax Region

Grey Ghost – Philip Parish                 

Founders' Trophy - for teams of two boats

Easy Dora	Easy Company
	Pandora

Binnacle Trophy
For boats who also raced in the Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean Race 2015

CAN 189

Saraphie

Armed Services Trophy
For a boat where half or more of the crew consists of members of any armed services

Grey Ghost

Philip Parish

CCA/ TAYC

Prize for boats racing with a crew of 2

Spirit

Manuel Hontoria; Tim Harris

Hal Davies Memorial Trophy (2012)
For boats who's owner is racing Route Halifax Saint-Pierre for the first time

Pandora - Peter Bromley   RNSYS

Guests of Halifax and Saint-Pierre Trophy
For boats registered as sailing from clubs other than in Saint-Pierre or in the Halifax Region

Grey Ghost

Philip Parish

Trophée SPM 1ère: For boats registered as sailing from Saint-Pierre Celebrations • 1816-2016
Halifax Trophy For boats registered as sailing from clubs in the Halifax region Easy Company Scott MacLeod

Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2016 Fleet Finishes Ocean Race

The ten boats that finished Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2016 are all in port in Saint-Pierre now.  The final group crossed the finish line early this morning.  The detailed results are now posted on the results page at Yachtscoring.  You can click through for a look here.

In the Ocean Class, Esprit de Corps II (Équipe ATLAS) under Skipper Georges Leblanc captured first place as well as line honours for the Race. Easy Company, an Oceanis 40 skippered by RNSYS member Scott MacLeod held on to a lead through much of the race to capture the spot as overall PHR winner.  And Grey Ghost, a Zeal 38 owned by Philip Parish of Galena, Maryland, USA is the PHR-1 class winner by just 25 minutes corrected time over the nearest competitor, Sea Smoke.

Final results and trophy winners will be announced at the prize ceremony to be held this evening (Wednesday) at the Cafe de la Route in Saint-Pierre.  Inshore racing takes place in the Allianz Grand Prix on Thursday with a prize ceremony later in the day.

Esprit de Corps II skipper Georges Leblanc at the helm.

Grey Ghost at the RNSYS prior to the race.

Easy Company crew at Skipper's Meeting.

Veteran Quebec Skipper Takes Line Honours and First in Class in RHSP 2016

Georges Leblanc, skipper of Esprit de Corps II put on a push on Tuesday morning and slipped by two other VOR 60 competitors to cross the finish line first in Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2016. Leblanc is part of Team Atlas, a Quebec based group that uses two ocean sailing racing boats to teach leadership skills to business executives.  His experience includes numerous ocean races including Transatlantic campaigns.

Esprit de Corps III, skippered by Gilles Barbot of Montreal had been leading the race since Monday afternoon when Leblanc overtook, close to Saint-Pierre.

Easy Company, skippered by past race chair Scott MacLeod from the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron was overall leader in the PHRF classes.  Easy Company was about 75 nm from the finish line when Esprit de Corps crossed.  

Thirteen boats crossed the start line in Halifax harbour on Sunday at noon.  Three have since retired. "Saint Pierre et Miquelon" was dismasted near McNab's Island due to the failure of the vessel's port chain plate and was towed to RNSYS.  Wabi and Illusion both retired from the event on Sunday.

Inshore racing and many social events await the fleet in Saint-Pierre, which will mark France's National Day - Bastille Day on Thursday, July 14.  Saint Pierre et Miquelon is also celebrating 200 years of French rule this year, since the Islands were given to France by the Treaty of Paris in 1816.

Line Honors on the Line This Morning

As of 0600 Tuesday, Esprit de Corps III skippered by Gilles Barbot from Quebec is still leading the fleet and is expected to cross the finish line in St. Pierre sometime later this morning. Easy Company skippered by Scott MacLeod of the Royal NS Yacht Squadron is leading the PHRF racing class.

New Race Leader - 1900 Monday

As of 1900 Monday, Esprit de Corps III has taken over the lead position in the race. The Quebec boat is showing a strong increase in boat speed to approx. 10.0 kts as the fleet sets out in the Gulf for the push to St. Pierre. Celebrations*1816-2016 is in 2nd place, about 6 nm behind, still in the hunt for line honors. Grey Ghost leads PHR-1 and Easy Company is at the head of the non-spinnaker class.

Two Boats Out of Race

Two boats have already left the race. 

The Nacira 6.50 "St. Pierre et Miquelon" owned by Rodolphe Victorri of Saint-Pierre was dismasted close to McNab's Island as the fleet left the harbour. The chain plate holding the port side forestay failed. The Race Committee answered the call for help as well as an inshore rescue boat. Both Rodolphe and his daughter were unharmed. But they had to cut down what remained of the mast. They were towed back to RNSYS where they are securing the boat and assessing the damage. 

