J/105 Canadian Championship 2019
Dec 5, 2019
Canadian Champs – Mandate
Canada’s premier one design, big boat regatta, the J/105 Canadian Championship, was hosted in Toronto by the RCYC on September 27-29 2019.
The competition was fierce, with Terry McLaughlin (Mandate), two-time winner of the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, three-time winner of the J/105 North Americans; Olympic Silver Medal holder, and five-time winner of this regatta and Jim Rathbun (Hey Jude) is a seven-time winner of this regatta. Then throw in Terry’s brother Frank McLaughlin (Starcross), an Olympic Bronze Medallist, new to our Fleet and gunning to continue his sailing legacy in a new class.
The Race Committee, led by Paul Clissold, a North American renowned National Race Officer, did a stellar job under challenging conditions to pull off eight races over the course of three days for the 16 boats competing.
J105 Canadians Second Starcross 2019
Late September on Lake Ontario can deliver a variety of racing conditions and this regatta got it all. Friday started with an AP for an hour followed by a light air race building to winds in the mid-teens for the second race and light wind for the third. Saturday saw stronger winds with a steady 12 to 16 knots for the first race, however a line squall came in and hit the fleet on the final downwind leg of the second race. Then we had a 180-degree shift, making the downwind leg an upwind, ending the day for racing. The last day saw huge waves for Lake Ontario of 2 to 3 metres out of the East and winds 16 to 18 with gusts over 20 knots for all three of the final races.
In the end it was Terry with his boat partner, Rod Wilmer, on Mandate who pulled off six bullets and two second-places winning the regatta with 10 points. Frank, on Starcross, came in second with 22 points and Jim, Hey Jude, podiumed in third with 32 points.
J105 Canadians Third Hey Jude 2019
The Regatta Dinner held on Saturday night featured 400 Oysters, shelled in a record time of one hour by one server followed by a Steak Dinner for 140 all included in the entry fee. The legendary reggae musician, Errol Blackwood, provided the night’s entertainment.
Clean Regatta Gold Certificate 2019 – J105 Canadian Championship
A Gold Clean Regatta, for the third time in a row from the Sailors for the Sea, this regatta had it all covered, from responsible dinnerware and reusable signage to refilling water bottle station and paperless race management. Our goal was to eliminate single-use plastic and reduce the garbage coming off all boats at day’s end.
J105 Bid Cheque to Broad Reach Foundation 2019
Our annual fundraising effort in support of our local Broad Reach Foundation that introduces kids at risk to sailing raised $29,500. We would like to thank Michael Mountford (Live Edge) and Kevin Mitchell (Wrecking Crew) for their efforts in raising all this money for a great cause. The J/105 Fleet 4 Lake Ontario has been helping Broad Reach for over 15 years. It is an important part of this regatta and our Fleet culture.
This regatta has a reputation for delivering a “best in class” experience both on and off the water and once again the 2019 J/105 Canadians delivered every sailor’s dream of an awesome regatta.
Doug Bullock
J105 Canadian Championship 2019 Chair
