Veteran solo sailors come to town

Norfolk hosts former Velux 5 Oceans competitors as competitors wait to see if Sunday's restart will be delayed

The start of the third and final leg of the Velux 5 Oceans is due on Sunday, however there is a good chance, given the forecast, that it may be postponed due to gale force winds forecast off the eastern seaboard of the USA come start day (see above). More new about this will be forthcoming over the next 24 hours.

In the meantime Norfolk, Virginia is set to celebrate their very own ‘Veterans Day’. The historic naval city, host to the Velux 5 Oceans yachts, will tomorrow welcome ten sailing legends for a weekend of festivities to honour their amazing achievements. A contingent of past race competitors will visit the Waterside Marina and Race Village in downtown Norfolk to celebrate the 25th birthday of the Velux 5 Oceans and wish the current skippers the best of luck as they head back to Europe and the finish.

Rarely do members of such an elite and revered club gather together in such large numbers. The event was created in North America and for a majority of its history as the BOC Challenge was run from the USA.

The ten visiting skippers, listed below, will tour the yachts, meet the skippers, greet organisers and participate in the activities in downtown Norfolk on Saturday with VIPs, before getting out on the water in a small regatta hosted on the Elizabeth River. They will then watch the start of leg three from onboard HMS Ocean, the Royal Navy helicopter carrier, as they did farewell to the boats.

The group includes:

Bruce Schwab (USA): One of the biggest names in American solo sailing, Bruce finished fifth in the last Around Alone (2002-03) in the Open 60 class on board Ocean Planet. He went on to participate in the Vendee Globe in 2004, becoming the first American to complete the famous non-stop race, finishing 9th. Still actively solo sailing and looking to race again in the Vendee Globe, Schwab will celebrate his birthday on Sunday as the fleet heads off into the Atlantic.

Derek Hatfield (CAN): Hatfield, who has just finished building a brand new Open 60, had originally planned to participate in this Velux 5 Oceans, but ultimately could not get his boat ready in time to make the start line. Derek won Class III (Open 40) of the 2002-03 Around Alone race in Spirit of Canada, but will now race around the world in the next Vendee.

Richard Konkolski (USA): Although born in Czechoslovakia, Richard has been a naturalised US citizen since 1994. A true sportsman, Richard has been heavily involved in the history of this race, from competing in the original 1982 BOC Challenge and the following race in 1986, finishing 3rd and 5th respectively, to helping to shape the race in the next decade as the Around Alone. His commitment to the race led him to move from Czechoslovakia and settle in the USA.

David White (USA): One of the founders of the original BOC Challenge, David is a true veteran of the race, having competed in the inaugural event in 1982 on Gladiator forced to retire after leg one. However, he returned in following race, the 1986 BOC Challenge, in his yacht Legend Securities, and succeeded in his dream, finishing 8th after 164 days.

Mark Schrader (USA): Mark entered the 1986 BOC Challenge in Class II, and completed the challenge in Newport, Rhode Island, after 175 days on board Lone Star. He is best known as Race Director of the event during the 1990s.

Jean Pierre Mouligne (FRA): Although Mouligne originally hails from France, he has lived for many years in Rhode Island. Mouligne won Class II in the 1998 Around Alone on board the Open 50 Cray Valley , and continues to live his life on the water through work in the maritime industry and sailing with his family.

Tim Kent (USA): Tim Kent finished second in Class II in the last edition of the race, the 2002 Around Alone.

John Hughes (CAN): John holds dual citizenship in Canada and Britain, having been born in London, but now lives in Nova Scotia and represented Canada back in the 1986 BOC Challenge, finishing 8th in Class II, only 30 days behind the late Mike Plant.

Alan Paris MBE (BER): The Bermudan native sailed his Open 40 BTC Velocity in the 2002-03 Around Alone, battling it out against Derek Hatfield and Kojiro Shiraishi in Class III.

Arnet Taylor (USA): Sailed Thursday's Child, in the Around Alone in 1994, finishing 6th in Class I in a field that boasted Isabelle Autissier and eventual winner Christophe Auguin.