March 7, 2012
by Sailing Office

White Sail I Sessions 1 and 2

Bronze IV Session 1 Optimist Learn to Race Session 1 and 2 420 Rep Team Summer 2012 (tryouts will be held this spring)    

We encourage you to sign up now before it is too late. Click here to register (use this link http://www.rcyc.ca/Doc-Types/Youth-Sailing/Registration.aspx) If you have any questions please contact RCYC’s head coach Dan Cunningham at 967.7245 ext. 559.

---

March 5, 2012
by Sailing Office

Shark Trillium Regatta, May 25-27, 2012
25th Annual Regatta

View Promotional Flyer

---

February 28, 2012
by Sailing Office Right after his success in winning the Canadian Olympic trials David was right back at it in winning the 2012 laser mid winters east. Encouragingly second place also went to lee Parkhil and 8th overall went to Robert Davis of the club. Brenda Bowskill also represented the RCYC well coming in 12th of 94 boats For complete results click here

February 2, 2012
by Sailing Office

On Thursday evening January 26th the International IRC Owners Association, Lake Ontario Fleet hosted its Annual General Meeting at the National Yacht Club in Toronto. 

Over the years this annual meeting has become much more than the formality of election of officers, financial reports and discussion of IRC rule changes. The meeting has become a productive way for the IRC executive to hear directly from owners for input and to discuss ways we can make IRC racing in the region attractive to an ever increasing cross-section of the racing community around Lake Ontario.

From the meeting we know that all of you realize the IRC rule is stable, reliable, inclusive of a very diverse fleet and free of regional bias. All very positive traits to attract Lake Ontario racers to the IRC rule. In the last number of years the IRC has proven to be the fairest, most equitable rule we could possibly be racing under in the Lake Ontario region. For 2012 we have again created a regional schedule of IRC sanctioned events that encompasses a variety of racing venues and disciplines. Our racing divisions should again prove attractive to a very wide range of boat size, speed potential and vintage. It is the intention of the IRC executive to underwrite a portion of measurement costs in 2012 to make it even more attractive for owners to get their boats weighed and fully measured. Stay tuned for more details in upcoming newsletters.

For 2012 the IRC regional executive includes Kevin Brown as Chairman, Adam Farkas as Treasurer and Carson Woods as Offshore Racing Representative. Regional Representatives include Don Finkle for Youngstown/Niagara, John Odenbach for Rochester with Jim McGuinness for Toronto East and Andrew Riem for Toronto West. Both Jim and Andrew are new to our executive for 2012 and we give a very big thank you to Winston Beckett for his efforts as our outgoing Toronto East representative. Also part of our executive committee is our measurement team. They are key to the continued growth and success of IRC in the Lake Ontario region. Our 2012 measurers include John Crawley as both our Chief Measurer and keeper of the www.lorc.org website which is the source for all IRC information for the Lake Ontario region. John works tirelessly on our behalf. Our regional measurers include Peter Wallace in Toronto and Tarry Polidor in Rochester. We thank them both for their outstanding efforts in 2011. With over one hundred IRC certificates processed in the Lake Ontario region in 2011 we met all our expectations for regional growth. We promise to do our best to keep them busy measuring more new boats in 2012.

This years edition of our AGM featured informative presentations from a number of regatta hosts and a seminar on sail design, and IRC sail optimization, from North Sails Toronto. We would like to thank Goeff Moore and Nick Dovbniak from North Sails for their informative presentation and their insights into the development program for Buckeroo Banzai that culminated with David Ogden's nearly stock J35 taking first overall at the 2011 IRC North American Championship.

We would like to thank John Gary for travelling from Oswego to deliver a very interesting presentation regarding Oswego and the Oswego Yacht Club's hosting of the 2012 LYRA Regatta this summer. They are well on their way in planning an excellent event and we encourage everyone to consider attendance. We would appreciate input from all owners that are planning to attend LYRA as to whether a two or three day course racing program would be most desirable. For slip information at the Oswego YC please contact Jeanne Cooper at jcooper@oswego.org or 315-342-8186.

Brian Townsend of the Lake Ontario 300 Organising Committee delivered an excellent presentation on the 2012 edition of the LO300 which will include a new Sperry Topsider trophy specifically for the IRC overall winner. Who is going to be the first boat to get their name on this very prestigious piece of hardware? We expect the IRC fleet will be stronger than ever for this years race. The race is sure to be its usual test of offshore sailing skill. The LO300 is quickly becoming the premier distance race on the Great Lakes and certainly the only one offering multiple IRC divisions.

