Thinking about next summer ….

Its been no vacation for our Paralympic Sailors this weekend. All three fleets have completed a 6 of 11 races already.  The event started on Saturday and they now have three days of racing completed with three more to go. 2.4M – Our Gold Medalist for Beijing – Paul Tingley – has shown some flashes of brilliance but has really been having a tough event.  His is sitting in 5th overall with 5 races to go.  With 30 points, he is only 10 points out of 3rd but it will not be an easy margin to make up.  So far his finishes have been 6, 7, 2, 10,9, and 6.

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.

It's been a long time since Doug Hood, a member of the Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga (although Mississauga didn't even exist back then…) offered to dedicate a trophy for an offshore race rating based on a new rating. The year was 1955 and the trophy was named after his baby daughter Susan; the Susan Hood Trophy Race was born. Susan was at PCYC yesterday for a short visit and actually participated not too long ago.

Many of the trophies associated with this great event are older than the yachts and racers who line up on the start line; that is the beauty of sail boat racing.