We are all responsible! – part 2

The UofT winning team

April 9, 2026

By Roger Renaud

What’s happening at LYRA?

The Director of Racing of the Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA) of Lake Ontario, Luc D’Aoust, feels “we forgot about a generation”, when he talks about keeping this sport alive. “We created the years of gaps in what used to be an annual competition series for the Stolze Cup, and further to the Richardson Cup”.

In 2026, LYRA will be focusing on promoting and supporting:

• Match racing, and especially those series involving youth
• Team racing, and especially those series involving youth
• Inter-Lake competition within the Great Lakes. Re-introducing a Lake Ontario International Race, to enable Lake Ontario (LYRA members) to compete with the other Great Lakes in distance racing, for the Barthel Trophy.
• The resurrection of the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes (YRUGL)

Try-outs for the ‘Stolze Cup’ are a match racing series, between clubs on the Lake Ontario. These series were the ‘main-event’ on Lake Ontario in 2026. The winner of this match-racing series would then challenge the winning teams of the other Great Lakes, and compete for the Richardson Cup. The Richardson Cup is a YRUGL trophy, awarded to the Match Race Champions of the Great Lakes.

The Notice of Race (NOR) for the 2026 Richardson Cup is in the final approval stages. The 2026 Richardson Cup is tentatively scheduled to be held at the Chicago Yacht Club (CYC), Chicago IL. No specific date is yet determined, but it will be in the fall so and not to conflict with other major events. 

NEW – Match Racing Resources – Lake Yacht Racing Association

This event will present a challenge to the Lake Ontario sailing clubs to become involved in hosting an elimination series for the Stolze Cup. The last time there was a series to win the Stolze Cup was 2019.

The final series for the Richardson Cup will again become a Canada vs the USA competition. This is another real incentive, especially at this time, to make this series happen.

Did you know the University of Toronto is home to the Canadian Match Racing Champions? The U of T have a Sailing Team, and their last two big wins were:

• 1st place at the 2023 Match Race Nationals
• 1st place at the 2024 Queen’s Can/Am Invitational

Richard Rychlik Jr., a top match-racing sailor in Canada, led his teams to these wins. Perhaps this local talent can help coach newcomers, and provide support to Club teams on Lake Ontario.

                        The direction of the YRUGL

The mission of the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes (YRUGL), is to provide the ultimate challenges for sailing in the Great Lakes Region: match racing, and distance racing. Issuing the 2026 NOR for the Richardson Cup fulfils the first of the two main objectives of the. The second primary objective is to promote and support distance racing on the Great Lakes. The reviving of the YRUGL brings with it challenges for the Board and the new set of volunteers.

Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes (YRUGL) Est. 1896 Lives On – Sailing in Canada

Gary Henerickson, President of the YRUGL, and his team, have their work cut out.  Because the YRUGL has been inactive for 20+ years, the Duluth Yacht Club has become the landlord and caretaker of the Barthel Trophy. The Barthel Trophy was given a new life in 2003 when the YRUGL went by the wayside. Today, and for the past 25 years or so, it has been awarded to the fastest boat in the ‘Tri Lake Challenge’, which is for those who compete in the Chicago Mac, the Port Huron to Mac and the Trans Superior. According to the ‘Deed of Gift’ as detailed in the original YRUGL Constitution, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie must also be included in the competition. Obviously, a rotation of some sort will need to be established and agreed upon. We are all responsible to help make this work. Incidentally, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie are two of the three original founding member Lakes out of the five. Gary tells us: – “We have every one of the Lake Associations behind us”.

The vision for the new YRUGL requires a demonstration of support, through flexibility with dates, from each of the Lakes involved.

FYI – There has been discussion and support about introducing a new event named: – “The Great Lakes Grand Slam”, to be run every five year: – “Five Lakes every five years”.  Very doable. This can happen, only if we all want it to!

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Roger moved to Toronto for work in the early 70’s where he sailed a Hobie off Cherry Beach. Eventually joining ABYC, he has owned three different Thunderbirds over the years. The Thunderbird, 8-meter, E-22, Laser 28, CC27, CC34, CC99, and the Beneteau First 36.7’s, were the other one-design fleets he raced in, each for a few years dedicated to a program. He was also involved in a significant three-year program on the NM 36, Maggie Kelly.

Since returning to Essex County, he has been racing locally and in the Detroit (DYRA) PHRF divisions on his restored Pearson Flyer.