As eight weeks of SGB youth sailing school wraps for another season, coaches were looking forward to the school’s final event this summer, the Annual Regatta held on Saturday morning August 19. It was a chance for both new and developing sailors to hone their new skills on the water and experience the competitive thrill of racing.
The emphasis was on fun, however, as the end of season competition brought together new and seasoned students at the school to say a final farewell to friendships made during their time on the water. As the area’s only not-for-profit sailing school, Sail Georgian Bay is on a mission to grow the sport by making sailing accessible for all youth, even if they don’t own a boat or live on the water.
The 2023 season has been exceptional by any standards as it marked the launch of the SGB racing program, led by Head Coach Ilian Halbertsma, an accomplished racer and Sail Canada accredited Coach Trainer.
“Honing advanced level sailing skills is accelerated through exposure to racing. The racing program at SGB is an important evolution in our training program for young sailors,” said Halbertsma.
If measured only by participation levels in weekly fun regattas at the school the program would be considered a success. But results achieved at the Four Sisters Open at the Port Credit Yacht Club at the end of July point to what local youth sailors can achieve now and into the future. Sail Georgian Bay placed three teams in the top five of the C 420 Whitesail Division, in the club’s first ever travel competition. Placing second were Nico Murdoch and Ocean Camplin, placing third were Isabel Spence and Megan Aparicio, and in fifth, Ian Scott and Qori Aparcio.
“Competing with teams from eight other yacht clubs in our first ever inter-club race was a great experience for our sailors and I’m very proud of their results. Competitive training is something we hope to expand on next year. It accelerates the progression of skills acquisition necessary to complete the higher levels of the Can Sail program,” said Halbertsma.
But that’s not all that SGB has to be excited about for 2023. Earlier this year the school was gifted a GC21 Governors Club Boat, the Sir Edmund, by a generous benefactor who appreciated what this could mean for our not-for-profit school and its racing ambitions.
Always mindful of our focus on bringing new sailors into the sport, this year SBG coaches developed their own ‘fun boom’ invention in order to help moderate impact during windy conditions. With this modification the occasional headaches that occur when the boom unexpectedly changes direction on a new sailor and makes unplanned contact with their head are greatly reduced.
With this year’s program completely sold out for seven of eight weeks the school is now looking ahead to 2024.
“If we can fund and hire additional coaches we will be able to expand the spots available for students next year. It’s an important priority for us as a not-for-profit club, but hiring coaches has also been a challenge faced by many sailing programs and yacht clubs in Ontario,” said Board Chair Liesbeth Halbertsma.
Registrations for the 2024 Sail Georgian Bay summer sailing program located at Meaford Harbour will open after March break. Registrations can be completed online at website www.sailgeorgianbay.ca.