With Don Finkle unable to make the AGM due to illness it fell to our IRC executive to present the Youngstown Level Regatta. The 'Level' is sure to be an entertaining and competitive weekend especially as this year it has been chosen as the host of the 2012 IRC Great Lakes Championship. It is the first time this event has been hosted on Lake Ontario and we expect a very large and diverse fleet from all corners of the lake in attendance. We encourage everyone to sign up for IRC when registering for Levels this year as we wish to be able to break the fleet out into at least three divisions for the best racing possible. This is a not to be missed IRC event in 2012.

Awards for both the IRC Lake Ontario Championship Series and the Toronto IRC Fall Series were presented at the AGM. This years winners in the Lake Ontario Championship Series included Xoomer Xpress in IRC 1, Crime Scene in IRC 2 and Five Fifteen in IRC 3. Overall awards put Xoomer Xpress in 3rd, Red Jacket in 2nd and Crime Scene in 1st. Fall Series winners included Maggie Kelly in IRC 1, Crime Scene in IRC 2 with the top three overall places going to Red Jacket in 3rd, Maggie Kelly in 2nd and Crime Scene in 1st. Go to www.lorc.org to see complete results.

Special awards were given out to Robert Eckersley's Blue Streak for their IRC Overall win in the 2011 Lake Ontario 300 and to Chris Rypkema's Umi Taka for taking IRC Overall in the Susan Hood. The presentation of Suunto timepieces went to Suunto IRC Canadian Championship division winners Chris Rypkema for his win in IRC 1 and to Stephen Trevitt for his win in IRC 2. JIm McGuinness previously received his Suunto Yachtsman timepiece as the overall winner of the 2011 IRC Canadian Championship. Congratulations to all.

The final presentation of the evening was the awarding of the prestigious IRC Boat of the Year for 2011. We are proud to announce that Stephen Trevitt and the crew of the J35 Crime Scene are this years deserving winners. Their regular attendance and outstanding performances throughout the season made them the overwhelming choice as this years recipient. It seems that 2011 was the year of the J35. Not bad for a thirty year old design. 

Lake Ontario IRC Executive Committee

International IRC Owners Association, Lake Ontario Fleet

Lynne Beale Chosen to the Olympic Jury

Very Special Recognition

Lynne Beal , a shark sailor and RCYC member, has been selected to serve on the International Jury for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. This, on the heels of her service on the Jury for the ISAF World Sailing Championships this November-December in Australia, is an appreciation of her knowledge, her skill, and her extraordinary ability to work under pressure in difficult situations and with highly accomplished athletes and officials.

The job? It ordinarily starts long before the regatta, reading, correcting, and organizing major documents, the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions. Then at the regatta to meet early on the morning of each day of competition with coaches and competitors, then to spend the day on the water in small boats enforcing the rules about kinetics (illegal pumping, rocking, and sculling), then to spend the evening in protest hearings. That can well be a 14-hour day.

In addition, this January Lynne has been at the International Federation for Disabled Sailing World Championships, in Florida, where she was a member of the International Jury. And next summer she will additionally serve on the Jury for the Paralympics Sailing Regatta in Weymouth, England.

---

January 24, 2012
by Sailing Office

Canadian Yachting Association Annual Awards Banquet
The CYA will be honoring RCYC Member Paul D. Phelan with the Rolex Sailor of the Year Award and the following other Members at the annual Canadian Rolex Sailor of the Year Event on Saturday, February 4th at the Carlu Theater in Toronto. Click here for more event information and tickets.

Marvin McDill Award – Ingrid Merry
President’s Award – Grant Hood (owner) and Oskar Johansson (Helm)
For The Royal Canadian Yacht Club’s Canada’s Cup Victory
President’s Award – John Hele (owner) and Terry McLaughlin (Helm)
For The Royal Canadian Yacht Club’s NYYC Invitational Cup Victory

---

January 23, 2012
by Sailing Office

Road to London 2012 - KEEP CALM AND SAIL ON

Save the Date!  Thursday, February 16th, 2012 5:30 - 9pm; Kick off the 'Family Day' Long Weekend with a fun
evening in support of our Olympic Sailors!

Meet our Olympians, Live Entertainment, Silent Auction, British Themed Photo Booth & More! 

Call for Membership Support: We need additional auction items!  No vacation property too smail or BIG ticket item too BIG!!  
Please contact Scott McGregor: scott.mcgregor@oracle.com or Caroline Van Nostrand: cvannostrand@rsgc.on.ca to donate!!

