September 2, 2021
Chester Race Week: Fog and restrictions don’t stop the action
Helly Hansen Chester Race Week wrapped up for 2021 with fewer boats, more restrictions thanks to COVID-19, and some fog each day, but overall the event was four days of success for racers and organizers.
August 25, 2021
Keven Talks Sails: Headsail UV Covers
Did I ever mention how much I like headsail furling? I’ve been club racing our 30’ cruising boat lately, and it has been easily the equal to two more crew members on board. When you are double handing with a now 14 year old, with a spinnaker (Asymmetric in a Sock), the headsail furling is the only thing that keeps us from sailing off the course to handle sails.
July 20, 2021
Keven Talks Sails: Windy Day Upwind Sailing
It has been remarkably windy lately, so I figured I should share some windy day techniques to make your sailing easier and faster. I’ve been club racing with my 13 year old son driving lately, so I figured I should share with you what I shared with him.
July 20, 2021
Back to the races at Helly Hansen Chester Race Week
Randy Stevens started racing at Chester Race Week in the early 1970s and for about 20 of those years, he raced in a C&C 39. He sold that boat a few years ago, unofficially retired from racing, and bought a power boat instead.
July 7, 2021
Book locker: Rules rule
With racing opening up after a while, perhaps it’s time to get back in gear with a re-visit to the rules. And btw, the rules have been updated so perhaps what you remember is out of date anyhow!
June 22, 2021
Keven Talks Sails: Boat Tips from a Sailmaker
At the start of the season, many boat owners tend to do some things the hard way. Here are some tips to get you sailing in less time, and with better outcomes. Furling Lines – Furling system rope that squishes flat, tends to bury itself in the spooled up drum if you are sailing reefed.
June 22, 2021
Technology: Michelin develops giant inflatable sails
French multinational Michelin has announced its Wing Sail Mobility project (WISAMO) solution – an automated, telescopic, inflatable wing that can be fitted on all types of vessels, including cargo ships and pleasure craft.
May 26, 2021
Keven Talks Sails: Headstay Sag
Every boat with a jib attached to a stay has headstay sag. If every boat has it, what does it do, and how do you control it.
April 21, 2021
Keven Talks Sails: Mast Bend explained
Everyone is always talking about mast bend; what is it, and what does it do? There are two types of mast bend. Fore and aft bend, and sideways bend. Sideways bend, in the below photo, is the least common type of bend that sailors talk about, unless they are in some particular racing classes where it can help tune the sails.
April 7, 2021
Keven talks sails: Sail Handling of Modern Asymmetric Spinnakers
Everyone who is ordering a new Asymmetric Spinnaker always ask about how they should handle it. What are the available methods these days? Nothing, Retrieval Lines, Snuffers, Bottom Up Furling, Top Down Furling, Luff Loaded Top Down Furling.
March 24, 2021
Helly Hansen Chester Race Week 2021 fires up
While things likely will be a little different, we welcome you back to the waters of Chester, Nova Scotia to participate in this one-of-a-kind event from August 11-14, 2021.
March 10, 2021
New Rule Book now available!
As the Rules Guy has been explaining, there are changes to the rules that are important to understand. 2021 brings the new Racing Rules of Sailing to take us through to 2024!
February 24, 2021
Want to be a better linesman? Know your ropes and where to use them.
On Port Credit YC’s regular Online Wednesday night speaker series, Morten Fogh and Cam Copeland from Fogh Marine shared some of the secrets from the Geek World of Ropes. Not to be selfish, I thought I would share some of their knowledge with you.
February 24, 2021
Making Sense of Modern Asymmetric Spinnakers
Modern asymmetric spinnakers are likely the sail with the most different available versions to choose from, and this makes them a bit confusing for most sailors. Let’s start with the names of the different asymmetric spinnakers.
January 27, 2021
Keven talks sails: The Racing In and Outs of Headsail Furling
This month I will discuss some tactical reasons for wanting to be able to roller furl or reef the headsail. Most modern furling systems are so reliable and easy to use, that you can furl or unfurl the headsail in seconds.
December 16, 2020
Keven talks sails: The Ins and Outs of Headsail Furling
Many of my club and distance racing customers show up at the loft asking for a full-hoist, deck-tacked genoa to fit on their headsail furler, but bypass the drum to get the clew low. I always ask; “Does the furling not work?”. “No it works, but the last sail we had cut for furling didn’t point very well and the UV cover on the sail was really heavy.”
November 17, 2020
Keven talks sails: The Ups and Downs of Mainsails
Many of my customers show up at the loft complaining that their main doesn’t hoist or douse very well. Here is my checklist for an easy hoisting mainsail…
October 21, 2020
Keven talks sails: The Main thing
CUST “I have a J/32, do weeknight JAM races and thinking about LOSHR and some club point to point events and a few weekend trips to NOTL and hopefully a Thousand Islands tour next year.”
September 9, 2020
Seahorse Regatta 2020
The Junior Racing program at Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club has come some very enthusiastic parents. They began two years ago by organizing an event for young Optimist sailors who were not experienced enough to head to the Opti Canadian Championships.
