2023 ILCA CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

This year's ILCA Canadian Championships took place at Buffalo Canoe Club from August 25th to 27th. I came into this year's event hoping to defend my title from last year’s event at ABYC. The first day saw light winds from the north, with very unstable conditions. I made a number of mistakes on the first beats, leaving myself a challenge to climb up the ranks with finishes of 5, 11, and 8th after a flag.

The second day saw marginal hiking conditions with more stable breeze, I was able to finish 6, 3, and 3 in the 3 races, moving up a bit and giving me an opportunity to potentially finish on the podium with a good last day. The final day saw similar light and variable conditions to the first day with big changes in direction. I finished the first race in 9th, costing me any chance of defending my title. Prior to the last gun time the race committee started a final race, with a start at the favored end I found myself in 2nd place, with the positions being such that I would have moved up to 2nd, when the race committee decided to abandon a race for the first time in the entire event. I finished in 4th place. Kudos to the race committee for getting as many races off in challenging conditions as they did and BCC for being incredible hosts.

CORK OCR

I competed in my first Sail Canada Senior Championships from August 18 - 21 in the laser class. From a performance perspective I was unhappy with how I finished - 12th place overall. I opened the regatta with a 10, 4, 13, 1 on the first day leaving me in 4th place so my drop from there was tough. On the other hand I had a great regatta from a focus standpoint. I felt that I was on my game for the whole regatta even though the results don’t reflect that.

A line squall came through on the final day and when the visibility dropped the Race Committee sent us in. It was a quick if wet reach back to the harbour.  (#206038)

I’m looking forward to getting back to school this fall and putting in a strong training block before the winter regatta season. The next key event for me will be Lauderdale Yacht Club OCR in January 2019 which is the selection event for Canada’s spot at the Pan Am Games.

2018 CORK OCR RESULTS
EVENT PHOTOS

2018 ICE BREAKER REGATTA

The local regatta season kicked off on the May long weekend with the Ice Breaker Regatta at Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club. We sailed for two days on Humber Bay in varying conditions. The first day brought plenty of wind from the east at around 12-17 knots and waves. I focused on my downwinds and starts in more breeze. I was happy with how I executed these and sailed very well. I sat in 2nd out of a fleet of 12 after the first day.

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The second day brought fluctuating wind strength and direction from the north-west. These unsettled conditions lead to exciting racing with such a small fleet. I fell to 4th place and one point off the podium after a difficult second day. Big thanks to everyone who braved the cold to make this regatta happen. And my mom (Elle Bruce) who was out and took some great photos!

2018 ICE BREAKER RESULTS
REGATTA PHOTOS
 

QUEENS SAILING TEAM - 2017 CAN/AM CUP

Some may not realize that Kingston Ontario is often referred to as the “freshwater sailing capital of the world.”  This obviously was a key pro for Queen’s when I was evaluating where I would pursue my post secondary education.

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Queen's University Sailing Team promo stickers handed out at CORK.  Brilliant!

I have joined the Queen’s sailing team. I am one of 20 or so rookies on a team of 50. We compete mostly whitesail 420s and keelboats. We have a plethora of training opportunities and I attend 3 times a week at Kingston Yacht Club in 420s. A number of people I have grown up sailing against are also on the team, including past and present Ontario Sailing Team members such as Alek, Clara, James, and Matti.

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My first regatta came a few weekends ago at the Can/Am Cup hosted by Queens. I was a part of the Gaels 2 team comprised of rookies. I skippered the A-fleet boat with Georgia Stein as crew. We sailed extremely well together, winning 3/6 races on the first day. An OCS on the second day with the different rule set meaning no drops pushed us down to 3rd place in A-fleet and overall when combined with our 4th placed b-fleet teammates. Overall Queen's finished in 1st and 3rd.

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Sailing the double handed 420 with fellow rookie Georgia.
PHOTO CREDIT:  Aaron Bailey with Studio Q

I’m really excited to be a part of this group and look forward to future events with the team. Hopefully next year we can increase our presence in the US collegiate sailing scene.

Keep up to date with the Queen's Sailing Team at gogaelsgo.com or on Facebook

ON WATER PHOTO CREDITS:  Aaron Bailey for Studio Q

2017 ICEBREAKER REGATTA

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Icebreakers Regatta was held this year at TSCC on the weekend of May 20-21. Despite high water levels the organizing officials pushed ahead with the event. Local systems brought 2 days of medium to high winds in the 15 knot range out of the east. I raced this event in the laser standard to test myself against those I will be racing against from the fall onward. I placed a respectable 7th place out of 14 with consistent results in the top ten. My best finish was 3rd in the final race. I look forward to competing at this event next year.

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2017 ICEBREAKER REGATTA RESULTS

REGATTA PHOTOS

2016 FALL CORK

On the weekend following the Ontario Sailing Combine I participated in the annual Fall CORK event at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour in Kingston. This year there were 57 boats competing in the Laser Radial fleet.

