First-Ever Sailor’s Day at Toronto Boat Show – Saturday, Jan 27
Jan 17, 2024
Kirsten Neuschäfer, Golden Globe winner
The 2024 Toronto International Boat Show presents its inaugural Sailor’s Day on Saturday, January 27th to introduce, educate, and celebrate everything sailing at North America’s largest indoor boat show. There are plenty of sailing products and services to be found throughout the entire show run from January 19 – 28th, with special sail-centric seminars taking place on Sailor’s Day on Saturday January 27th featuring esteemed sailors and industry experts to inspire and educate.
While inventory levels continue to remain low among sailboat dealers, some of the sailboats on display at the Toronto Boat Show include new models from industry leading brands such as Beneteau / Anchor Yacht Sales, TES Yacht Canada, and Fogh Marine; along with booth displays from Swans Marina and Pat Sturgeon Yachts.
A designated Sailor’s Hub and new Sailor’s Day Seminar Stage are located in Hall D. Ontario Sailing, Boating Ontario, and North Sails are a few of the presenting partners, featuring special guests and speakers including Canada’s most accomplished female ocean racer, Diane Reid; international sailor and 2022 Golden Globe Race winner, Kirsten Neuschäfer; Dave Anderson, COO of Team Canada America’s Cup, and more!
Boaters of all interests and guests are invited get into the exciting world of sailing at the Toronto Boat Show. In addition to finding sailing accessories, electronics, services and boats, visitors can also discover the next generation of high-performance sports featuring the most advanced technology for kiteboarding, wing foiling, and windsurfing that will be on display daily.
Sail Highlights at the Toronto Boat Show, Jan 19 – 28:
Virtual Reality Sailing is Back! Stop by the Ontario Sailing Booth (#1140) to try your hand at sailing with state-of-the-art VR goggles to simulate being on a sailboat.
New Product Debut: MarkSetBot – The World’s First Robotic Sailing Mark. The future of sailing race management is here! MarkSetBot will debut its patented robotic buoys that are self-propelled using GPS technology and mobile app to make race management simple without the use of anchors.
TREND ALERT: Wing Foiling! North Sails is proud to partner with Ontario Sailing to bring the latest products and technology in wing foiling, kiteboarding, and windsurfing to clubs across Ontario. Connect with experts and meet professional windsurfer and World Champion Anna Sagulenko on Sailor’s Day (Jan 27).
Leap Sailing: Inspiring Girls to Sail – LEAP (leadership, empowerment, adventure programming) was established to promote inclusion in the sport of sailing and fostering the next generation of female sailors. This amazing program is the first of its kind in Canada to offer hands-on classes led by female instructors and youth camps for girls ages 8-19, offered at Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club in Toronto.
NEW PRODUCT: 3Di Sails – Get an up-close look at North Sails’ revolutionary lightweight, three-dimensionally shaped sails created by proprietary software, engineering and construction from a single piece, instead of conventional sections. 3Di sails are used by America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race teams; and its ground-breaking technology will take sailing, windsurfing, and watersports performance to the next level.
Coach Boats – Join Daniel Melo of Great Lakes Boats, and Jeff Beitz of Suzuki Canada, partners in Ontario Sailing, on Saturday, Jan. 21 for an information packed on selecting the best boat and motor package for your needs and how to make sure it is maintained properly. There will be two fully rigged coach boats for viewing as these were designed in part with Ontario Sailings coaches’ assistance.
East Asian Community Sailing Information Session – Sailors Amanda Song and Jianpeng Wang along with Ontario Sailing and the Boat Show community share the vision to create a more inclusive and diverse sailing and watersport community, one that enriches sportsmanship and forms the Canadian identity. Members of the East Asian community are invited to learn more about sailing in a safe and welcoming environment; however, the information session is open and suitable for anyone who is interested.
Clean Marine & Clean Regattas Programs – Learn more about the Ontario-developed Clean Marine Eco-Rating Program, an environmental program that encourages marine businesses to reduce and prevent water, air, and land pollution from recreational boating activities in Ontario. Or, aim to implement best practices at your next sailing event using the Clean Regattas toolkit and certification program, the world’s leading sustainability certification for all on-the-water, near-the-water, and water-loving events.
Sailor’s Day Seminars: Saturday, January 27
The Golden Globe Race: What It Took to Complete and Win – Kirsten Neuschäfer (Live Stream)
Kirsten recently won the Golden Globe Race 2022, a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation race that starts in France, down the Atlantic, Southern Ocean, and back – an approximate distance of 30,000 nautical miles on a <36ft boat without any of the modern navigational tools, such as GPS technology. Hear about her journey of attrition, luck, seamanship – and adventure! Live streaming at the Toronto Boat Show.
Canada’s Debut in the Women’s and Youth America’s Cup
For the first time, Canada will be fielding teams in both the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup and the fourth edition of the Youth America’s Cup. Join Dave Anderson, COO of Team Canada America’s Cup, for an engaging presentation that will highlight Canada’s dedication to empowering female sailors and nurturing future stars in Olympic competitions, and about the upcoming America’s Cup challenges.
Passion to Profession – Panel Discussion
An esteemed panel of experts from the Toronto marine industry – ranging from professional ocean racers to sailing instructors, technicians, sales and marketing managers for major sail brands – will be on hand to share their experience of how they have managed to carve a career out of a passion for sailing. Speakers include:
- Diane Reid, has an illustrious career as a racer, becoming the first Canadian woman to be appointed as the skipper in the Clipper, world’s longest ocean race; and competing in the Mini Transat.
- Louisa Bobyk, manages Canadian Operations at North Sails while simultaneously running her own social media management company (Parker Media Management) that specializes in the marine industry.
- Tate Howell, represented Canada at the World Sailing Youth World Championship and achieved podium finishes three consecutive years at Sail Canada’s Youth Championships.
- Daniel Sheedy, a sailing coach, and service and sales representative for North Sales;
- and Geoff Wright, an ABYC Master Marine Technician who runs Blue Water Marine Services (BWMS), providing yacht surveys and repairs to his clients in the GTA. He is also a sessional instructor with the Humber Bay Sailing Center.
Sailor’s Day takes place on Saturday, January 27th, and all programming is included with admission. For full details and schedules, visit www.torontoboatshow.com. And follow us on social media @torontoboatshow.
