Wow, CanAm #3 Regatta (Edge Mid-Winter), at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club over this last weekend (Feb 19 & 20) did not disappoint! We finally got out some of the North American top 2.4mR sailors. Sailors from British Columbia, Seattle, Toronto, Massachusetts, and down the East Coast coming together for the best gathering since the 2020 CanAm Series. So good to see familiar faces and some new ones.
Winds were good, starting off light and shifty, with our first two races being really the worst in that regard, but the rest got better and better. The shifts were significant enough that we actually had a reaching leg and a downwind leg that turned into a reaching leg. Sailors just had to work things out and figure their lines going all out for the win.
Two boats competed that were rigged with a Jib Boom versus the normal free-floating jib. Each found themselves competitive among the standard boats with one being sailed for the first time by a Clagett Boat Grant recipient. Two Clagett Boats competed in this regatta.
The last day in the Regatta, started off with a larger sailboat running aground, mid-channel, blocking the harbor entrance so the fleet’s start was a few minutes late as each sailor had to sneak by the grounded boat to reach clear water. By the last race, all the boats were closely matched with all the boats finishing 5 legs within a few minutes of each other.
Sailors faced broken pumps, backstays, and steering so maybe more focus will be placed upon boat maintenance etc. Some of the competitor’s boat had not been sailed since before the lockdowns so it was awesome to see things returning to normal as more Canadians joined in this event.
Even if you didn’t take away any of the prizes you walked away with friendships and maybe a few lessons on what to do or not do in the next races. 1st place went to Dee Smith from Annapolis, 2nd Place Allan Leibel from Toronto, and 3rd Place to Bruce Millar from Victoria, British Columbia with 15 boats on the water! Got some time on your hands? Look these guys up on Google and you are competing against some solid sailors, but they are happy to share their knowledge with everyone.
The last 2 Regattas in the CanAm Series are at the end of March and should be quite interesting events. Should have over 20 top sailors battling it out on the water. If you want to get out in an exciting boat with a friendly fleet where the great sailors are not afraid to answer questions and train up the newer less experienced sailors, then this is the fleet.
Looking for a boat to sail competitively? Something small needing only one person? Something inexpensive to campaign? A sailboat that is easy to tow and which is fun? One that sails like an America’s Cup boat (non-foiling that is!). Come check us out and see about getting yourself into one of these to test out. All are welcome, but this is not a starter boat so must at least know how to sail before jumping into one. See you on the water in Port Charlotte!