Though sunny, the weather this year was unfavourable for sailing with extremely light and shifty winds. The race committee managed to get 3 races off in the difficult conditions. Unfortunately racing was called off on the first day just as the wind reached steady conditions after a general recall.

Light and shifty wind conditions at Fall CORK regatta frustrated the race committee and sailors alike. As seen here when the wind completely died in the middle of a starting sequence.

Light and shifty wind conditions at Fall CORK regatta frustrated the race committee and sailors alike. As seen here when the wind completely died in the middle of a starting sequence.

I fell victim to inconsistency and poor results leading to a finish of 4th place. I would like to thank the race committee and everyone involved with the event for doing their best given the frustrating conditions and I hope for better racing next year.

2016 FALL CORK RESULTS

ONTARIO SAILING COMBINE 2016

In September I participated in the Ontario Sailing Combine. This 2-day event is held each year prior to Fall CORK in Kingston, Ontario. Across the two days coaches are evaluating you on your fitness, sailing ability, and character for possible selection to one of the Ontario teams.

On the morning of the first day there is a fitness circuit that all athletes do. It consists of push ups, pull ups, flexibility, plank, and measurements. The measurements taken include height, weight, and BMI. After this all athletes participate in the beep test. I am proud to say almost all of my fitness scores improved over last year.

The rest of the evaluation comes on the water. There are two on-water sessions, one in the afternoon on the Thursday and one on Friday. This is a good pre regatta tune-up and an opportunity to display your skills. Additionally we were treated to a great talk from Ken Dool; Canadian Sailing Team Head Coach and High Performance Director on what being an athlete is about.  Having only just returned from coaching our Canadian Olympic Sailing Team in Rio, his perspective was invaluable and thoughts were inspiring.

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I enjoyed this year's combine and was able to retain my place on OST Elite Radial Team. I would like to thank Ontario Sailing and all of the coaches for running a great event.

ONTARIO SAILING TEAM MEMBERS 2016/17

2016 CORNISH HENS REGATTA

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The annual Cornish Hen Regatta was hosted this year over the September 10-11 weekend at RHYC. This regatta often draws a small but competitive fleet of local racers, and is named after the prize given to competitors who podium.  

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This year I chose to sail in full rig for a fun and more competitive experience. I ended up coming 2nd in the regatta after 5 races. I had finishes of 3, 6, 2, 4, 1 leaving me with 10 points after the drop. The conditions were excellent on the first day with 20 knots from the south west but the race committee sent us in after 1 race with concerns about the safety of some of the younger sailors. The second day brought light and shifty conditions that are common in Hamilton Harbour.

Sailing in the full rig was an interesting and fulfilling experience that will help me when I move into the class full time for 2018.

2016 CORNISH HENS REGATTA RESULTS

CORK - SAIL CANADA YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

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My summer culminated with the CORK International - Sail Canada Youth Championship Regatta at the end of August in Kingston Ontario. This regatta held significant importance for me as it was the qualifier for the ISAF / Youth World Sailing 2016 Championships to be held in New Zealand this December.  The winner would be offered the spot to represent Canada.  My main goal while I sail the laser radial (before I move on to the Olympic Class Laser Standard boat) is to attend an ISAF/World Sailing Youth Championship before I age out. Which means I only have two left.  Qualifying this time out was a small stretch but entirely doable and I trained hard all summer with this goal in mind.  Sadly I fell just slightly short.  After 12 races in total in a fleet of 148 I finished up 4th overall and 3rd Canadian.  A huge improvement on my previous years finishes but two places out of the opportunity to represent Canada at the Worlds this year .

The conditions in Kingston for this regatta were unusual.  I had spent almost 6 weeks in Kingston training 5 days per week with the Ontario Sailing Elite team but none of that would prepare me for what nature served up.  Usually during the summer Kingston will get a thermal almost every day. This wind will be around 12-15 knots and from the south-west or just to the right of the island. There was not a single one of these types of days during the regatta. This year the wind was light to medium for every race except one. That one race was the final race of qualifiers and a squall  came through with fog, rain, and 25 knot winds.

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Race 6 - rounding the leeward mark just after the squall had passed.

My best race of the regatta came on the first race on the second day of qualifiers. In that race I was one of the only people to notice a massive wind shift favouring the pin end of the start line at about 1 minute left to go. I sailed to that end of the line, had a clean start and crossed in front of the fleet by a significant amount. I led the entire race and won by over a minute. It was an exhilarating feeling.  I am really proud of this result and would like to believe this is a sign of things to come.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sailingshot.ca

Unfortunately this regatta also had it’s share of disappointing races. Some poor starts, bad luck, and sometimes poor decisions led to results that weren't my best. Over the entire regatta I was fairly consistent with race finishes of 5, 5, 4, 1, 8, 2, 11, 4, OCS, 11, 3, 10. The regatta came down to the wire with fellow Ontario Sailing team mate Matti Muru, Quebec sailor Justin Vittecoq and I all tied in points for first place.

