It blows hard in Kingston in the fall – that is Kingston’s reputation – but at last year’s Fall CORK regatta our sailors saw a different Kingston. It was a quiet affair. Little breezes with patches of no wind, sailors searching for puffs, being quiet in the boats so as not to spill any of the wind that was available…Well not this year! This year Kingston was Kingston again and, on Saturday September 25, the winds came hard and it was all about staying upright, making it around, survival.
This regatta hosts the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) National Team Qualifying event (NQR) for both men in the Laser and women in the Laser Radial. It also hosts the Ontario Championship series finale for 420s, 29ers, Lasers, Laser Radials and Optimists. There were over 150 sailors for this event representing, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Germany.
SLSC was represented by two 420 boats at Fall CORK. Owen Thomas sailing with Max Tristan (of South Muskoka) and Claire DesBrisay sailing with Evan Burtt (for the first time)… and they all survived and got around and Claire and Evan even managed to stay upright.
There were 14 420s that participated in the racing. Claire and Evan finished a very credible 6th. Owen and Max used the regatta as a heavy wind learning experience and finished 10th. Well done gang and nice to see that SLSC continues to be represented at this Ontario Sailing year end event. The 420s fleet was won by Adam MacDonald and Rhys Cameron of Buffalo Canoe Club in Fort Erie. They were crowned Ontario Champions for 2010.
The Laser and the Laser Radial are respectively an Olympic class boat for both the men and women. The NQR for these two classes is one of the most important regattas of the year as the Canadian National team is selected and named from the results of this event.
The Laser and Radial fleets were a virtual who’s who of Canadian sailing with Bernard Luttmer a former Olympian who represented Canada in 2004 in Athens and Lisa Ross who represented Canada in the last two Olympics and is currently campaigning for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Current National team members were in attendance, as well as a number of up and coming sailors who are taking advantage of competing with the best in the country at this Olympic class venue.
In the Laser Class, David Wright of RCYC took top spot followed by Chris Dold also of RCYC and Luke Ramsey of Royal Vancouver. In the Radials, it was Isabella Bertold of Royal Van, followed by Ingrid Merry of RCYC and Lisa Ross of Royal Nova Scotia. These sailors have staked out their spots on the Canadian National team and they along with other stars of the Laser and Radial fleets will be vying to be Canada’s representatives at the 2012 Olympics in England.