Eric Holden named Rolex Sailor of the Year while his crew takes home the Gerry Roufs trophy.
6 February 2015, Toronto — This year’s Rolex Sailor of the Year, Eric Holden, announced at the Sail Canada Awards that he will be forming Canada’s premiere offshore racing team, Canadian Ocean Racing, and campaigning in the IMOCA Ocean Masters races ultimately leading to the Vendée Globe.
Holden will be taking 60-foot racing yacht, O Canada, and putting her back on the racing circuit. O Canada, under the command of Holden and his Canadian Ocean Racing team, will enter the highly competitive Open 60 class races — competing against notable teams like Alex Thompson’s Hugo Boss campaign.
Holden is no stranger to competitive offshore racing. Most recently, Holden lead his crew to victory in the world’s longest ocean race, the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race, which is over 40,000 miles long and concluded in July 2014 after an eleven month circumnavigation. With a degree in meteorology and experience serving notable teams such as the Canadian Olympic Sailing Team, Holden leveraged his expertise in weather as a strategic advantage throughout the race.
“As the first Canadian Skipper of the Clipper Round the World Race, it was a great honor to have won the race. But the most powerful achievement was taking a crew of 55 individuals with little to no sailing experience and turning them into a cohesive and winning team,” said Holden.
Holden along with his past and future crew mate, Morgen Watson, were honored at the Sail Canada Awards for Rolex Sailor of the Year and the Gerry Roufs trophy, respectively. Watson will accompany Holden to Vancouver for O Canada’s refit and Launch Tour to East Coast Canada by Summer 2015, where they will then officially begin training.
“Morgen is a young, aspiring offshore racer. While he may have began his sailing career a little later in life than most, he showed great skill, development and leadership when on the Clipper Race. It is for those reasons that I chose him as one of my watch leaders on the race and have decided to mentor him and build Canadian Ocean Racing together,” said Holden.
Holden’s racing career started long before the Clipper Round the World Race, but the win was really the culmination of his skill as an offshore racer and skipper. It is from the Clipper Race success that Holden confidently moves forward with his own ocean racing initiative.
“As the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race winner, his performance was outstanding. I am also delighted to hear of Eric’s plans to join up with his Clipper Race crew members Morgen Watson and Meg Reilly to launch a Canadian Ocean Racing team, and I wish them every future success together,” said Sir Robin Knox Johnston, founder of the Clipper Round the World Race.
Officially, Canadian Ocean Racing’s program will begin with a Launch Tour in April 2015, sailing from West to East Coast Canada with events in select ports — all culminating at the Toronto Pan Am games in July 2015. The Team intends to take on its first Ocean Masters race challenge with the Transat Jacques Vabre in November 2015. Canadian Ocean Racing will be supporting Holden in his 2016 Vendée Globe campaign, making Holden just the fourth Canadian in history to enter this world-renowned, solo offshore racing competition.
Canadian Ocean Racing will be assisted by Wind Athletes Canada and Sail Canada to promote the sport of offshore racing and offer opportunities for aspiring ocean racers. Canadian private donors who support the Team’s mission can submit tax-deductible contributions through Wind Athletes Canada. Corporate entities interested in partnering with Canadian Ocean Racing can contact info@canadianoceanracing.com or visit www.canadianoceanracing.com for more details.
“Sail Canada is thrilled that Eric Holden and his team are launching the ‘O Canada‘ Canadian Offshore campaign this summer. Eric had a very successful year with the Clipper Round the World Race, garnering so much positive attention to offshore racing in Canada. The O Canada campaign is a perfect fit for Eric and his crew and we are thrilled to be a part of their journey,” said Colleen Coderre of Sail Canada.
“We are delighted to be involved with Eric’s Offshore program. I competed against Eric in the Tornado Class many years ago. It was clear even then that he was destined for great things. Eric brings a unique skill set to his role. Not only is he a fabulous sailor with great feel for the boat but he is a highly trained and sought after meteorologist. This combination of skills is what truly sets him apart from the vast majority of short-handed offshore sailors,” said John Curtis of Wind Athletes Canada.
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Press Contact
Meg Reilly, PR & Partnerships Manager
mreilly@canadianoceanracing.com
+1 908 279 5747
Canadian Ocean Racing
Canadian Ocean Racing (COR) is Canada’s premiere offshore racing team. Founded by Eric Holden and Morgen Watson, COR is dedicated to promoting the sport of offshore racing in Canada. COR is taking Open 60 O Canada back on the racing circuit and competing in the IMOCA races. The program was founded by the duo following their Clipper Round the World Race win in 2014. Visit www.canadianoceanracing.com for more information.
Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada (formerly known as the Canadian Yachting Association) is the national governing body for the sport of sailing. The Association promotes sailing and power boating through collaboration with our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations, member clubs, schools, and many individual stakeholders. Visit www.sailing.ca 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.
IMOCA Ocean Masters
In 2014, the IMOCA World Championship has been rechristened the Ocean Masters World Championship. This new name reflects the desire to internationalize and further develop the circuit – a circuit already recognized as the world’s foremost for shorthanded offshore racing.
This newly branded series is based on a number of world famous oceanic races: the Vendée Globe, Barcelona World Race, Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre, Rolex Fastnet Race, in double-handed or solo competitions.
