In Canada, we like bridges.

Feb 28, 2019

By Joanna Suan

While there’s a lot of talk about building walls these days – here in Canada, we’re all about building bridges. In western Lake Ontario, the Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway is a commuter’s lifeline, an indomitable navigational landmark for sailors, and the gateway to Canada’s largest port in the Great Lakes system. The Burlington Bridge, as it is more commonly known, is also the portal for this year’s must-race Canada Day weekend regattas. Whether your fancy is to explore the winds across Lake Ontario or to test yourself in the swirls of Hamilton Harbour – there is something for every boating enthusiast over the nation’s birthday weekend.

The second annual FPSC FIASCO Regatta will be held on Sunday, June 30th and is a joint partnership between Fifty Point Sailing Club (FPSC) and Burlington Sailing and Boating Club (BS&BC). Based on the famous Three Bridge Fiasco Race in San Francisco Bay, 2019’s FPSC FIASCO Regatta will be starting on the lakeside of the Burlington Bridge. The three Lake Ontario marks that we’ll send you around in this long distance race will be, of course, a secret until the skippers meeting! How you choose to go around those marks, in what order, into what hole, behind what freighter will be sure to spark an evening full of conversation at the post race party at BS&BC.

For those interested in extending the weekend into a week of long distance racing, FIASCO is also the first race of the annual GHYRA Regatta Week. From June 30th to July 5th, racers and cruisers can experience the winds and hospitality of the various ports in the Golden Horseshoe region. If discovering what is on the other side of the Burlington Bridge is more your flavour – on Saturday, June 29th, BS&BC is hosting the inaugural Beyond the Bridge Regatta in Burlington Bay. There will be on-water activities for keelboat racers, dinghies, and cruisers. There’s something for everyone on the 2019 Canada Day Long weekend – on both sides of the bridge.