Fair Winds – David Bleakney

David passed away suddenly on April 6th in Victoria BC. A hallmark of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club he loved spending his days there chatting with whoever came along. For the past 8 years he was heavily involved in promoting the 2.4mR fleet and was active in sailing and racing the boat in Cadboro Bay. David was enjoying life, always with a laugh and a smile. You would find him at RVYC almost every day eating and talking about sailing. He organized 2.4 events and was always generous about lending his boat out to someone else when he couldn’t sail. Last year he had a major heart surgery and was still recovering. He was one of the founding members of the Victoria 2.4mR fleet and loved every minute sailing the boat. He will be greatly missed by all in Victoria.

Bruce Millar
CAN 39

President’s Report April 2019

It’s been a few months since I last updated the members on all the activities that are taking place within the Class. There are many positive developments which bode well for the Class going forward.

Clagett Boats: The Clagett Foundation has purchased three new 2.4mRs and offered them to sailors with disabilities to use for up to four years. Wendy Frazier of Calgary has received one boat which will be kept in Victoria. A second boat has been given to Siobhan MacDonald of Mabou NS. The Ottawa Clagett boat has been reassigned to Brian Peckover, the 2018 Mobility Cup winner, while Delani Hulme-Lawrence will be keeping her boat in Victoria again 2018.

CAN-AM Series: Another CAN-AM Winter series just concluded in Charlotte Harbor FL with perfect wind conditions and great warm weather, excellent race management and fleets of 20+
boats. New sailors from Marblehead and Milwaukee supported the event as well returnees from Guatemala, Norway, Canada and the USA.

The Toronto Fleet will be running the initial CAN-AM North series out of National Yacht Club this summer. Victoria and Seattle are in discussions to have a CAN-AM Pacific Coast series of regattas starting 2020.

Sail Numbers: The Canadian Class is the issuing authority for 2.4mR sail numbers in Canada. These are issued without cost to members of the Canadian Class Association. Issued numbers are posted on the Class website. From time to time, requests are received from new boat owners wishing to have a number which has already been issued. In some cases, these numbers were issued to boat owners who are no longer members of the class. Starting in September 2019, if a member has not paid their class dues in either 2017, 2018 or 2019 these numbers will be indicated on the website as “inactive” and may be available to anyone joining the class and wishing the number. The incumbent sail number holder will have 30 days to join the class and keep his/her sail number. If they fail to do, so the new member will be assigned the number.

Buoyancy Certificates: All boats must have a current buoyancy certificate. This is a safety issue. Buoyancy certificates are valid for five years and the person conducting the test must be either a measurer appointed by the Class Association or a person authorized by our chief measurer, Bruce Millar

2.4mR North American Championship: Kingston YC will be hosting this event July 5, 6 & 7. Kingston is famous for reliable winds, experienced race Committee, good hospitality, reasonably priced accommodation and lots of activities for shore supporters. It is also the first event of CAN AM North. The Notice of Race is linked from the class website http://www.canada24mr.com/events/sailing-schedule-autumn-2018-summer-2019/

Jib Boom Boats: For a number of years, many of us in the fleet have watched Bjørnar Erikstad sail his jib boom boat to consistent top ten finishes in World Open 2.4mR and World Para Championships. This winter, Bruce Millar and Tony Pocklington spent time developing a jib boom boat with the goal of making the boat easier to sail for people with disabilities. Although not yet perfected, Bruce sailed the boat in the final Winter CAN-AM regatta, placing 4th. More work will be done on the boat this summer and already there is quite a lot of interest from other sailors to order new boats with recessed decks to accept the curved jib boom track.

2020 2.4mR World Championship: The 2.4mR World Championships are coming to North America. The proposed venue is Davis Island YC, Tampa Florida. The proposed dates are November 7 – 14, 2020. Details are developing and once the proposal has been approved by the International Class, we will be able to provide more information.

Class Dues: Our annual class membership year is April 1 to March 31. 2019. Due are now due and must be paid through the class website: www.canada24mr.com

Any questions, please contact me at [at][dot]

Looking forward to seeing everyone at regattas this summer.

