THE COLDEST ONE YET
Racers Take On The Elements For The Susan Hood Trophy Race
Conditions were less than ideal this year for the 2019 edition of the Susan Hood Trophy Race out of Port Credit Yacht Club last Friday May 31st. Lack of wind combined with low temperatures and high water levels meant racers were on their A game for the 75 nm race around Lake Ontario. As exclusive sailmaker sponsor of the #SusanHoodTR and the Lake Ontario 300, the team from North Sails Toronto were onsite assisting racers with last minute prep including onsite repair, drop-offs and tuning.
It was great to see many customers trying out new sails on the course and, for many, achieving great success with their new additions. For
Blast, a Beneteau 10R owned by Chris Bobyk out of Mimico Cruising Club, their new Code Zero was exactly what the team needed; helping them win the start:
Team Blast could not be happier with their new North Code 0. We had a distance race reaching sail inventory hole to fill between the genoa and our Asymmetrical kites . The code 0 acquisition recommended by North after consultation was the right choice for optimal performance, giving us a sail inventory for all wind angle conditions. The internal torsion rope made furling an ease and its construction and overall performance is impressive.
For Craig Pirie and Darren Gornall, skippers and owners of Soto 40
Afterburn, they tested out their new
Helix powered Code Zero. Local North Sails expert, Hugh Beaton, was onboard to help the crew test their new addition. Post-racing Craig recalls:
The sail is certainly much more forgiving (bigger sweet spot) than our old Code. With the wind sheer and the shifting breeze to have the leading edge retain its shape and not fully collapse when the apparent wind angle gets too hot is a huge improvement. Not having to go through the whole process of taking the boat down to 120 True to get the sail reattached and flying again and then slowly working back up to tighter angles at 80 or 90 true is a great advantage. As Tim mentioned the weight reduction is a great improvement for moving the sail around the boat and getting it launched and then retrieving it and putting it away.
The race saw 92 boats registered, a fantastic number for Lake Ontario, and on the start line. Mike Brown, owner of
Windburn, a C+C30 from National Yacht Club, had his full suit of
3Di sails out which included a
3Di Raw Mainsail and 3Di Race Genoa.
All in all, racers had a great time on the water with the unofficial kick-off race of the season. Next up for distance racing is the Lake Ontario 300 in July.