July 7, 2020
SOL Regatta: Canadian Sailors Compete in the Virtual Newport to Bermuda Race
The biannual Newport to Bermuda Race (N2B) was to be held June 27 to 24, 2020 but the 636.2 nautical mile on-the-water-event had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 to the disappointment of the prepared 200+ registered skippers.
May 6, 2020
Cruising Sails Tech
Is one better than the other? What are the different advantages and disadvantages of the two sail styles? And what should you get on your boat?
March 10, 2020
2020 Women’s Keelboat Championships heads to Hudson QC
Sail Canada just announced that dates have been set for the 2020 Women’s Keelboat Championships. The event will be held from Thursday, October 1 to Sunday, October 4 at Hudson Yacht Club in Hudson, QC.
February 11, 2020
Route Halifax Saint-Pierre, 10th Edition
Created in 2002 by Philippe Paturel and the late Hal Davies, the 350-mile ocean race that connects Halifax to the French Archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon every two years is one of the big events of offshore sailing race in North America.
February 11, 2020
A fleet of Canadians head south for RORC 600
Life on the Caribbean racing circuit attracts participants from all over the world and increasingly from Canada. In addition to the series of regatta’s that take participants from Grenada (see the Touch2Play blog) to the Heineken in St Maarten then to the BVI Spring Regatta…
February 11, 2020
Grenada wants me, when can I go back there?
Touch2Play Racing started the 2020 Caribbean season off at Grenada Race Week. While not the largest event on the Circuit it has a certain charm that can’t be beat.
February 11, 2020
LYRA 2020 heads to Sodus Bay
From July 26 to August 2, 2020 the Sodus Bay Yacht Club is hosting the historic Lake Yacht Racing Association 135st Annual Regatta. This will be the 12th time that SBYC has hosted this prestige Regatta with racers from all around Lake Ontario, Eastern Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes, and the St Lawrence Seaway.
December 3, 2019
Victoria to Maui International Race a Bucket List adventure
The Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race is hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the Lahaina Yacht Club. First contested in 1965 and sailed every second year since 1968, Vic-Maui is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing.
December 3, 2019
Touch2Play Racing preps for the Caribbean season
Rob Butler’s joy of sailing in the warm waters of the Caribbean will get renewed this year. For the third season his Reflex 38, Touch2Play Racing, is getting ready to take on the Caribbean Sailing Association’s winter series.
November 19, 2019
Whidbey Island Race Week finds a new home
Whidbey Island Race Week LLC announced March 28 that Point Roberts has been chosen as the new venue for Race Week beginning in 2020. The event will be named Point Roberts Race Week and the date of the event will be July13-17, 2020.
November 19, 2019
Nanaimo selected for the 2020 Martin 242 NAs
The event will be part of the regular SIN Regatta hosted by the Nanaimo Yacht Club (“NYC”) on the July 4/5 weekend after Canada Day and during the US Independence Day holiday long weekend.
October 23, 2019
News: Solar boats heading to Toronto
They’re a real thing in Europe and next year Toronto will have a Solar Boat Race right in Toronto Harbour. The Races will run Along the waterfront from Jack Layton Ferry Terminal to HTO Park.
October 8, 2019
Record numbers for CORK Fall Regatta
The final regatta of CORK’s 50th celebration year saw a record 264 athletes travel to Portsmouth Olympic Harbour for the CORK Fall Regatta on September 21-22 in Kingston.
October 8, 2019
J105s: The Generosity of Sailors … Once Again!
On September 27-29th, the Royal Canadian Yacht Club hosted Canada’s J105 Championship Regatta on Lake Ontario in Toronto with sixteen determined competitors.
September 25, 2019
Sharks celebrate Homecomers 60
This year’s Homecomers Regatta, held at he Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club (NOLSC) on September 21 and 22 was a special event as it was also a celebration for the 60th Anniversary of the Shark 24.
September 25, 2019
Jilàsi for Youth – Sailing it Forward!
Hosted by the National Yacht Club, Toronto, on September 14, 2019, the Jilàsi for Youth Fundraising Regatta celebrated its second year, thanks to the volunteers and corporate sponsors such as Nieuport Aviation, TD Canada Trust, TK Foundation, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
September 11, 2019
BNI Challenge Regatta – August 24
It was a riveting scene: sailboats from various yacht clubs with courageous mobility-impaired sailors unconfined by wheelchairs—all united for the 7th annual BNI Challenge to raise money for equipping these brave sailors and running an extraordinary program called Association québecoise de voile adaptée (AQVA).
September 10, 2019
Helly Hansen announces Chester prize winner
As part of Chester Race Week this year, Helly Hansen once again awarded a Grand Prize of a trip on an Ocean Race Yacht with Atlas Ocean Racing between Bermuda and Halifax in May 2020.
August 21, 2019
Stolze Cup
The Stolze Cup is awarded annually to the regatta’s winning match racing skipper from a LYRA member club. This year’s event was held at RCYC Aug 10-11, 2019 in Sonars. There were eight teams competing from four countries including an all-women team from RCYC.
August 21, 2019
Canada’s great showing – three PanAm medals
Sailing at the 2019 Pan American games wrapped up on August 10 in Paracas, Peru. The event saw an array of conditions that made for a challenging event for our Canadian sailors. With the final medal race of the event in the Sunfish, Canada added another medal for a total of three.