Peter Wood
Class President

Smith Wins The Finale and The 2019 2.4mR Can Am Championship Series

Increasingly Competitive North American 2.4mR Series Drives Class Growth

Port Charlotte, Fla. (April 2, 2019) – Can Am #5, also known as The Finale, closed out the winter racing season for the 2.4mR class on Charlotte Harbor with 21 competitors racing over three days (March 29-31).

Annapolis sailor Dee Smith, the current U.S. and North American Champion, crossed the finish first in eight of the nine races to take the win of The Finale. “The regatta was very good for everyone,” said Smith. “The conditions were near perfect and there was a very good fight for second with Tony Pocklington beating out Allan Leibel on a tie break. The first two days were shifty and puffy. The second race on day two was a challenge with light air and the race that gave Tony the tie break. He was deep around the last mark and sailed around everyone to drift across the line for the win. For me, I just kept clear and sailed my race…I had good starts and went the right way, except that run in which I finished fourth and which became my drop race.”

With his string of first-place finishes, Smith ended the regatta with an insurmountable low score of eight points. He was followed in the final standings by Tony Pocklington, of Ft. Myers, Fla., and Allan Leibel of Toronto, Canada, each with 31 points. Two more Canadian sailors, Bruce Millar and Louise Anstey, who both hail from Victoria, B.C., each were second across the line in two races, and finished the regatta fourth and fifth with 33 and 39 points, respectively.

Bruce Millar at Can Am #5
Bruce Millar at Can Am #5
2019 2.4mR Can Am Championship Series/Fran Burstein

Anstey raced her first 2.4mR event in the Can Am series two years ago, having grown up sailing numerous one-design classes from El Toro dinghies to Fireballs, Lasers and Solings, as well as racing various PHRF keelboats. She started sailing a borrowed 2.4mR to be a sparring partner for Jackie Gay (who went on to win a Paralympic silver medal in the SKUD class). In her two years in the 2.4mR class, Anstey has observed that the racing in the Can Am series is getting much tighter.

“Those in the mid-fleet are pushing the leaders more and taking a few places away from them,” said Anstey. “The same is true of those who used to be a little farther back. I suspect the regular racing in a reasonable sized fleet that the 2.4mR Can Am Championship Series offers is a big factor in the increased competitiveness…and it remains friendly competition. I find the sailors in the class are helpful and willing to share information. It is the kind of support that makes me feel welcome and want to return for another event.”

The Finale was the fifth event in the 2019 2.4mR Can Am Championship which started last December. Over the course of the season 30 sailors, representing Canada, Guatemala, Norway, The Virgin Islands and the U.S.A., competed in one or more events. Open only to sailors racing the Norlin MkIII One Design, the Championship Trophy winner was determined from the results of all five regattas after his or her worst event was dropped from the scoring. Smith, who won three of the five events, came out on top. Bruce Millar, winner of the Edge Midwinters, followed by Allan Leibel, winner of Can Am #4, rounded out the top-three in the season championship standings.

“The fleet is getting stronger every regatta. Sailing in Port Charlotte is both challenging and warm. Everyone has a good time and the Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club does a great job,” concluded Smith.

Peter Wood, President of the Canadian class association and a long-time 2.4mR competitor concurred with Smith’s assessment of the competition and yacht club support, and also cited positive developments that came out of the season and which bode well for the class in future years. “First, there have been a number of new faces in the class including a group of sailors from Marblehead and a new sailor from Milwaukee whom we expect to see at regattas in Newport and Kingston [CAN] this summer,” said Wood. “The efforts by Bruce Millar and Tony Pocklington to further develop the jib boom rig for the 2.4mR will expand the population of sailors who can sail these boats. Bruce sailed a jib boom boat in the final regatta with good results.”

The continued support of the volunteers at Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club has also ensured that the fourth edition of the series – the 2020 2.4mR Can Am Championship Series – will return to Charlotte Harbor next winter.

