At age 52, former CEO Scott Shawyer awoke someday all over the COVID lockdown in 2020 and learned he was once in a position for a large profession trade. The most productive phase was once, he didn’t even know that he was once in search of one, let on my own so with regards to house.
“I reside in a the city in Ontario with a mountain within the yard and a lake within the entrance backyard,” Shawyer says. “Now we have some nice ski paths and sail at the water and I hadn’t been outdoor in weeks.
Subsequent up for Scott Shawyer will probably be on Would possibly 29, as he competes in the only particular person, 3,600 mile New York Vendee. The direction begins in New York Town and finishes in Les Sables-d’Olonne, Vendée Area, France.
“I used to be simply loss of life at my table and I began observing this race that occurs each and every 4 years referred to as the Vendée Globe, he says. “:I used to be observing those skippers across the docks, crowded folks all dressed in mask and after they were given to the tip of the docks, they took off their mask, jumped on their sailboats and went to set sail all over the world. I used to be simply evaluating that to the place I used to be: Strapped to my table, hadn’t been outdoor, at the telephone loss of life by means of Zoom calls and those guys are out crusing all over the world. I used to be like, ‘Holy cow.’ I simply became 50 and I used to be like, ‘I’ve were given to do one thing other.’”
Shawyer discovered himself so impressed that he nearly instantly give up his task—he served as CEO of business era corporate JMP Answers—and jumped in toes first to learn to be his personal skipper. He stuck on briefly, however learned he had so much to be informed.
“There’s numerous preparation,” Shawyer says. “Bodily, mentally, ability sensible, there’s numerous preparation and desiring nutrition and vitamin, what you devour whilst you’re at sea. That’s what I love about this game. It’s so multidimensional.”
From CEO to Skipper
Scott Shawyer discovered briefly and set sail moderately actually on his new adventure into the second one part of his lifestyles. In contrast to maximum of his competition, Shawyer didn’t develop up within the offshore crusing scene and he hasn’t sailed a Mini, a Figaro, or a Elegance 40. In only a few quick years, he’s achieved a win within the double-handed monohull elegance within the RORC Transatlantic and a tenth position end in his first-ever IMOCA elegance race, the Guayder Bermudes Race. He was once amazed how his new trail made him calmer than the disturbing days at his table task ever did and has discovered to agree with himself.
“I’ve by no means had anxiousness or any actual type of anxiousness till most definitely 4 or 5 years in the past,” Shawyer says. “I simply began feeling fearful for no explanation why after which I were given fearful about feeling fearful after which it simply become all eating.”
Shawyer—now the skipper and president of Canada Ocean Racing—then became to mindfulness to ease his restlessness.
“I actually discovered, practiced meditation and a number of various methods on find out how to roughly now not let intrusive ideas come and cross. That’s the similar factor with crusing. You’ll be able to be out in the course of the sea and if you get thinking about, ‘Is the mast gonna keep up? Am I gonna hit one thing? Am I gonna get a hollow within the boat and sink?’ It’s now not excellent pondering. Step one for me is to forestall the concept and the second one phase is doing one thing else so that you don’t have the concept. Particularly whilst you’re seeking to sleep and you’ll be able to’t sleep, you begin to get sleep disadvantaged.”
A Complete New Form of Coaching
There’s been different changes, too. He’s traded fancy resorts and loos for biodegradable luggage and buckets to be able to relieve himself and main board room conferences with rooms stuffed with colleagues to spending time on my own on his boat with Mom Nature. Scott Shawyer additionally needed to adapt to a strict health regimen to stick in a special roughly form than he ever was once in earlier than.
“I do a combination between natural power coaching after which extra game particular power coaching,” says Shawyer. Deadlifts, squats, pull-ups, bench press, various things which can be extra power centered. I’m now not just about in as excellent of aerobic form as I’ve been for triathlons, however I believe on the subject of power and with the ability to deal with the calls for of this boat, it’s a little other. I believe it’s extra game particular and I believe I’m in an excellent place for that, significantly better than ever earlier than, needless to say.
Shawyer’s general objective is turning into the primary Canadian to compete within the Vendée Globe. The 23,000 mile, 3 month race will happen in 2028, so he has a while. This can be a single-handed, continuous, non-assisted round-the-world crusing race that takes position simplest each and every 4 years. The adventure begins on the tip of France and ends on the tip of France. Must Shawyer be capable of compete, he’s going to accomplish that at age 56.
Along with entering into crusing form, he additionally has to familiarize himself with probably the most new laws of the New York Vendee. Shawyer needs to be cautious because it’s simple to turn into disqualified– Particularly on coincidence. If he touches land, receives any kind of lend a hand or his boat breaks down, he’s going to be out. Shawyer can also be the one North American racing and will probably be on board with Be Water Certain, a $2 million buck vessel designed and constructed for velocity. The adventure will make this Shawyer’s first solo, Transatlantic race and he’s predicting he’ll end between 13 and 14 days. In spite of the sound of it, Shawyer is assured in his plan.
“I’m a possibility taker, journey seeker, however I’m now not loopy. You make sure to have protection programs in position, ensure that there are roughly lifelines to be had, too. There are certainly issues I wouldn’t do.”