Yesterday the windsurfer, RS:X and kiteboarder fleets finished their 3 day event in the CORK OCR Regatta. In the Windsurfer Gold fleet, Keith Whiston took gold, with Nick Cox following in second, and Bob Shuttleworth in third. The Windsurfer Silver fleet saw Giancarlo Brotto in first and Diane Houston in second. The RS:X fleet finished with David Hayes in first, Dominique Vallee in second and Caroline Emmanu de Alcala in third. Lastly, the youth Bic293 had a great regatta with Fannie de Alcala taking gold, Gabriel Verrier Paquette in second and Artem Lavrynenko in third. Congratulations to all!

It’s not only the classes, it’s the courses too!

The International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) recent decision to change up the classes and events for the upcoming 2016 Olympics has brought a wave of controversy across sailors everywhere. It's not just a classes’ debate, it’s a courses debate too!

When they concluded their annual meeting in Athens, Greece in November, the Council voted in favour of the Events Committee's provisional events slate for the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race second race in leg one, which started in Madeira and will finish in Rio De Janeiro, is currently underway.

Today brings with it a change from downwind sailing to upwind beating as the fleet continues to head south towards the finish line at the foot of Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain. For the majority of the teams it appears that they have made it through the Doldrums relatively painlessly as spinnakers are now swapped for Yankee headsails.

The Detroit Cup 2011, which is an ISAF Grade 2 event, has witnessed an impressive display of determination, patience, and skill beyond his nineteen years by Australian Jordan Reese and his team of Henry Kernot and Harry Thurston who have won the title in an exciting five match final at the Bayview Yacht Club.

The team defeated Kiwi Laurie Jury in an exciting Final that went to all five matches in the first-to-three point series.

Reese started the day early, defeating Brad Funk to earn their place in the Semi-Finals,

The final day of racing at the Chester Race Week was blessed with sunny skies, warm temperatures and fair winds. Around the Chester Yacht Club the refrain 'for yacht racing, it doesn’t get any better than this'.

Andreas Josenhans generously gave of his time and significant yacht racing experience by running seminars each morning for the racers. He provided much valuable information on how to get more out of the boats, talked about the race courses, and answered questions on the rules of yacht racing.

KINGSTON, ON, Aug. 17, 2011 /CNW/ – The Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), today confirmed the Government of Canada's contribution to the Canadian Yachting Association in support of the
2011 CORK OCR and International Regatta, being held from August 14 to 24.

"The Government of Canada is pleased to support this international event in the historic city of Kingston," said Minister of State Gosal.
"The organizers and volunteers are giving our sailors the opportunity to compete against the best in the world, as they prepare for London 2012."

Scarborough, ON (August 8, 2011) – Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons (CPS) and Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) announce a new partnership to grant CYA, in conjunction with the Provincial Associations and its qualified affiliated instructors, permission to offer the Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) classroom education using the CPS Boating Basics Transport Canada approved manual and related materials. The agreement was signed in Kingston on June 8, 2011.

Combined, these two national organizations provide a comprehensive portfolio of practical and classroom courses for pleasure craft operators on sailing, boat safety and handling, seamanship,

The 2011 MLA Sailing Regatta was hosted by Beaumaris Yacht Club (BYC) on Lake Muskoka on Sunday July 31st, where over 60 sailors participated in the day, racing in 36 sailboats.

A strong audience of race coaches, instructors, parents and other observers watched the racing action. Race day began with a noon Skippers meeting, followed by 3 races for 7 classes of sailboats. New this year was the Laser Pico class, a relatively new youth boat for kids ages 10-13 who have mastered the Pram or Opti and are getting ready for the transition to the Club 420.