The other boat that is out of the competition is Rich Morrow's Wabi. The skipper has told the Race Director Wabi is retiring from the event..

Racers are on course to Saint-Pierre

Thirteen entries left Halifax harbour heading for Saint-Pierre in three separate classes at noon today.  PHN 1, PHR 1 and the Ocean class are now all on their way, disappearing in fog and drizzle as they left Halifax harbour.

        

Skippers' meeting provides weather and traffic details

Skippers and crew members gathered for a race meeting on Saturday at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.  The participants are from the United States, Quebec, Nova Scotia and France. The Race co-chair for RNSYS is past-commodore, George Chisholm, who kicked off the discussion.

Meteorologist Jim Abraham briefed the sailors on the weather they can expect.  He says crews
will face the worst conditions of the race on Sunday night into Monday morning when there will be rain and a North wind.  Wind speeds are forecast to be 15-20 kts.  But the sun should come out on Monday and the wind is expected to move to a more favourable position for sailing into Saint-Pierre.

Race Director Richard Hinterhoeller is working with the crews to make sure they avoid traffic in the busy commercial shipping lanes off Nova Scotia, while still finding the fastest route to Saint-Pierre.

It's Race Weekend in Halifax!

Competitors are arriving and the countdown is on to the start on Sunday.  Check-ins are underway at the Commodore's Room at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. 

An important change was made in the Notice of Race earlier this week.  The start will be at 12 Noon on Sunday (not 13:00) off the Museum of the Atlantic dock on the Halifax waterfront.

Make plans to attend RHSP 2016 social events in Halifax.

Join RNSYS members for hors d'oeuvre night on Friday at the clubhouse starting at 6 pm, sponsored by the Race Committee. Then on Saturday night, The Action Figures provide live music on the Clubhouse patio, also starting at 6 pm for the RHSP 2016 Crew Party.

July	9	Saturday	1200	RHSP Skipper's Meeting RNSYS Tent
			1600	RHSP VIP Reception (by invite only) RNSYS Tent
			1800	RHSP Crew Party featuring music by The Action Figures RNSYS Tent

NOW OPEN: Registration for RHSP 2016

Time to commit to this summer's Route Halifax Saint-Pierre! Registration is open on Yachtscoring and you can get to the right place by clicking here.   If you start planning now, gathering a crew and the logistics will be so much easier.

This race can be the keystone to a great summer adventure for all concerned. You'll be racing from Halifax on July 6th with a group of like-minded sailors.  But you can also consider adding to your adventure.  What about a short cruise along the south coast of Newfoundland or stopping in the Bras D'Or Lakes on the way back to the Maritimes.

Here is the link once again to get you to Yachtscoring for registration:  Click Here.

Past race chair Scott MacLeod is already registered to compete with his Oceanis 40 "Easy Company".

Time to celebrate!

The ocean race is over now but the fun is just beginning. First of all, celebrations were in order for many crews as they arrived in Saint-Pierre. After all, finishing a 353 nm mile ocean race, no matter what your final place in the fleet, is an achievement.
The Volvo 60, Spirit of Adventure, wins line honours for crossing to Saint-Pierre the fastest of any boat in the fleet - 37:52:31.

The rest of the results are all calculated by using handicap systems.
Ciao Baby!, an Archambault 31 owned and skippered by race originator Philippe Paturel of Saint-Pierre comes out top in the IRC class.  While there were just two competitors in the non-spinnaker class this year, the winner is worth mentioning.  It's Race Chair Scott MacLeod with his Oceanis 40 Easy Company.

A Mini - a Nacira 6.50, Shanawdithit owned and skippered by Rodolphe Victorri also of Saint-Pierre is the overall PHRF and the PHR-1 class winner, as well as top double-handed crew.  Victorri sailed the distance in 44 hours and 7 minutes.
And Sea Smoke, the Bavaria 38 from the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron owned and skippered by Mike Evans takes the PHR-2 class honours.

Line honours to Spirit of Adventure!

The big Volvo 60 Spirit of Adventure crossed the finish line in St. Pierre overnight with an elapsed time of 37:52:31.  And then Sirius made it through the fog to arrive after 39:14:17 hours of sailing, the first double-handed crew to arrive.  Chantal Briand in Saint-Pierre sent us these pictures from the welcome:

Spirit of Adventure crew celebrates

Skipper Derek Hatfield at the helm

Stephane Bry and crew celebrate the finish

Sirius arrives in Saint-Pierre in the fog

Wed. 1900 update

Spirit of Adventure is closing in on Saint-Pierre this evening.  The big Volvo 60 was just 66 nm away from the finish at 1900 Wednesday.  Wind speed in the area is 18-20 kts.

