Lake Ontario 
Offshore Racing Group

April  2012
In This Issue
New Crew and Skippers Night
Early registration draw
LO300 Overall IRC Champion
LOSHRS Update
Introduction to Stability Screening


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Racing season is upon us!

 

 

It has been a while since our last newsletter but a lot has been happening in the background and our committee has been doing some great work that will improve and safety and enjoyment of these great events in the future.

 

With less than 50 days to our first race and most yachts preparing to get launched it's time to start planning our crews and getting ready for another great summer of exciting challenges.   Registrations are up on all 3 events managed by LOORG and we are continuing to work on some exciting new experiences.

 

Sincerely,
Darren Gornall
Chair, Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Group

New Crew and Skippers Night

 

During discussions with visitors to the LOORG booth at the boat show we realised that there were many skippers who wanted to race the LO300 but couldn't find dedicated crew and crew who would like to race but couldn't find a boat.  There is a crew bank on the Lake Ontario 300 and Susan Hood Trophy Race registration pages,  but many skippers are reluctant to use crew they haven't met To alleviate this situation and to bring crew and skippers together in a social event, the Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Group has organised a crew bank night.  We are asking that potential crew fill in an 'information sheet' and that potential skippers let us know they are looking for crew.  We will pass on the resumes to the skippers looking for crew.  These can be reviewed prior to meeting at the crew night on May 2nd.

 

With the Susan Hood Trophy Race less than 2 months away this is an ideal time to hook up with new crew and get them familiar with your boat etc.

 

This event will also welcome potential PCYC Monday or Wednesday night racing crew and skippers to connect for this year's racing.  

 

Crew and skipper information forms will be available at the door, but it is preferable if you send it to us before the event so we can forward it to interested parties. 

 

To get the 'Crew Information Form' or put your name on the 'Skippers looking for crew list': please contact Monica Doedens at [email protected] 

 

When: Wednesday May 2nd, 2012

Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Where: Port Credit Yacht Club

175 Lakefront Promenade

Mississauga, Ontario

L5E 3G6 Phone: 905-278-5578

 

This event is Proudly Sponsored by

True North Yachts. Customer Loyalty thru Service excellence

 

 

Early registration draw for the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge

 

Get registered by June 1st and qualify for a draw for a great sailing tool.

 

All yachts registered for this year's Lake Ontario 300 Challenge by June 1st will qualify to win an exciting Sailing GPS system manufactured by Sailtimer Inc. Valued at $400.00, this product has proven to be an excellent tool navigating offshore races.

The winning boat name will be drawn at the Sperry Top-Sider Post Race Reception for the Susan Hood Trophy Race .

The Sailing GPS is unique in realizing that sailboats tack to their destination, which affects the distance and travel time.  If standard GPS chartplotters don't know how far your tacking route is, how can they calculate the ETA correctly?  Fortunately, The Sailing GPS solves this problem.  It accounts for sailboat tacking when calculating optimal routes, distances and Tacking Time to Destination.


Sailing GPS

Easy to use.  Viewable in direct sunlight. Sturdy case with no glass screen -- just drop it in your boat bag and go. The Sailing GPS, can be used on its own by manually entering wind direction and speed, to quickly and easily display the optimal tacks, exact tacking distances and Tacking Time to Destination (TTD).  Or, it can receive wind data through the air from the SailTimer Wind Vane using Bluetooth, to continuously update the tacking results as the wind changes www.TheSailingGPS.com

 

Sailtimer is a Canadian company based in Halifax Nova Scotia www.SailTimerInc.com

 

New for 2012 - Lake Ontario 300 will have an overall IRC Champion

 

The Sperry Gold Cup will be presented in conjunction with the Sperry Cup to the fastest IRC yacht on corrected time using the IRC rating system. The Sperry Cup will remain the overall trophy for PRHF handicapped yachts.

 

Since its introduction in to the LO300 in 2008, the IRC Class has grown from six entries in the original year to two separate divisions to accommodate over 14 yachts in 2011. It has been exciting to watch the tight level of competition within the IRC class; with over 100 IRC certificate holders on Lake Ontario, competitive yachts owners have clearly expressed their desire to race in this growing class. In anticipation of additional IRC divisions in upcoming years, the Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Committee has taken steps to properly recognize an overall IRC Champion.

 

In 2008, Sperry Top-Sider donated the Sperry Cup to be awarded to the overall winner of the Lake Ontario 300 Champion. At the time, a handful of yachts in the IRC Class were re-scored under the PRHF rating in order to determine the best corrected-time overall. Following the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge organizer's commitment to IRC, Sperry Top-Sider has offered a sister trophy to the Sperry Cup that will properly recognize an overall IRC Champion for the race. The Sperry Gold Cup is currently in design and manufacturing and will hopefully be on display at the Sperry Top-Sider Post Race Party for the Susan hood Trophy Race.

 

Darren Gornall, Chairman of the Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Committee and past Sperry Cup winner states: " The Lake Ontario 300 Challenge boasts an excellent record of continually improving the quality of the race experience; we now seek to increase the competitiveness at the top level. The Sperry Gold Cup is the only major offshore trophy dedicated to IRC on the Great Lakes and we feel this new trophy will be a reason for IRC yacht owners to put the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge on their race 2012 calendar. We also believe it will help convince current top-level PRHF yachts to consider a switch to IRC for this race".


LOSHRS Update

 

ONLY 48 Days until the 1st LOSHRS Race on Sunday, June 3rd

 

Here are some great reasons why you should not miss this race:

 

  1. "6" Mount Gay Rum Bottles will be raffled off at the Sunday Morning Skipper & Crew meeting at 9:30am
  2. A fantastic PCYC Breakfast is available prior to the information meeting
  3. Best of all the 1st LOSHRS race starts at PCYC and finishes in Toronto at Gibraltar Point Buoy
  4. The Sunday race caps off the Coolest Race on the Lakes Weekend. Starting with The Susan Hood Trophy Race on Friday, June 1, 2012. 
  5. Come to PCYC early and join in on the Sperry Top-Sider Susan Hood Post Race Party & Flag Presentations on Saturday afternoon - followed by a super Yacht Dog's BBQ
  6. The new Lake Ontario 300 "Sperry Gold Cup" for IRC Overall will be on display
  7. Be part of The Spectacle - Join the 100 single & double-handed boats, white-sail or spinnaker on route to Toronto; the multi-coloured spinnakers will be too colourful to miss.
  8. It Just Doesn't Get any Better!

 

Any questions call Ian at 905 823-1071 or email [email protected]

 

LOSHRS Registrations are done on-line at www.loshrs.com

Introduction to Stability Screening

 

Racer safety is the primary concern for the Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Group. We are introducing a few changes this year as we continue our commitment to put safety first. The 2012 Minimum Equipment Requirements are posted for all events; although they do not constitute a significant departure from previous years, we have now adopted the ISAF Offshore Safety Regulations format with a simplified single document with identical requirements across all events.

 

Another important change we are implementing in support of our safety goals is an introduction to stability screening. As a result, the organizing committee will be reviewing all entries against international best practices for stability requirements as recommended by experts in the sailing industry and ISAF. Yacht owners whose entry falls below recommended minimums will be contacted directly for further discussion.

 

Please familiarize yourself with the Introduction to Stability Screening brief we have prepared that describes the process we will follow this year.


About Us
The Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Group is responsible for the planning of the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge, the Susan Hood Trophy Race and the Lake Ontario Short Handed Racing Series under the organizing authority of the Port Credit Yacht Club.
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