Toronto sailor back for Globe40 after pirate scare during first around

Melodie Schaffer hopes getting chased by pirates was a one-off.

The 57-year-old Toronto sailor embarks on the Globe40 around-the-world race Sunday for the second time in her career.

Schaffer was the only female skipper to complete the inaugural race in 2023, which she did in 174 days of ocean racing over nine months.

The Canadian piloted the Whiskey Jack to fifth out of seven boats. There were 16 entries confirmed for the second edition, with Lisa Berger of Germany as a second female skipper.

The double-handed race, which means Schaffer has a teammate on board for the prologue and the six legs, spans 30,000 nautical miles (55,000 kilometres). Four different people have volunteered to share the watches with Schaffer.

The race opens with Sunday's prologue from Lorient, France to Cadiz,