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. 

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.