Racing: Swift wins M242 Canadians
Sept 23, 2021
Swift Crew – Aidan Koster, Alex Levkovskiy (owner, based out of Kits YC), Fraser McMillan (helm), Ken Holland, Co-Chair of the event. Missing crew: Drew Mitchell from North Sails
Earlier this month, 16 boats from Martin 242 Fleets on Vancouver Island, Orcas Island, Vancouver, and Nelson, BC, competed in the 2021 Martin 242 Canadian Championships.
Competitors were grateful for the friendly and relaxed atmosphere of Cow Bay and its merchants.
Winds were uncharacteristically light during the regatta. The first race on each day was delayed, waiting for wind to fill in. Sat: 2 races, the second of which saw only two of the 16 boats finishing within the 1.5 hr time limit. Sun: 3 races in light conditions were held. (Had the typical wind prevailed, there would have been five races per day.)
Local knowledge paid off: the top 4 boats were either skippered by local racers or had local sailors on their teams. Boats that made the correct calls about where to go for favourable currents and better pressure (wind) placed well in each race. The winning Swift Team were very fast in the light conditions. They’re all very experienced Melges sailors, and the helm, Fraser McMillan, did a 470 Olympic Campaign way back and he’s raced 242’s a number of times in the past.
A well run regatta, co-hosted by Nanaimo Yacht Club. Full results here
– Michael Clements, Too Wicked