Had the regatta finished after 11 races I would have won. At one point it seemed unlikely that the race committee would manage to get a 12th race started before the time limit for the final day ran out, but with less than 5 minutes left on the clock they started us. Unfortunately in that final race I was unable to keep ahead of Justin and Matti and in the end I finished 3rd Canadian and 4th overall.  Although this was disappointing I’m really proud of my effort and how I put myself in the position to win.

Many thanks to all who worked so hard organize and run this event. Special thanks to my coach Chris Hewson, to Sarah Douglas and to the rest of my team for being the best of training partners.  Finally congratulations to Justin, Matti, Campbell Patton (Bermuda) and Alex - my fellow competitors on the podium this year.  Good competition makes great sailing - my thanks.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sailingshot.ca via @CORKKingston Twitter feed

RESULTS CORK INTERNATIONAL - SAIL CANADA YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

FOUR SISTERS REGATTA 2016

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The annual Four Sisters Regatta took place on July 16 and 17 at Port Credit Yacht Club. This year 60 competitors attended for the radial class. We had two great days of sailing on Lake Ontario with winds ranging from 3 to 8 knots and some small to medium waves. The sun wasn’t always out but it was warm nonetheless with temperatures in the high 20s celsius on the water.

This is a local event for me and Port Credit is a great facility capable of hosting the large numbers of sailors that come out to compete in this mid-season event.  My results have continued to improve year over year.  In 2014 I finished 14th, last year I placed 5th and this year I was very pleased to have won the event with finishes of 1, 1, 61 BFD, 1, 11, 1, 1.

Competition is always good at Four Sisters - and this year was no different with all of the laser radial sailors on the podium finishing within one point of each other. The event offered great practise for me in the areas of covering and fleet management both up and downwind. Congratulations to all my fellow competitors, and thanks to the coaches, parents, organizers, and volunteers who made this event happen.

2016 FOUR SISTERS RESULTS

LILAC REGATTA 2016

Lilac regatta took place recently on May 28-29 weekend. Twenty two competitors competed in the laser radial class. On Saturday 4 races were completed in light wind and extremely shifty conditions. I scraped out of the day with finishes of 8, 5, 1 and 5 placing me in 3rd at the end of the first day. Sunday brought steadier breeze and colder temperatures with wind reaching 12 knots. I was delighted with how I sailed on the second day, winning all 3 races and leading the one that was called off by significant margins. Sunday's results moved me into first place overall as the regatta finished up.  Hamilton harbour being a smaller body of water creates conditions that are difficult to master and is it's an interesting place to sail, I look forward to facing the challenge again soon.

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LILAC FESTIVAL REGATTA 2016 RESULTS

ICEBREAKER REGATTA 2016

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON TEAM ROOSTER SAILING GEAR BLOG

This past weekend I had the opportunity to sail at the TSCC Icebreaker Regatta in Toronto, Ontario. Perhaps the best description of this regatta is the one found on their website;

The Toronto Sailing and Canoe Club Icebreaker Regatta is a long standing tradition in the local sailing scene and a proving ground for many young sailors.  This is one of the first big regattas of the season and can be a test of skills as the weather can be a range of all types, but one thing is for sure, the water is cold!
TSCC ICEBREAKER WEBSITE

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My team, the Ontario Sailing Team, trains out of TSCC regularly and hosted a 2-day pre-regatta tune up camp with the development team to prep for the conditions. We put a lot of work into our down speed boat maneuvers to be used on a start line. This was very helpful especially when starting in close quarters with other sailors.

Racing ran Saturday and Sunday with a healthy turnout in 3 fleets - 29ers, laser standard and laser radial - despite it being a holiday weekend.  Most are local sailors, although we were fortunate to have some top notch competition make the trip from the province of Quebec to join us.  Twenty-one boats attended this year's event in the Laser Radial fleet.

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Toronto is notorious for it’s light wind and shifty conditions.  The best example of this being the 3rd race on day two, when after the laser radial’s first upwind the race committee wisely abandoned when wind readings at the top and bottom of the course were drastically conflicting. But the well experienced race committee did a great job of keeping things fair and managed to get off 5 races.

My results over both days were very consistent and I ended up with 15 points. After the drop I had 9 points which placed me in 2nd. Great starts and excellent boat speed along with staying in phase with the fleet kept me at the top of the fleet and resulted in consistently good placings including my first win of the season. I managed to exceed my goal of top 5 so I am very happy with my event.

This is a nice improvement on my showing last year of 9th place although due to light wind on two of three days of racing the race committee only managed to get 3 races off in total that year.

Next year my goal will be to take this a step further and hopefully win the regatta.

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Overall a great start to the local regatta season here in Ontario and big thanks to all who supported, volunteered, coached and competed!  

TSCC ICEBREAKER REGATTA 2016 RESULTS