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Weekly UpdatesAsk any sailor why they love the sport and they say it is a combination of strategy, serenity and the social yet feisty competition that stirs the soul and brings hundreds together for regattas.
Winters in Northern Ontario are long, even longer when there is a Tartan 10 in shrink wrap waiting to be lifted back into the icy waters of Lake Superior.
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Andre St. Jacques captain of such a boat in Thunder Bay, says Lake Superior has some of the best sailing in the world with fantastic remote islands between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.
"We drop anchor and take our dingy to shore. Lake Superior doesn't warm up and that is half the reason it has not been over exploited," says the northwest sales director for Grand and Toy.
Wearing a life jacket and a ski jacket are a must, particularly when racing, St. Jacques says. No one wants to start at a disadvantage.
There is a strong and healthy competition at the Thunder Bay Yacht Club with more than 150 races held Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings throughout the season.
One particular event that is dear to St. Jacques is the Breast Cancer Regatta held Aug. 29. Typically 20 to 45 boats show up with each crew member gathering pledges.
St. Jacques hails the participants who have the most pledges rather than the winner of the regatta. Last year, a cheque of more than $50,000 was given to the Northwest Ontario Regional Cancer Centre.
But in the spirit of competition, "we are a pretty competitive bunch," he laughs.
"We go out to win at all costs. We don't go out unless we are going to win."
Sailors size up their competition long before the boats enter the water. They know who to watch for, what boats are rocket ships and who has purchased new equipment to get an edge up. They know who has joined what team and so each captain picks their battles wisely.
Sailing is all about strategy, a game of chess on water. A decision to hoist the jib or spinnaker could mean the difference between the old "hero to zero" label in a few short seconds.
It is a team effort and the captain knows what his crew is made of, knows their strengths and builds on it. Each is responsible for their respective position but when there is a course change, all hands come together. Of course the captain has final say. It is much like business in that you chose a support'team to work with and provide resources for them to flourish, he says.
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There is also a sense of leadership, confidence and trust in the captain and in the crew. When the game is on, each will rise to the challenge.
Dennis Centis, co-owner of Centis Tile and Terrazzo echoes that sentiment having sailed with six seasoned veterans for the last few years off Little Current on Manitoulin Island. Each crew member has obtained leadership positions in their careers and are captains themselves, so Centis was aware of what could happen on board.
"We just jelled," he says. It was effortless.
"I personally think we jelled because everyone is a captain, but no one has a huge ego."
Six years ago a bunch of sailors organized the Macman race from Mackinac Island to Little Current via Gore Bay.
"We start after the Chicago-Mackinac race."
It is roughly 120 to 130 nautical miles changing the course slightly for weather conditions or just because.
An estimated 15 boats would leave Little Current with the same numbers leaving the United States marinas and all would meet in Mackinac for the race. Crew members from Timmins, Cochrane even the former Ontario Minister of Natural Resources David Ramsay came to crew for several years.
The minimum size requirement is 27 feet but there is room for flexibility depending on the vessel, he says.
"It is an open water race and we have had conditions where there were three metre waves. It has been called a real sailor's race!" Centis says.
His 33 foot Mirage appropriately named Azzurro, which means blue in Italian, has seen some pounding in those two days. Typically the crew has to be there the day before the race begins.
Fifteen minutes before the flag goes down everyone is under sail power, jockeying for the best wind and trying not to hit anyone.
"This is an incredible, incredible adrenaline rush. We have come so close to t-boning another vessel. You can get pretty tight and you cannot stop 10,000 pounds of fibre glass."
In an open water race you will only see boats in the beginning and at the end.
"Last year we had 10 boats heading for the finish line at the same time. We place second in the second leg of the race."
Everything is considered from the weather and wind, equipment and choice of sail.
Charting is usually planned way in advance but the weather and unforeseen circumstances may throw it out the porthole.
Some of Centis' best memories have been on the boat with friends and family. It is there he forgets the stress of work, deadlines, contracts and settles in for a great weekend. Some say it is not the destination that provides pleasure but the journey in getting there.
"If we were not on the water we would all go insane," Centis says.
"It is a great release for us."
Especially when he sees how much spirit is attributed to this event. The Town of Little Current throws on a fish fry, Rotary Club usually sponsors a pancake breakfast everyone seems to get into the spirit of it all, he says.
"It is such a team event you count on everyone in the team and you also count on the boats you are in the race with. There is a real camaraderie to the whole sport."
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By KELLY LOUISEIZE
Northern Ontario Business
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