August 1, 2023
Break Free: Three Hundred and Forty One Nautical Miles of Joy!
At Mimico Cruising Club, Captain Paul is as happy as I’ve ever seen him at the awards ceremony. The crew, our wives, girlfriends and daughters are having a fine dinner in good company, enjoying a drink or two (or three) at the MCC.
August 1, 2023
Speed & Smarts: Take Control of Your Mainsail – Part 2 – Traveler
The traveler controls the angle of attack of the mainsail in much the same way as hydraulic cylinders control the flaps on an airplane wing. When the plane is going slowly and needs a lot of lift (e.g. to take off or land), the flaps go down to make the wing more curved and more angled to the oncoming wind.
August 1, 2023
Whitecap with Lee Parkhill
The new episode of Whitecap, the Canadian sailing podcast supported by Sail Canada’s BMO MasterCard, is now available and the guest is Lee Parkhill, 2016 Olympian in Laser who qualified to be nominated for Santiago 2023 Pan American Games Canadian Team in Sunfish.
August 1, 2023
Sail Canada International Racing Roundup
Carlos Charabati from Montreal earned 6th (of 287 competitors) at the 2023 ILCA 4 Youth World Championships held until today in Greece. This is the best Canadian performance at this competition or Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships since at least 2005.
July 31, 2023
Defiant at IC37 Nationals
Our third regatta in Newport this summer was the IC37 US Nationals held July 13-16, hosted by the New York Yacht Club at Harbour Court. Two races were held on Friday inside on Narragansett Bay in very shifty, puffy conditions. We ended up with an 8, 10 in the 16 boat fleet.
July 31, 2023
The 17 Commandments…
Racing a sailboat, especially one-design racing, makes a sailor learn a new set of skills, tactical skills, needed to navigate through that 10 – 40 boat fleet of identical boats to win races. There are two distinct areas of focus for the tactician.
July 31, 2023
LOWISA 57 in NW Ontario
Serious racing, serious fun. Short for Lake of the Woods International Sailing Association, the LOWISA 57 Regatta is taking place this year from August 5 – August 12, 2023.
July 31, 2023
PCYC Steerers’ Invitational and Four Sisters Open Goes International!
Sailors came from as far as Hong Kong, Mexico, Vancouver, Nova Scotia, Beaconsfield, Frenchman’s Bay, Lake of Bays, Sarnia, Kingston and South Portland more to the 64th PCYC Steerers’ Invitational and the 22nd Four Sisters Open events this past weekend at Port Credit Yacht Club.
July 31, 2023
Keven Talks Sails: Whisker Pole Basics
Club Racing has evolved over the years, from primarily racer/cruisers flying spinnakers, to a fairly serious level of non-spinnaker racers. A quick look at race registrations around the Great Lakes shows most clubs having more NFS (Non-Flying Sails = no spinnakers) racers than Flying Sails racers.
July 17, 2023
New Solo Speed Record For The R2AK
Eric Pesty became a fan-favourite in the 2023 Race to Alaska (R2AK), embarking on the incredible 750-nautical-mile race singlehanded, for the second time as Team Pestou. The R2AK is a two-stage event, with a 40-mile qualifying race.
July 17, 2023
This Month: CORK, FORK and Americas Championship
CORK has had a busy start to July with foiling taking the spotlight so far this summer. CORK hosted the 2023 WASZP Americas Championship from June 28th – July 3rd with an impressive fleet of 33 boats including competitors from Canada, the United States and Argentina.
July 17, 2023
Speed & Smarts: Take Control of Your Mainsail – Part 1
On most boats, the mainsail is easily the biggest upwind sail and therefore has a proportionally large effect on the boat’s speed and pointing performance. Because the mainsail must cover an incredible variety of wind and wave conditions, it has to be stretched and twisted into a wide range of aerodynamic shapes.