---

January 19, 2012
by Sailing Office

 

Starting this Sunday, January 23rd six male sailors and six female radial sailors will be competing in their final Olympic trials to see who will represent Canada in London 2012.

In the laser fleet Chris Dold is narrowly leading David Wright coming into Miami. There are only two positions separating these two sailors after the first trials in Perth Australia. (As a side note thank you to the members who financially supported all these sailors to get to Perth)

In the radial fleet, Claire Merry has an uphill battle going into her final trails. Currently sitting in third place behind Isabella Bertold from Vancouver and Danielle Dube. Claire needs a solid result to progress; only eight positions separate Claire from her dream of London in August.

In addition to these trials we wish the best for Caroline Kaars Sijpesteijn, Barb Kaars Sijpesteijn & Joanne Prokop in their trials as well. The girls have shown great improvement over the past year and are hopeful they will win one of the last remaining match racing spots in London.

Finally best of luck to our other members who are competing in Miami. Although not their Olympic trials this grade one event will test their skills against the worlds best.

Finn class Chris Cook, Greg Douglas, Martin Robitaille

49er Class- Gordon Cook, Billy Gooderham, Ian Hogan, Dave Mori, Arthur and John Ferguson, Justin Barnes

RSX class David Hayes

2.4 meter Alan Leibel

Laser class- David Wright, Chris Dold, Lee Parkhill, Mitch MacDonald, Robert Davis, Greg Clunies 

Radial class- Claire Merry, Ingrid Merry, Brenda Bowskill, Violet Stafford, Bronwyn Richardson, Samantha Rey

For more information and to check the results go to  http://rmocr.ussailing.org/

---

January 18, 2012
by Sailing Office

2012 IRC Calendar and Certificate Renewal Information

 

Remember that the IRC Annual General Meeting and Prize Giving is coming up on January 26th. The meeting is being hosted by the National Yacht Club and will commence at 6pm with the serving of light fare. Awards will be given out for the 2011 IRC Lake Ontario Championship Series and Toronto Fall Series in addition to special awards including the announcement of the IRC Lake Ontario Boat of the Year award. This is an open meeting and social event. We will have presentations from a number of our 2012 regatta hosts. Anyone interested in the IRC is invited to attend.

Brian Chapman as the principal of our very active and loyal fleet sponsor UK Halsey Sailmakers in Toronto has brought our attention to their very good website and invites everyone to sign up for their regular educational newsletter here. There are a number of very interesting features to the UK Halsey site that includes a very informative Rules Quiz section that everyone will find useful and educational for the whole crew. 

Please be sure to download and print the IRC Racing Calendar that is attached to this e-mail. The calendar is being displayed at numerous booths throughout the Toronto Boatshow this week and is being sent electronically to all yacht clubs around Lake Ontario and vicinity. Please insure your club posts our calendar and encourage your club to distribute the calendar through their club E-Newsletters if possible.

The Lake Ontario IRC Executive Committee

---

January 12, 2012
by Sailing Office

---

January 11, 2012
by Sailing Office

DO YOU HAVE POTENTIAL CREW – OR JUNIOR CREW - WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM A

 

“LEARN TO CREW” PROGRAM?

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND – 7-10 PM – 4 Tuesdays in April

Assumes little to no keel boat or racing knowledge, although some have Junior Club sailing or cruising from years past.

Sessions start with sailing and racing vocabulary and knot tying.  We use videos to review actual crew racing activities, and have “hands on” with Harken winches and cleats.  We coach students on what to say to the skipper and when, and we go through the race process.  The course finishes with a review and a test on the final week to provide a “Basic Crew Certification”.  Skippers who used the grads last year found them effective and able to contribute starting on the first night.   Taught by  regular Tuesday night racers and CYA certified instructors, Maureen Giles and Gavin Pitchford

If you have crew – or family members past age 16  – who would benefit – sign them up here minimal $35 charge for course materials and refreshments.

And If you need crew – go to the On-Line Crew bank here.

---

 

Janurary 2, 2012
by Dan Cunningham

RCYC Junior Club 2012

The RCYC has a long history of producing excellent sailors with a passion and dedication for the sport. Its graduates include olympians, top offshore racers, and many lifelong sailors. All members of the RCYC Junior Club will have the opportunity to experience the sport of sailing in a safe, fun-filled, and challenging environment.

