Canadian skipper Melodie Schaffer to set sail in one of world's most gruelling races

On Aug. 31, Melodie Schaffer will set sail around the world from Europe on a months-long race called Globe40. She'll be prepared, focused and representing Canada in one of the most gruelling races at sea.

The 56-year-old biomedical engineer and mother of three began racing in 2018 but had been sailing her whole life. I spoke with her during her last week at home in Toronto, before she set sail toward France where the race begins in the coastal town of Lorient.

The race is quite a feat featuring six different stages, around two continental horns, then toward Australia and South America before heading back to France where it is expected to conclude in April 2026.

Schaffer tells me that only four Canadians have ever raced around the world like this and she is the only Canadian woman. The race itself is something that she describes as "extreme."

Schaffer is sailing a double-handed boat — one that she sailed as a child — and is the only female skipper entered in this race (something she has experienced before). For her, however, that's not the headline.

"I'm just a skipper," she says.

The aptitude and physical strength required is the key to her success. I asked her if her engineering background has helped her with sailing at this level.

"Engineering training and the background I've had really helps," she replied. "I mean, sailing is all physics, right? And so I have the scientific mind for it and understand it. So that's part of how you trim your sails and you make your boat go fast, and then engineering overall teaches how to problem solve.

"When I'm out there sailing and things go wrong or things break, I am quite good at managing and, you know, rigging and figuring out how I can get through or do a repair."

Schaffer toiled for hours on her beautiful boat, Whiskey Jack, preparing everything possible for her journey. Schaffer spent time at the gym a few times a week working on her strength training. She gave her boat a big overhaul, taking off every sitting, every motor and then inspected everything and put it back together.

Some days, Schaffer worked until 3 a.m.

"I am already sleep deprived," she said with a laugh. "I decided two days ago that the next time I get caught up in my sleep and I get an afternoon nap is next summer."

Schaffer will sail with a teammate — she will have three different people over the course of the race. But a lot of the time she will spend alone because her sailing partner will be sleeping as she does repairs and other things like navigating, calculating and planning.

Schaffer says you can't plan too far ahead but you can look at weather patterns historically. When she is navigating, she has a rough idea of where she is going to go and then she uses the weather forecast to help chart the exact course.

She has software that helps predict where she should go, based on predicted height of waves (anything from 5-10 metres) and offers different options.

Schaffer downloads weather information from a computer program to get an idea of what's expected. She appreciates the advancements in sailing technology.

"I don't know if I would enjoy it if I had to do my navigating by like celestial navigation," she told me.

If the weather seems to be alright, she will choose to sail along or she can choose to pull back if the weather is becoming more challenging. A tactic commonly used is to slow down and let the weather pass, she explains.

"At the back of the storm, you get really, really good winds," she says. "You can make great grounds if you can get on the backside of the storm. So that's what you aim for."

Schaffer also aims to make Canada proud which is why she chose Whiskey Jack as the name of her boat. Whiskeyjack is another name for the Canadian Jay, Canada's official bird. Whiskeyjacks can be found in every province and every territory, a backstory that she loves.

"They're a little bit cheeky but the Indigenous see them as something special," she explains. "If they're in the woods and they're trying to get home, if they see a whiskeyjack, it's a sign like that that's their way home. So I wanted to be that on the ocean. I wanted to be the one that would be leading the others, you know, across the ocean, across the finish line."

In our conversation, Schaffer's confidence and her deduction to her sport strikes me as impactful. There are a few naysayers who don't believe a woman should be the skipper but that is similar to many opinions about sports all over the world. In fact, women are far from being equally represented in major sailing regattas and races.

Sometimes the critiques of her sailing are from a perspective of safety and she doesn't mind. There is an element of danger but she's ready.

"I like to think that I'm out there and I am pushing the limits, but I'm also reasonable. And I like to think I'm trained enough that I can make that decision and be careful and keep pushing it."

The greatest competition isn't from other skippers and their experience, irrespective of gender, it's the world and the ocean. "The toughest part is, you know, just making it around the world."

Despite the incessant sleep deprivation and the challenges to navigate, Schaffer loves being out at sea. She gets to watch the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets because she is awake — but the beauty is never lost on her.

"I have moments of awe almost every day, like literally every day," she says. "I walk on the boat in the morning and we're sailing so perfectly on the ocean, I'm so grateful that this is my office. That this is where I get to be."