2016 Canada Cup Selection Trials

July 13, 2016

The Royal Canadian Yacht Club is the current holder and defender of the Canada’s Cup. The competition to defend  the  Canada’s Cup was held on July 1-3 which included Canada Day , a national holiday. The challenger of record is the Sodus Bay Yacht Club from New York State Yacht Club who officially issues the challenge Canada’s Cup Finals on September 10-14th. The challengers competing on July 6-10th are with Team Aluette (SBYC), Team Natural (SBYC), and Team Yquem 1 (Youngstown Yacht Club).

The results after 3 days of racing south off the Toronto Islands, the three Royal Canadian Yacht Club entrants racing in 8 Metre Yachts stood, Lafayette has 6 points, Hollandia 1 and Gefion no points.

Photo 1:  8 Metre Lafayette led by Terry McLaughlin had a perfect first weekend of the trials winning all of their starts.
Credit: Greg Nicoll
 
The 2016 Canada’s Cup Regatta
•           The Canada’s Cup is a famous and prestigious regatta and Match Race which takes place in the Great Lakes region. The Cup attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its history and prestige throughout Canada and the USA. Although the most salient aspect of the regatta is its yacht races, it is also a test of boat and sail design.
•           Canada’s Cup is a best of 7 Match Racing series which began in 1896. The series pits a Canadian yacht club located on the Great Lakes against a US yacht club which must also be located on the Great Lakes. There have been 23 challenges over the years with the US winning 13 times, including Rochester Yacht Club who won the cup 6 times in the early part of the 20th century.
•           Toronto’s Royal Canadian Yacht Club is the current holder and defender of the Canada’s Cup. The defender is the yacht club who won the previous Canada’s Cup while the challenger of record is the yacht club who officially issues the challenge for the next regatta in hopes to win the coveted Canada’s Cup.
•           The challenger for the 24th Canada’s Cup is the Sodus Bay Yacht Club from New York State.
•           The trials, or qualification series, take place in July for both the Canadian and US teams.

Photo 2:  8 Metre Gefion Skippered by Richard Self seen trailing Hollandia Skippered by Bryan Gooderham at weather mark
Credit: Greg Nicoll

History of the Canada’s Cup Regatta
•           It is 1896, and the two nations bordering on the Great Lakes are posturing over who is the most deserving of what is now perhaps the most coveted yacht racing trophy in North America. So proud of his newly constructed yacht Vencedor, the Commodore of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Yacht Club, Charles Berriman challenges the RCYC to a competition in neutral waters. The challenge is accepted and the RCYC sends the 57 foot cutter Canada to do battle. Vencedor is defeated and the Tiffany designed and created Cup is handed to the victor. The Cup, bearing the name of the winning yacht, Canada, is delivered to Toronto and the match racing legacy between Canada and the United States is born.

The Yachts
•           The International 8 Metre yacht (8mR) dates back over 100 years. Today, the 8mR class comprises both Classic and Modern designs. Both types of boats must meet strict measurement criteria for the hull and rig in order to qualify in one of these divisions. Generally, the boat measures approximately 14 metres (48 feet) in length and has beams (width) of about 2.5 metres (8 to 9 feet).
•           This year the event officially marks the revival of the historic, classic and much-admired International 8 Metre (8mR) class, but in its most modern and developed form, called the Modern 8mR. The return of the 8mR to the Canada’s Cup has been longed for by Canadian and American sailors who have kept the class vibrant and alive since 1954, the 8mR’s last challenge for the Cup.
•           The boats in the 8 Metre Modern division were designed and built after 1967 and closely resemble the successful 12 Metres of America’s Cup fame. Other than the restrictions specified in the class rules, the Modern class boats have no limits on materials for the hull, sails, spars and deck gear. Most of them are equipped with highly technical systems, similar to what can be found on the most advanced America’s Cup boats. It is these Modern boats that race for the coveted Canada’s Cup.