The RCYC is offering several new programs this year including:

- Increased sessions and capacity for Sailing and Sports
- Spring Bonze Sail Program: Bronze sail curriculum 10am - 3pm Saturdays May - June
- Youth Keel Adventure Camp: A two week camp focused on teaching hands on navigation and crusing skills

Full information on each program can be found in the Youth Sailing Section of the Website 

Registration for 2012 programs can be found here

---

December 15, 2011
by Sailing office

 

Major Regatta Fixture list 2012

G'day mate,

It is the third day of racing and we have now finished the qualifying series of our ISAF World Championship here in Australia.  So far we have had a mix of conditions during the event with yesterday being cancelled after lots of waiting around because of storms.  Today we did three races to make up for lost time yesterday.  We sailed out in very light winds but as our MET staff predicted, the wind shifted to 240 very quickly and picked up to about 12 knots for our first race.  For the second and third race the wind picked up to 15+ knots with some tough chop to steer through.  The wind continued to shift left throughout these races and there were multiple course changes made to accommodate this.  The second and third races were particularily testing because instead of sailing the typical two upwind/downwind trapezoid courses, we sailed three upwind and downwind legs and the races were around 70 minutes each.  All in all, it was a warm day out there with some good winds and quality racing.  Tomorrow is the first day of final races.

Claire,

Full results can be found here results

And Race tracking can be found here tracking

Brenda Bowskill on her way to the finish of race 5

---

Dec 6, 2011
by Sailing Office

Join us at the City Club on December 11th at 6 pm for the Premier Screening of the Canadian Sailing Film - O CANADA PROJECT - featuring some of Canada's finest sailors learning to sail an Open 60 in New Zealand.  This is Part 2 of the Sailing Documentary Film Series.  Click here to watch the trailer. 

---

Dec 6, 2011
by Dan Cunningham

No racing on Day two of the ISAF worlds. An unstable weather system brought a string of thunderstorms and rain through the day. Athletes waited out the day in the Fremantle Sailing Club until the day was called at 2pm. Tomorrow's forcast looks much more favorable with more stable weather and seabreeze in the afternoon.

---

Dec 5, 2011
by Sailing Office

 

Day one of the 2011 ISAF Worlds is in the bag. Racing got off to a slow start with unsteady breeze until 2pm when the thermal finally kicked in. Of RCYC's radial girls Claire Merry put together the best day. In Race one she had a stellar start and was 4th until receiving a flag during the final reach, finishing around 14th. During race two she worked the left side hard but did not commit enough on the 2nd beat and finished just above mid fleet.  Claire’s sister, Ingrid had a respectable top 20 in the first race, followed by a mid fleet finish in race two. Of note was Ingrid’s downwind speed, as she passed at least 5 boats per run.
For the Finn's the thermal kicked in a little stronger than on the Radial course, providing some physically challenging conditions for the guys. Chris Cook had a top 5 and a top 15 finish, Greg Douglas was just a little behind him. AS of writing this results are not up, but race tracking data and results will be here http://www.perth2011.com/

Hoses are not allowed for rinsing off at the end of the day so some athletes are being creative.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dec 2, 2011
By Dan Cunningham

Fifteen of RCYC's High Performance Team members are gearing up for the 2011 ISAF Worlds in Perth. This worlds is the first Qualifyer for next years Olympic Games in London. Here is a quick note from Laser Sailor Lee Parkhill.

Greetings from down under,

RCYC’s laser contingent of Myself (Lee Parkhill), David Wright and Chris Dold have all arrived in Perth and are gearing up for our upcoming Worlds and Olympic trials beginning on December 12th. Training before a World Championships is some of the best practice you will get all year. A day on the water usually consists of speed tuning in our Canadian group on the way out of the harbor, heading for where our race course is proposed to be during the Regatta. Once in the race area coaches organize marks and a race course and all the laser sailors converge and take part in practice races together. The past week we have had up to 50 of the top Laser sailors from around the world all training together and taking part in informal practice races. It’s not often you find a sport where all the top players and Countries train together. So far we have seen a large mix of conditions, but the majority of time the sea breeze dominates in the afternoon. 

From the three of us we would also like to thank RCYC and the Olympic Committee again for their support.

Thanks,

RCYC Lasers

 

---

November 29, 2011
By Sailing Office

This is a reminder that the 2012 Dock Forms are due by January 1, 2012.  You can print the Dock forms here and the Yacht Owner's Agreement form here.

---

November 28, 2011
By Sailing Office

Great Article on RCYC member David Ogden on his winning of the 2011 IRC North American Championships. Click here for the article.

---

November 28, 2011
By Sailing Office

 

 

---

November 24, 2011

 

A Special Thank you to the following people who have supported our Olympic hopefuls through donation and/ or attending the Olympic Fundraising dinner on October 6th. Your support has allowed for our athletes as well as a coach to get to Perth Australia for the Perth Olympic class World Championships.

