smsc.ca

The final races of the Trihedral CYA Canadian Youth Championships at St Margaret Sailing Club were sailed today. With initial winds out of the North East, both race committees set up and were able to get one race completed, but a new wind from the seabreeze direction soon had the race committee boats scrambling to set up new courses. On a day like this, the volunteers work as hard as the athletes by pulling and resetting marks to ensure good racing. With just 30 minutes to go before the time limit for the series, both courses got in an excellent final race.

On the Laser Course, Kyle Martin from Royal Vancouver Yacht Club topped the fleet for the overall win. In the competition for the Youth Worlds spot in the Laser Radial Male it was Hugh Macrae from Kingston Yacht Club (Ontario) who won top honours in the fleet of 42 of Canada’s best. For the Youth Worlds spot Female, Violet Stafford topped the 20 boat fleet.

The double-handed fleets were raced in the 29er and 420 classes. The 29er is an open class at Youth Worlds - this part of the trials was won by Fredrique Tougas and Florence Pepin Delhaes from PCYC in Montreal. In the hotly contested 420 female fleet Meredith Megarry and Emily Mcilquham sailing from Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto were tops while in the mens, 420 local sailors Max Flinn and Andrew Burns from the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron bested the 17 boat fleet.

This is one of the most important events in the Canadian Yachting Association youth program - the Trihedral Youth Champs is the first stage of qualification for the Youth Worlds in Ireland in 2012, competitors now have to meet training and competition standards over the coming winter at events in Florida.

Brian Todd

Canadian Sailing Team coach