Canadian Nationals

Victoria sailing gets a bad rap from easterners. Rumor has it that the winds are light, it rains a lot, the water is cold, and the tides are a mite challenging. In the interest of journalistic honesty, I must disclose that I am an eastern sailor, who must head west to sail in Ottawa or Kingston. So it was with a little trepidation that we decided to compete in the Canadian Nationals in Victoria this October.

It is really quite astonishing that Rob Thompson, Jamie Cox and team managed to construct this event to appeal to members of the Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia fleets. It takes a vivid imagination and considerable selling skills to link two events seven months apart, and actually succeed in attracting 26 Canadian Fireballs to participate. The offer to allow our boats to winter in Canada’s warmest climate coupled with the chance to compete at the 2006 World’s venue proved irresistible. The first bonus turned out to be that this year’s Canadian Nationals was the best attended and most competitive in recent memory. A sizable number of past National champions from east and west had the opportunity to check each other out, trade stories and tacks. The second bonus was this was a superb social event, allowing us to see Fireball friends we hadn’t seen in quite some time. When we travel abroad to compete at different World’s, it is a source of mystery to the Europeans that the Canadian fleet gathers so infrequently. That triggers a North American geography lesson, and we explain that London, England is closer to Montreal than Victoria.

Despite the distance, our boats arrived safely, and we rigged on Thursday, a cool day with "liquid sunshine". (Incidentally, the first challenge was finding the CFSA. Improved sign posting might be a good idea if we want our guests to find the site for the Worlds. We drove by the access road a couple of times.) Friday provided us with our first experience sailing off of CFSA waters. The race committee decided we could use some starting practice, so we had a couple of planned "attempts" with general recalls, before a practice race was held. The wind was light, but steady, and Grant Lamont and Tom Egli built a comfortable lead that would not be challenged.

The racing on Saturday and Sunday was held in light conditions, thankfully without rain. The wind was shifty, but the race committee made the best of the conditions, providing us with good starting lines, and very respectable beats. Rob Levy and Steven Waldie earned three firsts and two thirds in the five races, and their performance was clearly the best of the event. Despite being buried at a couple of the starts and occasionally going the wrong way, they always seemed to be able to recover well, and make far more correct decisions than wrong ones. The conditions rewarded heads up sailing, and punished those of us whose heads were in our boats. Boat speed and boat handling were not major factors, so smart sailing was the key.

On Monday, the wind never arrived, so we had the opportunity to leisurely derig the boats in more liquid sunshine.

While the sailing could have been more exciting (easily), the Western hospitality was superb. Jamie and Lorraine Cox hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at their home, and we had great food and a wonderful time. The host clubs were very welcoming, and are genuinely looking forward to an exciting World Championships in May. Our Race Committee was truly enthusiastic, wildly cheering and applauding finishing boats.

Our first hand experience taught us that we have to really question the Victoria rumors. The winds were light, it did rain a lot, the water is very cold, and the tides and currents are challenging, BUT no one told us about the seaweed, kelp, and the floating and submerged logs. I can’t wait for May. See you there.

Joe Jospe

CAN 14769

Canadian National Fireball Regatta