December 8, 2022
Which Caribbean Regatta is for You? Les Voile de St Barths April 16 – 22 – Part 3
Boat eye candy abounds! This is the event to be at if you want to see stunning boats flying around bays and high caliber shoreside activity. St Barth’s lives up to all the hype. Different than their Bucket Regatta, which is for big boats, the Voile is accessible to all sailors.
December 8, 2022
Which Caribbean Regatta is for You? STIR and BVI SR – Part 2
Like the Bits and Bites commercial, every handful is different. Racing the Caribbean Sailing Association winter series is like that. Based on positive feedback from the Hitchhikers Guide I thought I’d highlight the events based on my experience. Last issue we considered Grenada, RORC 600 and The Heineken in St Maarten.
December 7, 2022
The Rules Guy: Required Hails
During my summer judging, I have heard some strange things about the hails people expect to hear. I thought that I should look at the rulebook, and see which hails are required.
November 29, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Headstay Sag – Control Power with Luff Sag
One of the most critical factors for any jib or genoa trimmer is the amount of sag in the headstay. Your forestay almost never forms a straight line between the bow and the mast – due to wind pressure it always sags aft and to leeward at least a little bit.
November 28, 2022
Vancouver Salish Sisters Heading to BVI Spring Regatta
By way of background, my Caribbean regatta journey began when I twisted the rubber arms of five female sailing friends from the West Vancouver Yacht Club in British Columbia and convinced them that we should race in the 2017 Heineken Regatta.
November 28, 2022
Which Caribbean Regatta is for You? The Choices are Hard – Part 1
Like the Bits and Bites commercial, every handful is different. Racing the Caribbean Sailing Association winter series is like that. Based on positive feedback from the Hitchhikers Guide, I thought I’d highlight the events based on my experience.
November 14, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Searching for the Best Lead Position
Jib lead position works like the main outhaul. Moving the jib/genoa lead fore and aft affects foot depth, much like the outhaul controls foot depth on a mainsail.
November 14, 2022
Hitchhikers Guide to the Caribbean Circuit
If you’ve done it; you get it, if you haven’t; I’m betting you’ve spent a little (or a lot) of time dreaming of living the barefoot, lime in your beer lifestyle. Azure waters of the Caribbean calls us like the sirens of the sea.
October 31, 2022
Performance Daysailer – J/9
Although the J/9 is not a sport boat, it is designed like any other J/Boat for sailing first and foremost. After all, they have won over 20 awards for their sailboat designs featuring a second-generation family-run business since 1988.
October 31, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Tips for the Windward Mark
Except for the starting line, the windward mark is usually the most congested part of the course. It’s the first point in the race where all the boats come together again, and for this reason it presents many potential pitfalls.
October 30, 2022
Winter Race Reading
Now that the boat is away, and you’ve read Sailing in Canada’s lates issue, it’s time to head to the bookshelf and get primed for next season’s battles. Here are some titles from the Nautical Mind Bookstore on Toronto’s waterfront to keep the juices flowing.
October 18, 2022
LOOR Announces Dates for 2023 Season
For all those long-long distance racers, the LO600 returns in 2023. The Lake Ontario 600 Challenge occurs every other year and 2023 will mark the FIFTH opportunity for you to circumnavigate the lake twice – giving your fly swatter a really good work out!
October 16, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Mark-Rounding Principles Part 3 – Slow Down to Round the Mark Faster
In most situations, faster is better because the goal of racing is to get to the finish line as quickly as possible and beat the other boats. But once in a while you need to slow down.
October 2, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Mark-Rounding Principles Part 2 – Before Rounding Each Mark, Have a Plan for the Next Leg
Almost every sailor realizes the importance of making a strategic plan for the first leg before they start the race. But how many of those sailors also develop a strategy for every other leg in the race?
October 2, 2022
The Rules Guy: Penalties and Sportsmanship
The rules of the game are pretty clear, if you break a rule, you need to take the appropriate penalty. This is listed very early in the rule book before any of the numbered rules under the title “Basic Principles – Sportsmanship and the Rules”.
September 12, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Mark-Rounding Principles Part 1 – Avoid Mark Rounding Madness!
The marks of the course are often critical in determining how boats cross the finish line. That’s because mark roundings bring the entire fleet together into one small, congested spot.
September 6, 2022
Canada-USA racing: Match Race Experience and Tactics Win the 26th Canada’s Cup
US Team Zing’s increased boat speed and improved crew work were no match for the extraordinary crew work of Team Defiant and the 40 years of match race experience Terry McLaughlin has gained through racing the America’s Cup, Knickerbocker Cup, Congressional Cup, Bermuda Gold Cup and three previous Canada’s Cups.
August 29, 2022
2022 English Bay Scramble Report
Tiddly Cove’s annual English Bay Scramble, the most interesting and popular sailboat race in Vancouver, and perhaps in the world due to its pure, unadulterated racing conundrums!
August 27, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Approaching the Windward Mark
The windward mark is the first point where all the boats come back together after the start. It’s usually crowded and contentious and can have a significant impact on the outcome of the race.
August 23, 2022
Giving Back: Regatta for AQVA raises $70K for sailors with disabilities
On Saturday August 20, 2022, the 10th annual Regatta for AQVA (Association québécoise de voile adaptée ) supporting sailors with disabilities and hosted by the Royal St-Lawrence Yacht Club in Dorval QC, attracted boats from six yacht clubs and raised $70,000.
