Canadian Yachting June 2016 - (Page 98)

CROSSING THE LINE By John Morris Does Racing Still Exist? 1. Even though the Olympics are covered wall-to-wall on CBC etc. the chances of ever seeing a boat or hearing a sailing result are about the same as me qualifying in high jump. 2. At least in the Pan-Am Games they compete in J24s and Lightnings, boats we can relate to. In this year's Olympics Canada has qualified for nine spots in categories that, frankly, are not top of mind for many Canadian boaters especially those over 30. RS:X, Nacra 17, 49er, Finn, 470. OK, on to. 3. The Olympics suck. Corrupt brass hats taking bribes, Putin, drug labs. Brazil chaos. Cost overruns. Who can get enthused about that? 4. Professionalism. Even Canadian medal winners get big dollars. Coke and McDonalds are billion-dollar sponsors and gone are the days of noble warriors replaced now by endorsement chasers. Not so much in sailing, perhaps, but the once-esteemed Games has lost its shine. For me, anyhow. 98 Canadian Yachting Photo Credit: Ralph Curtis, Cobourg Yacht Club The numbers say maybe; the press releases say yes. Don Finkle at RCR Yachts says yes yes yes. My "Magic 8-ball" says 'concentrate and ask again'. Booming some places, limping in others, as we head into the 2016 season the racing picture is anything but clear. This is an Olympic Sailing year. Did you know that? Do you care? The 2016 Olympic sailing events kick off on August 5th. Yes, this year. There are several reasons why you may not know or care: BTW, America's Cup qualifying is also happening again. Last time, we were quite meh on what had happened to that magnificent institution and its convoluted rules but in the end it turned out to be pretty exciting. I recommend we reserve judgment. What does turn the old crank is the gentle revving up of club and regional racing. Joining the demise of the passenger pigeon are the large fleets of cruiser/racers - C&C 34s and the like - that once filled our lakes and coastal waters. But white sail racing is generating enthusiasm at club levels and in some corners hot boats where asymmetrics are attracting younger fans. That is surely a good sign. While there are some nice developments for one design - Sharks live on, J-70s are cooking - it is handicap racing that is drawing quite respectable fleets. I spoke with mid-20s Matt, who I have elected to speak on behalf of a new generation. His interests range well beyond just sailing (he's a golf maniac and is working hard to build a future in the Centennial reality) but has found a niche in racing. In the past five years, he has crewed aboard a variety of Js, Sonars, Bene 10Rs and 36.7s and so on. He is currently pounding as crew on a Beneteau Figaro, a popular choice from the percolating world of international keel speedsters. Better even, Matt reports that the boats and crews are returning to our waters, at least in the regattas he's racing. The Lake Ontario 300 draws quite large fleets and match racing has become popular here and there. Matt's busy schedule this summer will shoehorn in Wednesday Night Racing and a series of weekend events. When I ask Matt about the fleets' general overall he tells me that they're very active and even appear to be growing. I was particularly excited about the last part of his comment, "it is quite a scene watching 100+ boats sail out to the starting line". Those start line crowds always excited me, back in the boom days of the Youngstown Level Regatta and Saturday LORC racing when fleets were even bigger. Even though the world of sail racing continues to change, here are some hints that racing excitement could be gently coming back. * JUNE 2016 http://parkbridgemarinas.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting June 2016

Vantage Point: Buy Your Boat Fuel At A Marina
Waterfront: Jeanneau BVI Owners’ Rendezvous, Readers’ Stories, Green Boating Guide
Club Profile: Charlottetown Yacht Club
International Boat Show Feature: BOOT Dusseldorf - Described as the largest boat show in Europe, the BOOT show packs 17 buildings full of every kind of boat and boating accessory that you an imagine. Walk through with John Morris and enjoy a glimpse of this massive event. By John Morris
Destination: The Magnificent Thousand Islands - Cruising in the middle of Manitouana, a wonderful land of plenty in the St.Lawrence River on a C&C 30’ bareboat charter. By Mark Stevens | Photographs by Sharon Matthews-Stevens
Salty Dog Rally: The Call of Dawg - The Dawgs convene in Hampton, Virginia each fall ahead of their journey to the BVI’s. Rich in Can Con and with equal parts partying and preparedness, the author joins this jovial group as they get ready to cruise down the Intracoastal. By John Morris
Power Review: Neptunus 650
Power Review: MJM 50z
CPS Port Hole
Sea Salt: Recipes from the West Coast Galley
Confident Sailor/Reluctant Sailor: Cruising as a Couple: Part 1 of 3 - “Our first trip to the Bahamas was ”Living his dream – on her terms”. We did it. There was no mutiny. No divorce. This is our story – that of the very reluctant boater who actually left the dock and Toronto behind. ” By Rob MacLeod
Crossing the Line: Does Racing Still Exist?

Canadian Yachting June 2016