February 2014

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing

Newsletter

The 2014 Toronto International Boat Show was a huge success for Lake Ontario Offshore Racing.

We had record numbers of interested participants come by our great location this year. The feedback and energy we received about this year's upcoming events was amazing.

The unveiling of our new logos and the announcement of an additional Lake Ontario 600 Mile Challenge, generated a buzz around the show which has already reflected in a registrations increase over last year! This includes the 7 yachts that have already signed up for the LO600.

Our Early Season Discounts are only in effect for the remainder of the month so get online at loor.ca and don't miss out!

Our committee has had a great off-season, working to improve our events, creating some new and exciting opportunities that will be announced as we get closer to the sailing season.

This spring, we will once again be delivering our Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guides to your clubs and we will be holding some seminars at various yachts clubs.

Keep on top of all our announcements and new events through our Facebook page or on our website.

Please feel free to contact me with any comments, concerns or if you would like to participate in sponsoring one of our events or participate in the Offshore Guide. (Material Deadline is February 28th).

And lastly, with Valentines Day just around the corner, let's not forget about the lady in our lives, yes I'm talking about your boat. It's time to check on her, charge her batteries and show her you care.

LOOR Booth at the 2014 TIBS

MOUNT GAY DRAW FOR EARLY ENTRIES

Congratulations go out to Frank Juhasz, Larry West and Martin McKenzie on winning a bottle of Mount Gay Silver Rum. They were the 3 racers chosen from the boats that entered before or during this year's Toronto International Boat Show.

Guy's we will catch up to you before the start of the Susan Hood or at the Susan Hood Race to present you with your prize.

Sincerely,

Joe Doris

Chair, Lake Ontario Offshore Racing

info@loor.ca

Registrations

Lake Ontario 300 Challenge

Susan Hood Trophy Race

Lake Ontario Short Handed racing Series

Join Our Mailing List

Sponsors

Contacts

LOOR Chair Joe Doris

Lake Ontario 300 Challenge

Susan Hood Trophy Race

Lake Ontario Short Handed Racing Series

LOOR Great Lakes Singlehanded Society liaison

A new look LOOR for 2014.

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing (LOOR) has undergone a face change; creating a new image for our 3 major events. Our committee wanted to create something new to celebrate the 25th running of the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge. It was decided to change all three logos and develop a fresh look for all LOOR events that would reflect the same excitement and energy experienced during these races. We are proud of the new branding and would like to thank Sarah Danahy for all her hard work in redeveloping the new logos.

yachtscoring.com is loaded up with all this year's information including the Notice of Race and all the current safety requirements. All events are ready to accept your early registrations. Don't forget to sign up and pay early to take advantage of our early bird discount.

Lake Ontario 300 Challenge

Until Feb. 28th - $225.00 + HST
On or after March 1st - $290.00 + HST

Susan Hood Trophy Race

Until Feb. 28th - $60.00 + hst
On or after March 1st - $75.00 + hst

LOSHRS

Until Feb. 28th - $110.00 + hst
On or after March 1st - $150.00 + hst

The links are as follows:

Lake Ontario 300 Challenge (37 registered to date, 7 in the LO600)

Susan Hood Trophy Race (24 registered to date.)

Lake Ontario Shorthanded Racing Series (41 registered to date.)

Lake Ontario 600 Challenge -
NEW FOR 2014

While thinking about different ways to celebrate the 25th running of the longest annual freshwater race in the world, the Lake Ontario Offshore Racing (LOOR) committee came up with the idea which is as simple as it is challenging. Why not a challenge which is, simply, twice as long, and twice as challenging, as the Lake Ontario 300? Therefore, in collaboration with the 25th Annual Lake Ontario 300 Race, LOOR is pleased to announce the 1st Bi- Annual Lake Ontario 600 Offshore Challenge.

The idea is this: sign up for the Lake Ontario 600 when registering for this years' race. Sail the Lake Ontario 300 race course, cross the finish line at PCYC (being scored for the Lake Ontario 300 division in which you are sailing), and then complete the course a second time. It is well known that over one or two days a totally different wind can be experienced in the various corners of Lake Ontario creating a completely new set of challenges the second time around.