Photo: Mike Cyr

Sirius, a Saint-Pierre boat skippered by Stephane Bry is keeping up the chase.  There's just 8 nm between the two vessels at this hour. The mini Nacira 6.50 owned by Rodolphe Victorri of Saint-Pierre is living up to its racing reputation.  He's moved into first place in PHRF racing and holding a strong boat speed of 11.4 kts despite its 21 foot length.  Larry Cohen and "Dawn Treader" are pushing through to the finish, holding on to first position for IRC racers. 

Wed., July 9th Race Update

Derek Hatfield’s Volvo 60 “Spirit of Adventure” is leading the fleet in Route Halifax Saint-Pierre as the second day of racing gets underway.  The 353 nm race started in Halifax harbour at noon on Tuesday, July 8^th.  The 18 boats are racing along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia and will be heading out to the ocean to cross over to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, the French islands off the Newfoundland coast.

Hatfield’s crew on “Spirit of Adventure” is paying for the opportunity to learn how to sail the grand prix racer. Many of them are experienced sailors but the chance to crew on vessel of this size and type is rare in the Maritimes. “Spirit of Adventure” is the largest vessel in the race this year.  The vessel is the former Amer Sports One from the 2001 Volvo Ocean Race.

"Spirit of Adventure" gets ready to start

Challenging “Spirit of Adventure” for line honours is Sirius, an Akilaria 40 from the Saint-Pierre Yacht Club skippered by Stephane Bry.Past race chair Mike Evans and his “Sea Smoke” is overall leader in the PHRF class.  Evans is racing double-handed with Andrew Sergeant.  “Sea Smoke” is a Bavaria 38.

There are boats from Virginia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre competing this year.  While the largest is the Volvo 60, the smallest is a 21-ft. Nacira 6.50 from the Saint-Pierre Yacht Club that owned by Rodolphe Victorri.  That’s a class of high performance racing yachts built for the Mini-Transat race among others.

There was a spread of about 70 nm between the leader and the back of the fleet early Wednesday morning.  The race weather forecaster is predicting favourable southwest winds of 20 to 25 kt for the next day or so although there could be some fog.

The racers are carrying Yellowbricks and you can track their progress at: http://yb.tl/halifax2014

CTV report on the start of Route Halifax Saint-Pierre 2014

CTV reporter Amanda Debison met some competitors and was on the water to watch the start of this year's race.  Here's a link to her report:

CTV's Amanda Debison reports.

The race is on!

The boats are on their way to France.  A flawless starting sequence took place at noon off Sackville Landing on the Halifax waterfront.  The wind is coming from the southwest and the sun is out now.

Follow all the progress by using our Yellowbrick tracker:   http://yb.tl/halifax2014

Here are some of the sights from the dock where blasts from the navy gun crew sent the crews on their way.

Gun crew at easy, waiting for the start.

The Radio-Canada cameraman lines his shot up with the
Race Committee boat.

Boom!

Madame Karine Claireaux, maire de Saint-Pierre,
visits HMCS Sackville for the race
reception and a tour.

Smallest boat in the fleet

Meet a first-time participant in Route Halifax Saint-Pierre. This is the smallest boat to be entered in the Race this year - a Nacira 6.50 m. 

Owner Rodolphe Victorri of Saint-Pierre arrived safely on Friday night before the storm. He had just passed the boat inspection when we caught this picture of "Shanawdithit" at the RNSYS in the beautiful sun of Sunday afternoon. In case you are wondering, the boat is named for the last Beothuk who lived in Newfoundland.  Although small in size, the boat is designed for ocean racing.  After purchasing the vessel in Europe, Victorri sailed home to Saint-Pierre single-handed.

Off to France!

Read a feature about our race on Sail-World.com:
http://www.sail-world.com/Canada/Route-Halifax-Saint-Pierre---Off-to-France!/124114

Sail-World.com - Route Halifax Saint-Pierre - Off to France!

www.sail-world.com     

Ocean racers from the Maritimes, Newfoundland, the U.S.A. and France are heading out on another edition of Route Halifax Saint-Pierre on Tues., July 8th. The starting gun fires at noon and sends the fleet from Halifax harbour racing up the Atlantic Coast.

  The fog was starting to roll in around the RNSYS,  just as our Acadian-themed dinner was being served at the Spar Shed on Friday night.  Weldon Boudreau and his daughter provided excellent Acadian music for the event which included a fresh fish dinner thanks to one of our sponsors, Bluenose Seafoods.