I am thrilled to report that, the day after Toronto won the bid for the Pan Am Games, SLSC has won its bid to play host to the 2010 National Laser Masters Championships. On Saturday November 7, the North American Laser Class Association approved SLSC’s bid to hold the National Championships (a three day regatta) from Friday July 23 to Sunday July 25.
Being chosen to host this regatta is an honour for our little (but mighty) club. In our application to the Association, we emphasized our long history of Laser racing and as host of Laser events. This is what we told the Association as part of our covering email: “We have had many years of hosting Laser sailors at our regattas. Since 1972, our Club has hosted the Mid Ontario Championship Regatta, one of the consistently largest Laser regattas in the province. In 2008, we hosted the Provincial Laser Masters Championship Regatta. In 2009, we were the host of the District 3 Laser and Radial Championship Regatta…Our Club has a reputation for fine hospitality. Our regattas are a community effort and we would welcome the opportunity to play hosts to the Canadian Masters in 2010.”
Rob Koci, who was copied on our application, added his two cents worth in support. Rob sent an email to the North American Association that contained the following: “And may I add my approbations to [SLSC’s application]. Sturgeon Lake Sailing Club is one of the most hospitable clubs in District 3, and to make matters even better, close to the best, if not the best, at ensuring top quality, consistent race committee work. I heartily endorse this club as an excellent choice to host the Laser Masters Canadians. The regatta will be a pleasant memory for all who attend for years to come.” (editor’s note: ‘approbations’ is a fine word).
So we have our work set out for us: to host Canadian and international Lasers sailors the only way we know how – A community effort, lots of input from lots of people, and welcoming enthusiasm like no other host club. Masters sailing is so great because it is a celebration of sailing as a lifelong activity and, in Richard Roberts, we have our own international level Master sailor to cheer on.
This will be a smaller regatta in terms of numbers of sailors than our Mids Regatta, but the quality of the sailing and the depth of the sailors’ experience will be a treat to watch.
We are proposing to provide beds for the Masters sailors and their spouses at cottages and to provide communal dinners and breakfasts ashore and sustenance on the water for sailors. All this will require that full community effort of volunteers of which I spoke: registration folk, race commitee people, safety boat operators, lunch makers, dinner and breakfast cooks, servers, the results team, the harbour master crew, traffic cops and direction providers, sign erectors, and bed suppliers among others. The planning will begin early in the new year and we are looking for donators of beds for weary masters and helping hands to complete our tasks. Please send offers of both to [email protected].
Thanks in advance for your help in what I know will be another memorable SLSC event of which we can be proud.
Hugh