July 17, 2023
Severn II Update
As we have reported, Severn II, a historic 8-Metre racing boat was involved in a collision during a recent race on Lake Ontario. The boat sank almost immediately – fortunately no-one was injured.
July 17, 2023
Sarah Douglas 5th at Paris 2024 Test Event
National Team member Sarah Douglas from ABYC, Toronto took the 5th position overall, Saturday, in ILCA 6 at the Paris 2024 Test Event held this week in Marseille, France, at the venue that will host the Olympic sailing competition in nearly one year at the Games.
July 17, 2023
Edmonton YC Celebrates 100 Years
The Edmonton Yacht Club at Lake Wabamun has a long and storied history of bringing together captains and commodores to harness the power of the wind. It’s one of a few clubs in the province.
July 17, 2023
Glen Haven, NS – Sail Canada 2023 Sail East Championships
Close to 150 sailors were in action this weekend, July 14 to 16, at the St. Margaret Sailing Club in Glen Haven, Nova Scotia, for the Sail Canada 2023 Sail East Championships.
July 17, 2023
Keven Talks Sails: Battens – How to Keep Them in Your Sails
At the beginning of every season, I get large numbers of sailors calling and dropping by the loft to get replacement battens. Most of these batten losses are preventable if the sail is getting serviced regularly and the battens are installed correctly.
July 17, 2023
Race to Kingston 2023 – Update
Don’t miss out on the Race Social Event of the year! What to expect! We are less than a few weeks out from the start of the 2023 Race to Kingston Event, August 11th thru 14th. All race registration details can be found at Yachtscoring.com, Race to Kingston.
July 17, 2023
Luke Ramsay, Rachel Green and Jessica Hirschbold Qualify for Santiago 2023 In Lightning Class
The team comprised of Luke Ramsay from Vancouver (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club), Rachel Green from Burlington, ON, (Royal Hamilton Yacht Club) and Jessica Hirschbold from Victoria, B.C., (Royal Victoria Yacht Club), have qualified to be nominated for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
July 3, 2023
Severn II Rescued
It took a full day and lot of expertise, but according to owner Cedric Gyles Jr, the historic 8M, Severn II, is back to the surface and on her way to the repair shop. The Severn crew and likely the entire Toronto sailing community is hugely relieved to see the 90-year-old classic back from the depths.
July 3, 2023
Strong Canadian Showing at 2023 Clagett
Thirty-one sailors competing at the 21st C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta have completed three days of racing which was preceded by a two-day coaching clinic.
July 3, 2023
Plan Sail Track by Signe Ronka & Thomas Fogh
This book is meant as a guide to plan and prepare your season helping you reach your peak performance. Whether your goal is to make it to the Olympics or sail for fun, achieving any goal takes lots of planning.
July 3, 2023
The Rules Guy: How to Finish With a Shortened Course
In the last article I discussed how to finish. Things get a little more confusing if there is a shortened course. I am going to illustrate some of the scenarios. The definition of finish says, “A boat finishes when after starting, any part of her hull crosses the finishing line from the course side.”
July 3, 2023
Paul McDonald Race Rescheduled to July 16
As all ABYC members know who have raced in the last 30 odd years, Paul McDonald served Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club on the Sailing Committee as PHRF Rep and as Chair of the committee. It is hard to imagine a volunteer position that elicits more complaints than the guy handing out PHRF ratings.
July 3, 2023
Dirty Dog Reports Bowen Island Race
I felt quite lucky to have the opportunity to drive Dirty Dog with excellent crew Connie Leung spinnaker trim and Paul Watson foredeck and tactics for the Round Bowen race as owner Matt Collingwood was out of town. At the start things seemed relatively normal despite a steady drizzle and 12 C temperatures.
July 3, 2023
Keven Talks Sails: Sailing in Waves
When the wind builds waves also build creating large choppy waves and gradually increasing swells. These waves slow down your boat when you are trying to make windward progress. Every wave is like climbing a hill or punching through a wall, especially when the wind gets over 25 knots.
