Race Week

Once again the offshore yacht-racing season on Lake Ontario is ready to kick off with the annual Susan Hood Trophy Race. Despite our warm spring weather, “The Coolest Race on the Lake” is really the coldest race on the lake! Over 100 yachts will converge on the Port Credit Yacht Club Friday June 1 to compete in the first of many offshore races on Lake Ontario. This race starts Friday night at 8:00 p.m. and is a 78-mile course that can take anywhere from 12 to 20 hours to finish, depending on the winds and the size of boat.

Were they cruising sailors or asylum seekers? One sailor is dead and three are missing and presumed dead after a yacht with nine persons on board issued a distress call off the coast of Nova Scotia in what is being investigated as a case of human smuggling.Apparently the source of the suspicion is that the yacht, SV Tabasco 2, was not registered to any country and that some of those rescued have asked for asylum.

Two times in one month! Not a bad start to the year for the 2008 Paralympic Gold medallist Paul Tingley (RNSYS) who has already secured his own spot for the 2012 Paralympic Games. Paul's second place result at Miami OCR today will be his second trip to podium this month after winning the bronze medal at the 2012 IFDS World Championships in Port Charlotte, FL. Tingley attributes part of his success to his passion and dedication to the sport. 'I enjoy the game of chasing that invisible force of nature - the wind. It's addictive'.

The 104th Chicago Yacht Club (CYC) Race to Mackinac Notice and Conditions of Race (NOR) and Mackinac Safety Regulations (MSR) have now been released. These documents reflect a series of changes implemented by the committee to enhance the safety of the Race for all participants.

'The committee has been hard at work over the past six months in collaborating with naval architects, US Sailing’s offshore committee and other race organizers,' said Lou Sandoval race chairman.

The IFDS Worlds in Port Charlotte are now in the history books and the competitors are transferring their equipment to Miami for OCR. The Canadian Sailing team sailors fared very well for this event, some were here for trials and some for more international experience. Paul Tingley from RNSYS was on the podium with a third place overall for the event! Today he ended up seventh but at times during the race he had enough separation to get second place. With the 2.4 course location close to shore, the shifts were very unpredictable the results for many of the top competitors were all over the map.

International Yngling World Championship is being held in Sydney, Australia from 2nd to 8th January 2012. The regatta has got off to a great start with the combined Yngling Open Championship and Youth Gold Cup setting the pattern for spectacular one design racing on Sydney Harbour when the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron hosts the 2012 Worlds next week.

The Yngling World Championship is the first of two world championships being hosted by the Squadron to mark their 150th anniversary, the second being the International Etchells in February.

2012 Fireball World Championships are set to be sailed in Mandurah, Western Australia commencing Tuesday 27th December 2011 through to Saturday 7th January 2012.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2012, this international event will set sail from Comet Bay, which is bound by the Indian Ocean, two popular beaches and the picturesque Mandurah Ocean Marina breakwater.

Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race fleet have completed race six, from New Zealand to Gold Coast Australia. The fleet will set sail for Singapore in race seven of the 15-race series on Christmas Eve.

Gold Coast Australia, one of the ten yachts competing in the race, now has another, very special message to carry around the world after the 2018 Commonwealth Games logo was unveiled for the first time this morning on the hull of the 68-foot ocean racer.

Sailor Helena Lucas of Great Britain took the win in the 2011 U.S. 2.4mR Class Association Pre-Worlds over Paul Tingley of Canada and Bruce Miller who tied for second place.

Tingley, who led the regatta on the strength of two wins on Day One, managed only two eighth-place finishes, one a throw-out, on Saturday. Millar posted two –fifths Saturday to catch Tingley after starting the day three points back.

At the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth, fantastic sailing conditions were delivered for what was to be the Canadians' final day. Action kicked off with the medal race in the Star class with the Canadian team of Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn holding down the final spot for medal race contention. The medal races took place very close to the shore which made for great racing entertainment.

The Canadians had a good start and rounded the first mark in fifth place.