The largest keel boat regatta in Canada, hosted by the Chester Yacht Club, hits the starting line at noon on Wednesday, August 10th. The official opening ceremonies will commence in front of the Club at 9:00 am. The chair of Chester Race Week, Dr. John Curry will officiate. Gerald Keddy MP for South Shore-St. Margaret’s will bring greetings from the federal government as will dignitaries from local governments. As the club burgee is hoisted to the yardarm by the commodore Don McAlpine, the very loud starting cannon will declare CRW 2011 launched.

Dr. Curry stated 'with a fleet of over 132 yachts already pre-registered this regatta may well be one of the largest ever.

Nine teams complete for coveted York/Stolz Cup Match Race held at RCYC August 6-7 on the waters of Toronto Harbour.

Held in Sonars, these nine teams from Canada and the US completed a full round robin of 36 races on Saturday August 6th. Event organizer David Jarvis, provided excellent racing, equipment, and hospitality with Chris Cook rounding out the team as the Principal Race Officer.

Moving into Sunday Peter Wickwire lead the group with a flawless 8 wins, followed by Steve Lowry, and then a three way tie for third with Terry McLaughlin, Magnus Sandberg,

With the 2012 London Olympic games right around the corner, the Third Annual Buddy Melges Challenge has taken on even greater importance. Hosted by Sail Sheboygan, one of four US Sailing Centers, the Challenge is expected to draw teams from around the world to the shores of Lake Michigan, August 22nd through the 27th.

The Buddy Melges Challenge is one of just four ISAF Grade 1 women’s match racing events in the country. Contested using the new Olympic-designated Elliott 6m boats, most of the international field of competitors will use this regatta as a springboard to potential Olympic success.

The national unveiling of two stamps Monday, commemorating the three-peat Harmsworth Trophy win by Miss Supertest III, capped off a very successful celebratory weekend in Picton.

The Canadian hydroplane Miss Supertest III captured her third Harmsworth Trophy just kilometres away from the 50th anniversary show site of Loch Sloy Holdings (the former Camp Picton) which donated a hangar for the event.

Dignitaries in attendance included MP Prince Edward Hastings Daryl Kramp, MPP Prince Edward-Hastings Leona Dombrowsky, Prince Edward County Mayor Peter Mertens and members of county council.

Brant Beach, NJ was home to the 2011 Laser and Laser Radial North American Championships, July 12th -15th, and also home for several Canadian athletes during this event. Ontario was well represented, having 15 athletes competing in the Laser class and 11 athletes competing in the Laser Radial class.
 
The venue consisted of extremely shallow waters with several weedy patches patches for the athletes to avoid across the race course. Day 1 consisted of three races for both the fleets and included moderate breeze from the West, South West with fairly large shifts and immobile patches of pressure spread across the course.

The Chicago Yacht Club's 103rd Race to Mackinac, presented by Veuve Clicquot—Hearing that it’s windy and rainy is one thing. Hearing that water is vaporizing all around you is a completely different tale of horror.

Tim Prophit, owner and co-skipper of Fast Tango, an North American 40 out of the Bayview Yacht Club, and his crew have seen the other side. In fact, their descriptions of the 'strobing' lightning and 'white water everywhere' are on an entirely different level than anything that racing sailors in North America have seen in many, many decades.

Having completed notifications of the next of kin, as well as debriefing immediate family members regarding the details of the search, the Coast Guard is officially releasing the names of those boaters who died and those who were rescued this morning in Lake Michigan.

Deceased are: Suzanne Bickel, age 41; and Mark Morley, 51, both of Saginaw, Mich.

Rescued were: Christopher Cummings, age 16; John Dent, 50; Stan Dent, 51; Peter Morley, 47; Stewart Morley, 15; and Lee Purcell, 46.

YachtWorld.com, the world’s largest Internet yacht brokerage portal and a division of Dominion Enterprises, is partnering with the Yacht Broker Association of America to co-present two more Yacht Brokerage Universities (YBU): Mississauga, Ontario on August 4 and Seabrook, TX on August 11. Canadian Yachting and Boating Ontario are also providing industry support for the Yacht Brokerage University in Ontario.