August 14, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Light and Heavy Air Differences – Part 3: Boathandling Maneuvers in Light Air vs. Heavy Air
One of the big differences between racing in light air versus heavy air is that it’s usually a lot more difficult to execute good boathandling maneuvers when it’s breezy. This is not surprising. More wind means boats go faster and bounce around a lot more (because there are usually bigger waves).
August 14, 2022
Canadians Get Their Share at Sodus Bay
LYRA 2022 was held at the end of July at Sodus Yacht Club on the US side of Lake Ontario. Course racing began on Thursday with the 8 Metre North American Championship.
August 2, 2022
Virtual Racing: Lake Ontario 300 on Sailonline
For those of you not familiar with virtual racing it is said to be as close as you can get to the real thing without getting wet, and in the case of the Susan Hood, cold!
August 2, 2022
CAN SailGP: Race 3 – Plymouth Splashdown!!
Challenging conditions in the third event of SailGP Season 3 put Phil Robertson and his crew to the test at the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix – Plymouth this weekend.
August 2, 2022
Foiling: WASZP NAs in Kingston
The 2022 WASZP North Americans were held at Kingston Yacht Club in Kingston, ON Canada 27-31 July 2022. Attracting 24 sailors from across Canada, United States and Bermuda, the fleet consisted of 7 females and 13 Juniors (U20).
August 2, 2022
ABYC welcomes J Fest 2022
Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club hosted 30 participating boats for J Fest 22, with one from ABYC and others from clubs all around the lake including RCYC, PDYC, KYC, NYC, MCC, BPYC, OYS, NSC, HYC, BHYC.
August 2, 2022
Port Credit Hosts Two Of The Biggest Regattas Back To Back Proving Sailors Are Ready for Competition Post Two Years of Pandemic
Port Credit Yacht Club proudly hosted its annual Steerers’ and Four Sisters regattas July 21st to July 24th welcoming more than 350 sailors to compete in challenging weather conditions.
August 2, 2022
LOOR: Dad and Son win LO300 doublehanded
What an incredible race! July’s LO300 with its many ups and downs and constantly changing wind conditions, continued to deliver this year an amazing racing experience!
July 29, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Light and Heavy Air Differences – Part 2: the effect of wind velocity on strategic choices
In most races, two key strategic variables seem to have by far the biggest impact on boats’ overall success (or failure). These are wind velocity (‘pressure’) and changes in wind direction (‘shifts’).
July 29, 2022
Sail Canada 2022 49er & 49erFX Senior Championships
Kingston hosted close to 60 athletes for Sail Canada 2022 49er and 49er FX Senior Championships, presented along with the 29er Canadian Championships during the 2022 CORK Olympic Classes Regatta, July 21-24.
July 29, 2022
Sarnia’s Huzzah wins class in Bayview Mac
Greg Chamberlain and crew of Sarnia Yacht Club sailed his boat Huzzah in the Bayview Mac on the July 16 weekend in the Beneteau First 36-7 class.
July 12, 2022
Five Canadians at Opti World Championships
Five Canadians took part in the 2022 Arkas Optimist World Championshps in Bodrum, Turkey, June 29-July 6, and Andi Kinnear was the best Canadian with a 104th overall on a total of 273 sailors.
July 12, 2022
Gold for Canadian Corinthians at 2022 Etchells North American Corinthian Championships
Congratulations to Connor MacKenzie, Sam Thompson, Jack Porter and Erin Sauder from the Oakville Yacht Squadron who won the 2022 Etchells North American Corinthian Championships held at the Shelter Island Yacht Club, June 21-26 in New York, USA.
June 27, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Light and Heavy Air Differences – Part 1
It’s clear that the more wind you have the faster you’ll go. That’s why sailors avoid the bad air of other boats. The problem with sailing in wind shadows is that you have less wind velocity than boats sailing in clear air. This hurts in two ways.
June 14, 2022
20th Anniversary Clagett Goes Next Week – Large Canadian Fleet
It is just two weeks until sailors from across Canada, US and the Caribbean will be in Newport, R.I. to start day one of competition in the 20th Anniversary of the C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta.
June 14, 2022
Speed & Smarts: Converging with a Starboard Tacker
Here is a common situation that requires an important decision. You are sailing upwind on port tack, converging with another boat on starboard tack (S). If you keep sailing straight you will hit the other boat, so you must make a choice about how you will keep clear of S.
June 14, 2022
Results of the 2022 World ILCA 7 Masters Championships
Canada was represented by seven sailors at the 2022 ILCA 7 Masters World Championships held last week in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. Congratulations to Andy Roy, bronze medalist in the Grand Master category, as well as to Ray Davies, 4th in the Master category.
June 14, 2022
Race Report: Susan Trophy Race – June 3
The forecast looked promising, as you can be subject to NO wind or TOO much wind for the “Coolest Race on the Lake”. However, we had pretty good winds for the entire race, although at the start it looked doubtful with very light winds and a following sea.
May 31, 2022
Steering Downwind: Less is More
Steering off the wind, on reaches and runs, requires a coordinated effort between helmsman and spinnaker trimmer. The spinnaker trimmer often has as good a feel for performance as you do while driving, and together you can coordinate efforts to take advantage of changes in conditions.