July 3, 2023
Large Fleets for Susan Hood and LOSHRS 2 and 3
LOOR is very pleased to report that this year’s LOOR race series presented by driveHG is off to a great start. You couldn’t ask for any better and we had more racers participate in both the Susan Hood and LOSHRS races then in each of the prior three years!
July 3, 2023
How Do We Change the Inequity in Sailing?
Have you ever wondered where the girls are when you are when dropping off your child at Junior Sailing School, or volunteering as a parent for the race team at your local club, or if you volunteer for Race Committee?
July 3, 2023
Chester Race Week Hosts World Class Racing August 16 to 19
Helly Hansen Chester Race Week 2023 will take place in scenic Chester, Nova Scotia from August 16 to 19 and organizers expect that the event will be bigger and better than ever. Billed as the largest fixed keel regatta in Eastern Canada, Chester Race Week offers an unsurpassed racing venue.
July 2, 2023
Canadian James Fair to Morocco for U21 Worlds
James Fair has been selected to represent Canada at the U21 sailing world championships next October in Morocco. Only two Canadians have qualified, Fair and Daniel Connors. This will be Fair’s 4th world championship and 1st in the ILCA 7 Olympic Class.
July 2, 2023
Arie Moffat And Ryan Woods – First Canadians to Qualify for a Medal Race in a 49er Event
Arie Moffat (Kingston – KYC) and Ryan Wood (Vancouver – RVYC) became the first Canadians ever to qualify and compete in the medal race of a 49er event at a major international competition when they did so on Wednesday, June 21, at the Kiel Week competition in Germany.
June 13, 2023
Lee Parkhill Wins Tiebreaker in Sunfish to Qualify to be Nominated for Santiago 2023 Pan American Games
Lee Parkhill from the Oakville Yacht Squadron, qualified to be nominated on Canada’s Santiago 2023 Pan American Games sailing team in the Sunfish class after a thrilling last day of competition.
June 12, 2023
Susan Hood in Short Sleeves
The Susan Hood Trophy Race presented by driveHG, known as the Coolest Race, became the Hottest Race on the Lake with just under 80 boats at the startline and shirt sleeve weather for much of the ride.
June 12, 2023
Katie Nicoll Receives President’s Trophy
On Saturday June 10th during the Sail Past Ceremony at the Port Credit Yacht Club Glenn Lethbridge, Executive Director of Ontario Sailing, presented Katie Coleman Nicoll with the President’s Trophy.
June 12, 2023
Youngstown CanAm Regatta Channels 50th Level Regatta
The Youngstown Yacht Club is set to hold its 10th annual CanAm Challenge and Great Lakes PHRF Fest on July 28-30, for two days of hosting competitors from all over the U.S. and Canada. With the end of COVID border crossing restrictions, the Youngstown tradition can resume.
June 12, 2023
Keven Talks Sails: Sail Care for the Sailor
At the sail loft, we are always busy repairing and maintaining sails. Much of the damage we are fixing can be prevented with some simple sail handling tips.
June 12, 2023
Speed & Smarts: Take Control of Your Headsail
The mainsail may be the biggest sail on most boats, but the jib provides a relatively large share of the boat’s driving force, for two reasons. First, the jib is not sitting behind a mast, so it sails in clear air with minimal turbulence.
May 30, 2023
LORC Lives!
The Lake Ontario Racing Council (LORC) was formed back in the mid 1980’s when the Metro Yacht Racing Council (MYRC) and the Canadian Yacht Racing Association (CYRA) joined together. A constitution was written and eight clubs in the greater Toronto area were the players at the table.
May 30, 2023
Reid Distilleries ABYC Open – Much Ado, Not Much Wind
The Lake Ontario Racing Circuit kicked off the 2023 season at Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club at the east end of the city of Toronto. The weather forecast looked spectacular with sunny skies and warm temperatures expected.