Racing
Expert and novice sailors alike use apparent wind. Many sailors believe apparent wind is unworthy of deep consideration and take it for granted because they feel they’ve already grasped the concept. Although its fundamentally simple, apparent wind is dynamically complex in practice.
Well, that’s a wrap. The 2023 NYYC Invitational ended this weekend one day early because of Hurricane Lee. It was another fantastic event despite the looming hurricane which had a significant effect on the race officials and the competitors.
I was sailing (with Will & Eric) on La Balena, a Nonsuch 30, Div 3 – Mid WS. We had a great start, were hitting speeds of 7.1 (yeh), and were leading our division when the race was abandoned (meh!).
M242 Too Wicked owned by Michael Clements with crew Adrienne Mennell, Alan Barnes and Colin Gilbert went on to win the 2023 M242 Canadian Championships at the Cowichan Bay Regatta.
William Keilty secured his second consecutive victory at the Optimist National Championships held in Vancouver, BC on August 19-26. A formidable team of 13 Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron sailors descended upon West Vancouver for the event.
The fourth and final day of Helly Hansen Chester Race was headlined with ‘champagne’ sailing conditions under sunny skies and a 10 to 15 knot breeze which picked up to gusts of 20 knots. Pat Nelder, On-water Chair of Chester Race Week, comments, “It’s wonderful to conclude the event with optimal conditions for our sailors.”
Move over Tom Cruise, these sailors do their own stunts. Coming off a forecast with gusts of upwards to 24kts, the morning started with bated breath as we hoped the wind would come out to play but not batter. The wind gods obliged, and our playground was set for the 2023 Lake Ontario Women’s J105 Championships.
The wind gods did not favour the PRO or the competitors this past August 25-27 weekend on the lovely sandy shores of Lake Erie at the Buffalo Canoe Club (located, perhaps surprisingly, in Ridgeway, ON CANADA!) where 133 ILCA sailors gathered to sail in the 2023 ILCA Canadian Championships.
Helly Hansen Chester Race Week 2023 kicks off its biggest regatta in a decade this week in Chester, Nova Scotia. Racing begins tomorrow and runs through to the 19th.
After a welcome dinner, skippers briefing and a good measure of socializing last Friday evening, the Race 2 Kingston departed on Saturday from the MCC/EYC fixed marks.
SailGP: Canada Faces Challenges, NZ Explodes in Saint-Tropez
The European portion of SailGP Season 4 got underway this weekend in Saint-Tropez, France. Having hit record breaking speeds last year on the Côte d’Azur, Phil Robertson and the Canadians were looking forward to this weekend of racing, but things did not turn out as hoped. A penalty in the pre-start of race one was a precursor of what was to come, and it proved difficult for the team to recover.
A collision with Spain early on in race one set the team back and translated into eight penalty points for the event and an additional four penalty points for the season.
The Big Picture: D Danger: Made in the Shade in Spain
From sailing 8-Metres in Port Credit to sailing adventures hither and yon, our pal and occasional foredeck, D Danger Mitchele, is never one to be overheated even now that he’s residing in sunny Spain. He’s also not the kind of guy who would put a dodger on a racing boat. So, here’s the logical solution.
