Derek Hatfield is currently the only Canadian sailor competing in single-handed racing on the Professional, world scale. Currently arranging his third campaign, Spirit of Canada Ocean Challenges, which will take him a second time around the world solo, in the Velux 5 oceans 2010 race.
More people have been into Space then have sailed single-handed around the planet.
1st place in the Labatt’s Single-handed Race Series. 1994
7th in Europe One single-handed transatlantic. 1996
1st and overall winner of the Legend Cup Transatlantic. 1996
2nd in the Bermuda One Two, in 1997 and 1999.
2003 Rolex Sailor of the Year.
2003 Gerry Roufs Offshore Sailing Award.
2003 Ontario Sailor of the Year.
Hatfield built an Open 40’ to compete in the around alone race for 2002, he finished 3rd. Aside from this finish result, Hatfield would leave in his wake a story of seemingly insurmountable odds, obstacles and tremendous physical and emotional drama.
See the archived site for the open 40 here.
Read about the race and Derek in the book Sea of Dreams by Adam Mayers: 
Just 9 months after the Around Alone race, Derek started planning to build the first North American built open 60. With enormous support from the public by donations and sponsors the Open 60 was built in Cobourg, Ontario. Spirit of Canada entered into the 2008 Vendee Globe and immediately experienced equipment problems and was forced to restart. The weather for the race that year was very poor, causing 19 of the 30 boats that started to retire. Spirit of Canada, forced to stop in Australia with a broken mast spreader, meant the end of the Vendee Globe for Derek Hatfield.
Of course in true form, Hatfield continues with SOC with a different boat for the ECO 60 class in the Velux 5 Oceans 2010.