Thank you!

Alan Adelkind

Alan Heisey

Alison Jones

Andre B Colenbrander

Andrea J. Camerson

Andrew L. Jones

Anonymous

Bernard Luttmer

Bill & Lynda Merry

Bob & Sally Medland

Bruce I. MacTaggart

Bruce Moyle

Bryan J Buttigieg

Caroline Kaars Sijpesteijn

Catherine Mary Birt

Cedric G.E. Gyles

Charles M. Scrivener

Chris Dold

Christopher K. Rich

Crosbie Allan

David E. Howard

David I. Matheson

David Jarvis

David Wright

Debra & Craig Lindsay

Doug Bullock

Edwin Jarmain

Edwin K. Weir

Elizabeth Fanjoy

Elizabeth Lesslie

Fiona Kidd

Frank J. McLaughlin

George Meadows

George Mezo

George V Hughs

Gordon McIlquham

Heather A. Sampson

Hugh Drake

Ian Farquharson

Ian Struthers

James H. Lisson

James Keating

James R Bateman

James Hamilton

Jane E. Emery

Jane Green

Janet Armstrong

Janet M.M. McDougall

 Jay Nicholson

Jennifer A. Provan

John C. Millen

John Curtis

John E.A. Wildman

John McLeod

John O'Dwyer

John W. Thompson

Karen McRae

Karen Brookman

Kevin R. Pask

Louise Cannon

Margaret Winter

Mark Decelles

Mark Baker

Martha Henderson

Michael C Birley

Michael C. Newbury

Michael Chapman

Michael J. Hill

Michael Jones

Oskar Johansson

Peter Brymer

Paul Scrivener

Pamela Campbell

Patrick E. Kierans

Patrick E.M. Gillen

Patrick J. Shield

Paul Henderson

Peter A. Adamson

 Scott McGregor

Peter A. Milligan

Peter Hall

Philip MacDonnell & Nancy Garrow

Richard S. Self

Robert A. Noble

Robin Clarke

Roland Orlie

Ruth Ann Penny

Sarah Domino

Scott Bell

Sheila Smith

Sherry Monahan

Stephen A.E. Boake

Stewart Green

Stuart & Laurie Bruce

Susan Fulford

Terry Vaudry

Thomas Kenedy

Timothy Walsh

Todd Irving

Tony Anderson

William F. Brennan

Wendy Anderson

William & Dale Douglas

 

---

November 21, 2011
by Sailing Office

 

 

Starting December 4th through to the 18th, Fourteen members of the RCYC will be competing at the ISAF Worlds in Perth. Every four years the ISAF Worlds hosts each Olympic class Worlds in a combined event. This event also serves as the first opportunity for Nations and the athlete's to qualify for the Olympics.

The RCYC has Fourteen athlete's currently preparing for this event. We wish the following the best winds and fair sailing.

Good luck to all!

The 2012 Olympic Games are only nine months away, and that means it is crunch time for Canadian athletes trying to qualify for the Games. Our sailing squad is trying to qualify for Women’s Match Racing, and has approached our journey to the Olympics in four stages.

Stage 1: July – September

Stage 2: October – December

Stage 3: January – July

Stage 4: August

This fall our team of Sharon Ferris-Choat, Caroline Kaars Sijpesteijn, Joanne Prokop and Barbara Kaars Sijpesteijn successfully completed our first Stage of training.  Finishing second at the Canadian female qualifier at the end of September, we earned the right to represent Canada at the World Championships, which is the first stage of the Olympic Trials. 

Despite spending much of the regatta getting back into sailing mode, we managed to accomplish all of our goals. We finished the initial round robin in 4th, winning a tie-break against the Russian team. We faced the Russian’s a second time in the quarterfinals, with the first team to three points moving on to the semi-finals. We started the day off going 2-0, with the Russian team being black flagged (disqualified) out of the second race. We then made things very difficult for ourselves, by getting a couple penalties in the prestart we couldn’t quite kill, as well as our own black flag in the fourth match. 

The quarterfinal came down to a single race; a $10,000 race. Despite the pressure, our team was able to come together, and sailed a clean race. We got off the start line ahead, maintained a clear lead for the entire race, and advanced to the semi-finals. Goal achieved!

When we were finally able to make it out racing, our team was met with puffy and shifty conditions, which made it very difficult to kill the penalty we received in the prestart. The entire team worked extremely hard to keep the distance between the boats close.