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The 2009 Sailing Regatta with be on Saturday July 18 @ 2:00 pm

Sailing on Gloucester Pool

By Steve Hafner

The summer of 2006 marked a couple of important milestones for sailing on Gloucester Pool. We increased the number of races held on the Pool by 100%, from one to two. In both races we had a great turnout with at least ten boats on the starting line. It was great to see some new participants in 2006. Although I am sure Andrew Thomson and his family have been sailing on the Pool many years longer than I have, it was the first time I had encountered this strong a competitor. The Thomson family was victorious in the 2006 regatta, taking home the trophy. Congratulations to Andrew and his crew, Amanda and Matthew, on a fine race.

Doug Keary kindly agreed to assemble his crack team and put on a second race for us on the Labour Day weekend. This was, I think, the most successful, and challenging race held since the Hafner family came to Gloucester Pool. The wind was blowing a steady 10-15 knots and was oscillating through 90 degrees. Playing the shifts correctly in these conditions gives one a big advantage.

I was racing in the Even family’s Wayfarer. This classic 1950’s design was perfect for accommodating Martin Jackson, Claire Even, Lindsay Hafner, my niece Robyn Perry and me. It had been a few years since the Wayfarer had seen breezes gusting into the 15 knot range, and we found out that some of the hardware on the boat had weakened with age when a block for the main sheet blew out. This happened about one third of the way up the first windward leg of the race, costing us about five or six places while I jury-rigged the main sheet to get us through the rest of the race.

One of the things we learned last year is that, while many people enjoyed the races put on last year, most people wanted to meet on the water rather than have a skippers meeting at the clubhouse before the race. This does save us a lot of time, but we also have to be mindful of the safety issues. In particular, it is really important that race participants register with the race committee ahead of the race. Generally it is preferred if this can be done by phone or email to our race committee chairman, Doug Keary. Doug can be reached at (705) 538-1241 or newhamkeary@sympatico.ca.

All race participants owe a big thank you to Doug and his team of volunteers. We are indeed fortunate to have someone with Doug’s experience to put on the races for us. Thank you very much!

After a couple of years of tinkering, I think we have a format for the races that works well. Two rounds on the windward/leeward course with the start/finish line set up about one third up the windward leg seems to be a good race course for us. Again, I welcome any feedback on any aspect of the regatta. Please call me at (416) 867-7545 or at the cottage at (705) 538-1306 or email me at sh@newportpartners.ca with your feedback.