“The Can Am series has helped bring the widespread North American 2.4mR fleet together,” said Tony Pocklington, President of the US 2.4mR class. “That consolidation has definitely motivated participation. We are very lucky to have a great venue for the Can Am Championship Series. Race committee, affordability, and race area are all perfect for our class, and help to showcase the technical, competitive aspects of the 2.4mR. Word of the consistent and competitive racing has spread, and we are seeing growth in the New England area, here in southwest Florida, and in Canada, specifically Victoria, Vancouver, and Toronto, where similar Can Am series (West and North) are being planned. Toronto is planning an inaugural event for this summer. Overall, the future is looking optimistic for our North American 2.4mR Norlin MkIII One Design class.”

Full results for the 2019 2.4mR Championship Series may be found by following this link http://www.regattanetwork.com/event/17843#_newsroom and clicking on Race Results.

Full results for Can Am #5, The Finale Regatta, may be found here; and full results for the earlier events in the season as available as well: 2018 2.4mR North American Championship may be found here; 2018 2.4mR U.S. Nationals results may be found here; 2019 Edge Midwinters results are here; and full results for Can Am #4 are here.

About the 2.4mR: The 2.4mR originated in 1983 in Sweden and attained confirmation as an international class less than 10 years later. Class racing puts the emphasis on the tactical – not physical – skills of the sailor as the single-handed boats are equal under the strict rules that govern the class. With a length of 13’ 8” and the advantage of being easily transported and stored, this sleek keelboat has gained favor with a wide range of able-bodied sailors and sailors with disabilities (there are 1200 boats worldwide, with roughly 200 in North America). For more information on the class, please visit http://www.canada24mr.com/ or www.us24meter.org/ and follow us on Facebook at US 2.4mR Class

(end)

Sailing Schedule Autumn 2018 – Summer 2019

 Sailing Schedule

Autumn 2018 – Summer 2019

America’s Disabled/Able Regatta

Results
November 30 –
December 2, 2018
St. Petersburg Yacht Club

St. Petersburg FL
North American Championship

2019 CanAm Regatta #1

Results

December 4 – 5, 2018Charlotte Harbour Yacht Club

Port Charlotte FL
US Nationals 2.4mR Championship 2018

2019 CanAm Regatta #2

Results

December 7 – 9, 2018Charlotte Harbour Yacht Club

Port Charlotte FL
Edge Midwinters

2019 CanAm Regatta #3


Results
January 26 – 27, 2019Charlotte Harbour Yacht Club

Port Charlotte FL
Frozen Assets Regatta


Results

February 16 - 17, 2019Royal Victoria Yacht Club

Victoria, BC
2019 CanAm Regatta #4


Results

February 23 – 24, 2019Charlotte Harbour Yacht Club

Port Charlotte FL
CanAm Series Finale
2019 CanAm Regatta #5


Results


Full CanAm Series Results

March 29 – 31, 2019Charlotte Harbour Yacht Club

Port Charlotte FL
Spring Dinghy Championship
May 4 - 5, 2019Royal Victoria Yacht Club

Victoria, BC
Icebreaker Olympic RegattaMay 18 - 19, 2019Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club

Toronto ON
NYC Regatta


Self run regatta to promote fleet and provide coaching / training.

June 8 - 9, 2019National Yacht Club

Toronto, ON
Nepean One Design Regatta
June 14 - 16, 2019Nepean Sailing Club

Ottawa, ON
Pacific Coast Championship
June 15 - 16, 2019Royal Victoria Yacht Club

Victoria, BC
C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic & RegattaJune 18 – 23, 2019Sail Newport

Newport, RI
Para World Sailing Championships 2019June 30 - July 7, 2019Club Nautico Puerto Sherry
El Puerto de Santa Maria,
Spain
2.4mR North American ChampionshipJuly 5 - 7, 2019Kingston Yacht Club

Kingston, ON
National EventJuly 13 - 14, 2019National Yacht Club

Toronto, ON
Great Lakes RegattaAugust 17 - 18, 2019National Yacht Club

Toronto, ON
CanAm North Finale / Canadian ChampionshipSeptember 7 - 8, 2019National Yacht Club

Toronto, ON
2019 2.4mR World Championships


(New Dates)

October 12 – 18, 2019Yacht Club Italiano

Genoa Italy

Notices of Race and Results are linked above, where available.

Please also consult the Calendar