Canada SAILGP Team Christens New F50 Spirit

F50 Spirit

Feb 23, 2023

Strategist of the Canada SailGP Team and National Sailing Team 49erFX sailor, Georgia Lewin-Lafrance from Chester, NS did the honours last week naming the team’s new F50 SPIRIT, just before the team’s inaugural sail in preparation for the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix – Sydney last weekend.

“I christen this F50, SPIRIT! May SPIRIT protect all those who sail her and inspire all those who see her,” said Georgia as she christened the F50 with Baron de Rothschilds Champagne and pure Canadian maple syrup.

The new Canadian F50 is named after the Killer Whale ‘Spirit’ who is part of the threatened Northern Resident Killer Whale population in the Pacific Northwest. Spirit’s mother, Springer, was rescued by a diverse group of Canadian and U.S. scientists, government officials and conservation groups in 2002 and has since become a celebrated symbol of what collaboration and commitment to conservation can achieve.

The team’s Race For The Future Partner, Ocean Wise, is very active in the monitoring and protection of Killer Whales. The Ocean Wise citizen science whale sightings app, WhaleReport, allows anyone to support conservation-based research by submitting sightings of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles along the coast. By providing valuable information about the spatial and temporal distribution, citizen sightings aid in monitoring and establishing effective protection measures and are used to warn large ships of whales in their travel path which in turn enable them to take action to avoid collisions.

All whales are at high risk as their populations continue to decline due to entanglement, pollution, and strikes. Join the team in protecting Killer Whales by signing up for the Ocean Wise Newsletter, becoming a citizen scientist and tracking the whales you see or symbolically adopting one of these threatened mammals.

By naming the F50 SPIRIT, the Canada SailGP Team hopes to inspire further ocean conservation among this and future generations.

 

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Pursuit S268 Sport CC

By Andy Adams

The Pursuit S 268 Sport centre console is a do-it-all kind of boat with a solid sense of style. Centre console designs have been developed for the southern blue water sport fishing enthusiasts (and this boat would raise fish with the best of them) but the Pursuit S 268 Sport centre console offers far more utility and enjoyment than just fishing.

Read More

Destinations

Bayfield Marine Turns 40 with Big April Events

(l to r) Holly, Adam, Pat, Ron, Shelley

Ron and Pat Reder started out in October 1984 across the road from where they are right now on the Bayfield River in Bayfield ON. The store front was about 10 x 20 and the rest of that side of the building was a stock room, wood finishing room, then behind that was more back stock and the lunchroom. Expanding every few years for the store front, then moving over to this new building five years ago, this year with Adam, Shelley, and Holly are carrying on the business.

Read More

Lifestyle