3 March 2015, Vancouver — With interest pouring in from young talent across the country, Canadian Ocean Racing is proud to announce the first Aspiring Offshore Athlete to officially join the program, Sandy Macpherson.
Sandy, 21, hails from Picton, Ontario and has been sailing since the age of nine. In his sailing career, Sandy has logged over 30 000 nautical miles including one transatlantic crossing and several other long distance races.
Most recently, Sandy has been developing his own Mini Transat campaign under Sandy Macpherson Sailing. No stranger to solo-sailing, Sandy was the first person to sail around Lake Ontario single-handed non-stop, which was part of a Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser.
“We are very excited to welcome Sandy one of our first members of the Aspiring Offshore Athlete program. He has already made great efforts to advance his own career in offshore sailing, and we believe his involvement in this program will help take his career to the next level,” said Eric Holden, Principal and Skipper of Canadian Ocean Racing.
Sandy joins Canadian Ocean Racing’s Aspiring Offshore Athletes program with the intention of gaining more offshore experience while being mentored by Eric Holden during Holden’s journey to the Vendee Globe.
“The Vendee Globe is my ultimate goal, so being part of Eric’s campaign is a great experience for me. Raising the profile of offshore sailing in Canada has always been my goal — it is a dream come true to work with a program that will do exactly that,” said Sandy.
Sandy attended Plymouth University in the UK, where he obtained a BSc (Hons) in Navigation and Maritime Science.
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Press Contact
Meg Reilly, PR & Partnerships Manager
mreilly@canadianoceanracing.com
Canadian Ocean Racing
Canadian Ocean Racing (COR) is Canada’s premier offshore racing team. Founded by Eric Holden and Morgen Watson, COR is dedicated to promoting the sport of offshore racing in Canada. COR is using Open 60 O Canada for the training program and taking her back on the racing circuit to compete in the IMOCA races.
The mission of COR is to raise the profile of Canadian offshore racing while building a program to develop the next generation of sailors. The program launched its Aspiring Offshore Althetes Program in March 2015 in which young Canadian sailors have the opportunity to be mentored and trained by Eric Holden on various offshore passages onboard O Canada. Visit www.canadianoceanracing.com for more information.
Wind Athletes Canada
Wind Athletes Canada is a Registered Amateur Athletic Association. It receives funding from charitable donations and other sources. Missions of Athletes Canada include: promoting the sport of sailing in Canada, supporting training programs and competitions that develop and support promising sailors from the grass roots level of the sport through to national and international levels.
Wind Athletes also provides funding and support to members of the Canadian Sailing Team. The organization offers support for hosting sailing competitions and fundraising activities with the proceeds to be distributed to the programs of Wind Athletes Canada. Visit www.windathletes.ca for more information.
