Hatfield limps into Hobart from Southern Ocean

8:58 PM Sat 3 Jan 2009 GMT

'Look out for this boat arriving Hobart - Spirit of Canada' .

If you are around the Hobart docks (or make sure you are) on Sunday(4th Jan 2009), you may be in for an unusual sight. It will be one solo yachtsman on a fast Open 60 racing boat limping (which means a mere 8 knots) up the Derwent River.

If you see such a sight, it'll be Derek Hatfield, the solo Canadian yachtsman whose boat was badly damaged when it was upended in heavy seas in the Southern Ocean while participating in the Vendee Globe round world solo race. He is expected to arrive in Hobart this Sunday morning where he'll be reunited with his young family.

Derek retired from the endurance race after his yacht, Algimouss Spirit of Canada, was battered by freezing winds on December 28.

He was below deck when the yacht was upended and its mast badly damaged.

Despite this, he was determined to continue and sail the 900 nautical miles to Hobart unaided.

About 2pm (AEST) on Saturday, the yachtsman was off the Tasmanian south-coast and expected to reach Hobart by mid-morning on Sunday, his spokesman Bruce Montgomery said.

'He's fine, he's tired. But, he's in reasonable health given what he's gone through,' Mr Montgomery said.

He said Hatfield was looking forward to being reunited with his wife and two children - one aged four years and the other four months - who were arriving in Hobart from Canada on Saturday.

Mr Montgomery said the damage to his boat had forced Hatfield to travel at significantly reduced speeds to get to Hobart. 'He's had to sail tentatively just to make sure his mast doesn't fall down.

Instead of doing 18 knots, he is doing eight,' Mr Montgomery said.

'He's been sailing like that since December the 28.'

Hatfield was the 13th competitor to retire from the challenging Vendee Globe round-the-world race, which began on November 9 when a flotilla of 30 boats left the western French port of Les Sables d'Olonne.

Derek Hatfield issued this e-mail at 2 pm Hobart time today, Jan 3.

Hello from Algimouss Spirit of Canada

Position 43.55.896S x 146.11.224E

Distance to Hobart; Approx. 100 miles

I've just made landfall on Maatsuyker Island, one of the outer islands on the south coast of Tasmania. I have to round South East Cape and Bruny Island before heading up Storm Bay to Hobart. The landfall here has been a bit nervewracking as yesterday my GPS started operating sporatically and I have been expecting it to go down. I switched to the back up GPS only find it wasn't working as well. My backup to the backup is a handheld GPS mounted in the window. It's working fine and gives me a position which I then plot on the chart. Now that I've made landfall I feel much better. It will be a long night of motoring up Storm Bay but I am looking forward to getting ashore.
More soon. Take Care

Derek Hatfield

by Nancy Knudsen

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