Registration for skipper and boat sponsors at the 2014 National Bank Easter Seals Charity Regatta is now open. The annual fundraiser for Vancouver’s Easter Seals House sails August 9 at Royal Vancouver YC Jericho, with sponsorship by Canadian Yachting West.
A fixture on Vancouver’s sailboat racing scene for more than two decades, the regatta raises funds through boat sponsorships to operate and renovate Easter Seals House Vancouver, a home-away-from-home for children and their families when they must travel to Children’s Hospital for medical treatment.
The regatta is a PHRF handicap race with flying and no-flying-sails divisions, followed by a pirate-themed boat parade in False Creek, where boats are judged on their decorations, costumes and crew spirit, and a post-race barbecue at Hastings Mill Park.
To compete, skippers secure at least $250 in boat sponsorship or pay the $100 entry free. But this year’s edition offers a powerful incentive for skippers to boost their sponsorship totals: for each $500 they raise, their boat’s rating will be adjusted one point slower, improving their chances of winning on the water. Sponsors can support boats at $250, $500, $1,000 or $1,500, as well as partial sponsorships; each level offers a variety of benefits.