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Bill Fyfe Memorial Regatta - Wayfarer Ontario Championships
Ottawa's Lac Deschênes Sailing Club (LDSC) hosted the 2023 Wayfarer Ontario Championships on July 29 and 30 in a regatta named to honour the late Bill Fyfe, a long-time member of LDSC, a very active Wayfarer sailor and a strong supporter of the Canadian Wayfarer Association. The return of the Ontarios to the LDSC thus ended a 14-year absence, much to the delight of the Wayfarers. On Friday evening a severe thunderstorm with rain, hail and strong winds swept through the Ottawa area, but fortunately, the storms had moved on by Saturday morning and conditions were great for Wayfarer sailing. Fourteen boats (13 Wayfarers and one CL16) entered the regatta with eight from out of town and six from the Ottawa area. To encourage participation in the regatta, prizes were awarded to the best two boats that sailed without a spinnaker, in addition to the regular prizes for the first three boats overall. Saturday morning was cloudy but with good winds out of the north across Lac Deschênes from the Québec shore. The race committee quickly set up a course and racing started at 10 a.m. Winds were 8 knots with gusts to 12. As is common on Lac Deschênes, there were 15-20° shifts . After three races, we went ashore for a lunch break and some repairs and adjustments. Saturday afternoon brought similar north winds in the 8 to 12 knots range and 15-20° shifts., and three more races were completed. In the last race one gust hit 15 knots. The day ended with lots of visiting and a lasagna dinner in the LDSC clubhouse and on the club's lawn. At the end of the day's six races, Oakville's Team Pugh was leading comfortably. David and wife, Anne, had won twice as had Peterborough's Team Wierdsma - Rob with daughter, Sam, while teams Thompson (Ross and son, Eric, out of the Mississauga SC) and Van Kampen (Leo with wife, Joanne, of the Conestoga SC) each had one win.  (l to r) Regatta Chair, Alan Asselstine and Frank Goulay congratulate Anne and David Pugh.
Sunday morning was cooler but sunnier. The winds had moved
to the northwest but still 8 to 12 knots. Saturday's 15-20° shifts continued. Three races were scheduled and completed on Sunday morning. The boats that kept to the port side of
the course got a better lift with each gust than the boats on the
starboard side of the course. The
Pughs padded their lead with a victory in the first race, before the Van
Kampens made a strong run by winning the last two races but fell just
two points short of team Pugh and ended in second place overall. North Bay's Dave Hansman and Dave Richardson, sailed a consistent series to take series third, one point ahead of team Thompson. The local team of Ben Abbott and Robin Allardyce was the best of the boats that didn't use a spinnaker. The day and the regatta ended with a BBQ hotdog/sausage lunch thanks to Nancy Webster-Cole and her team of volunteers, who setup the dinning area and prepared and served the meals. Thanks to Bruce Bateman, his race committee and the Sea Cadets for efficiently running the 9-race regatta. Thanks also to the ever-present Albert Cole and his beach crew who helped the launching and landing of participant boats. Alan Asselstine W7346 |