The LO600 Challenge is open to all divisions; Fully Crewed, Double Handed, and Single Handed yachts.

However there are a few pre-requisites to consider.

In the Fully Crewed and Double Handed divisions, we will be limiting this challenge only to "skippers who have completed at least one Main Duck Course Lake Ontario 300 Race in the past". Choose your co-skipper and or crew wisely, ensuring they have both the experience and time availability to complete this challenge.
For the Solo Division, we will be limiting this challenge to members of the Great Lakes Single Handed Society (GLSS) only, meaning there are currently 18 skippers from Lake Ontario eligible. GLSS members from the other Great Lakes (regardless of whether they have sailed a Lake Ontario 300 Race) are also eligible.
Yachts with a PHRF rating of 183 and lower (or corresponding level of IRC rating) will be qualified to sail in this Challenge.
All yachts registered for the LO600 Challenge WILL BE subject to a Pre-Race Inspection at PCYC, prior to the July 12th start of the race.

25 years of the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge.

2014 will be the 25th running of this great race and we are looking forward to some fantastic celebrations. Over the next 5 months we will "look back" at the race's considerable history to remember what has made the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge the "Greatest Race on the Lakes"

It's well known that the Lake Ontario Single Handed Racing Society (now LOSHRS) had been holding their single handed races for 15 years before deciding they wanted to create an ultimate challenge for their group. This idea was cemented after one of the single handed sailors competed in the Chicago Mac. Soon the organizers thought of a 300 Nautical Mile Challenge that would circumnavigate the Lake - one end to the other and back. The idea of the 300 was to be a double handed race due to the challenge it represented. The Lake Ontario Double Handed Challenge was deeded to the Port Credit Yacht Club and the Oakville Harbour Yacht Club. The inaugural committee was called the Lake Ontario Double Handed Management Committee and the members were: Johan Pedersen( OHYC), Dan Cooper (PCYC), John Oates (OHYC) and Bill France (PCYC).

Thanks to these pioneers, we now have what is referred to as the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge.

The original race was only open to double handed sailors and the course was: Port Credit to Gibralter Point buoy to Niagara bar outer bell buoy (Youngstown NY) to Main Duck Island (leaving Main Duck Island and Yorkshire Island to port or starboard) to the Niagara bar outer bell buoy (Youngstown NY) to Gibralter Point buoy, to the finish line specified in the racing instructions at Port Credit. The race was held in June.

In the first race there were 57 entries spread over 9 divisions. Thirty-six boats finished the race.

The Northern Lights Trophy for Line honours was presented to WhiteHawk skippered by Colin Stephens with an elapsed time of 66:34:00

The PCYC Commodores Cup was presented to the Best Corrected Time Double Handed Spinnaker and the inaugural trophy was won by Cosmos skippered by John Pleasby from RCYC. From the best of our records there were no other trophies presented in 1990.

The following are the division winners in the 1990 Double Handed Challenge.

Division 1 My Fair Lady

Division 2 Rhumb Punch

Division 3 Bandit

Division 4 Chameleon

Division 5 Cosmos

Division 6 Ambience

Division 7 Windscot

Division 8 Wind Rose

Division 9 Windependence

Now that you know the beginning, over the next few months we will be telling you about the original years of double handed racing in the LO300 through articles and stories. Did you know that it was not until 1997 that fully crewed divisions were added to this event?

We would love to hear from all the original participants. Send in your stories, pictures and tales that will bring to light the challenges of attempting a double handed race for the first time. During a time, I might add, with no sophisticated chart plotters, no selection of mobile websites tracking weather around the lake, and only some access to BB messaging from shore to let you know where your competition is from the race tracking website or all the other luxuries we have come to rely on today for our offshore racing.

Posters are ready for distribution.

Our three different race posters are ready for distribution and will be sent out in the month of February to all clubs and Chandleries on both sides of the lake. For posters to display in your club of place of business please contact Monica Doedens.

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.