IFDS 2014 Event a Huge Success in Halifax, NS
Extremely close results in two of three classes made for an dramatic finish to the High Liner Foods IFDS Worlds 2014 at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Twenty five countries were represented at the combined world championships for disabled sailors.
In the SKUD-18 class, AUS Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch were tied in points with 2013 World Champions Niki Birrell and Alexandra Rickham at the end of eleven races. The Australians are 2014 World Champions based on four first place finishes compared to three by the British team. Both teams are seasoned competitors. The Australians won the gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympics.
In 2.4 mR racing, there were seven different first place finishers over nine races. Heiko Kroeger of Germany was the only competitor to win two bullets. Kroeger is the 2014 World Championship by the closest of margins. In the overall results, one point separates Kroeger, second place finisher, Helena Lucas of Great Britain and third place, Damien Seguin of France.
The French Sonar team has repeated its victory from last year in Kinsale Ireland. Bruno Jourdren, Nicolas Vimont-Vicary and Eric Flageul won first place based on results from seven races over the Canadian team of Paul Tingley, Scott Lutes and Logan Campbell who won silver.
The winners were honoured at a spirited medal ceremony at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. The talented Australian team is the 2014 winner of the Nations Cup for best overall results. They head home with the Cup and look forward to hosting the next IFDS Combined Worlds which are scheduled to take place at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Melbourne Nov. 26 – Dec. 3, 2015.
Regatta chair Heather Robertson commented on the high quality of race management under challenging conditions, referring to several days when the breeze in Halifax harbour was very light. And she also gave a heartfelt thank you to the 150+ volunteers who worked to make the event possible at the RNSYS. “It could only be accomplished with a massive display of generosity from those who loaned their boats and equipment and hundreds of hours of their time.”
Halifax, “The City that Touches your Soul…”
Nestled between rich tradition and urban flare, Halifax exudes a unique character that thrives on charm and makes you fall in love with the city. Founded in 1749 by Colonel Edward Cornwallis, Halifax is one of the oldest communities in North America and is the capital city of Nova Scotia.
When Cornwallis and 3,000 settlers arrived at the site chosen for the new garrison town, there was no 
debate that the harbour was the finest they’d ever seen. The second largest natural harbour in the world, overlooked by an imposing hill, was the perfect place to build a garrison that would serve as a British stronghold on the western North Atlantic. The town was named Halifax to honour Cornwallis’s sponsor, George Mantagu Dunk, the second Earl of Halifax. Halifax’s first building, St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Grand Parade, is the original one still standing from Cornwallis’ time. The spot is also the exact centre of a rectangular grid of streets, with Citadel Hill behind, laid out by surveyor Charles Morris in 1749.The little town on the great harbour became more distinctive over the next two centuries.
Following the American Revolution, waves of immigrants, especially New England Loyalists, brought a new vitality and sensibility to the garrison town.Nova Scotia evokes images of the Tall Ship Bluenose, lobster dinners and quaint seaside fishing villages. At the same time, Halifax evokes images of Alexander Keith’s legendary brewery, our Titanic connection and the Halifax explosion of 1917. We are a city proud of our history and strong traditions, but we are much more than that. We are the economic centre of Atlantic Canada. In fact, KPMG ranks Halifax among the top places to do business out of 42 international centres across Canada, the US and Europe. We offer an environment for meetings and conventions that’s surrounded and supported by a budding offshore industry, groundbreaking life sciences research and development as well as a vibrant culture and entertainment scene.Halifax boasts world-renowned research and teaching facilities with a high concentration in many scientific and information technology fields, one of the largest concentrations of health care facilities and specialists in Canada, is one of 12 world energy cities and has one of the world’s leading ports. Halifax also offers the best-educated work force in North America – 25% of the workforce has a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is double the Canadian average.
The city’s past, present and future continue to grow together to create a place that is vibrant, warm and welcoming. Halifax offers delegates a destination unlike any other. Come and experience why Haligonians are renowned for their friendliness. Your delegates will be impressed with our Maritime hospitality, just as the thousands of others who have already chosen Halifax as their destination. Visit Halifax, a city where the rise and fall of the tides continue to play a major part in the daily lives of all who work and live around it.
