Hi everyone,
Fleets 1, 2, and 3 have agreed to postpone the Nanaimo North American Championships to July 2/3, 2022, and instead hold the Canadian Championships at Cowichan Bay on the Labour Day weekend
In this manner everyone in Canada can actively plan now for a major end-of-season championship on the Labour Day weekend, and if the Border opens sometime in late July or August then our American friends can easily join in (assuming there are no quarantine requirements). They can also start making loose plans at this time.
By postponing the North Americans to 2022 at Nanaimo Yacht Club in conjunction with the annual SIN Regatta, NYC can run the event the way they originally envisioned it, including multiple social events, visitor moorage, access to Club facilities, etc.
Here are the details around the Canadian Championships on the Labour Day weekend:
- Racing will occur on Saturday September 4th and Sunday September 5th, with the first start on Saturday probably around 11am, and 10:30am on Sunday. The Fisherman's Wharf Harbourmaster says that we can expect the Doctor to show up on schedule each day around 9:30am, as conditions on the Labour Day weekend are usually very similar to the annual Cow Bay Regatta in early August.
- 4-5 races per day will be planned, consisting of the usual windward-leeward, once-around, "up the beach" course that many competitors are familiar with.
- The Principal Race Officer will be Jennifer Ross, Vice President of BC Sailing, assisted by Alex & Sue Foley on "Gatsby", and Jamie Naismith handling mark-setting on his 26' aluminum boat, among others.
- The event will be co-sponsored by Fleet 1, Fleet 2, and the Nanaimo Yacht Club.
- A number of commercial marinas are available for mooring 242's and motherships, and the list can be found here: https://www.cowichanbay.com/marinas/ and here http://genoabaymarina.com/ Labour Day is a fairly quiet weekend at Cowichan Bay, and the Fisherman's Wharf Harbourmaster said the weekend looks good for moorage, and as a sailor himself he is very enthusiastic about the idea of the Canadian Championships occuring in Cowichan Bay. He has offered to clear out a dock for competitors to moor their 242’s and motherships at and said that rafting would not be an issue (per the usual practice at the annual Cow Bay Regatta in early August in prior years). Fisherman's Wharf is a "first-come, first-served" facility with no advance bookings. The per-foot-per-day rate is CDN$1.05 including GST. 30amp power, if required, is CDN$6.30 per day including GST.
- The Canadian's will be a fairly "slim" event in that no formal social events will be organized, and only the Canadian Championship Trophy will be awarded to the winning Team. The intent is to keep the entry fee at a nominal level (target is CDN$50 per boat) to cover gas, moorage, and accomodation costs for the Race Committee.
- The Oceanfront Suites at Cowichan Bay that is situated on the waterfront just east of Fisherman's Wharf has about 25 to 30 rooms available at this time, so competitors can make their own reservations directly with the hotel. It is likely that a number of B&B's in town will have availability also, and a list of them can be found here: https://www.cowichanbay.com/businesses/categories/stay/ and here (among other search sites) https://www.lodging-world.com/
- Fleet One will collect the Entry Fees via the Regional website using a new PayPal link: details TBA. Look for a dedicated Canadian Championship section on the main menu bar at www.m242fleetone.org by July 15 or earlier.
- The honour system will be used for Measurement aspects: all attendees would be expected to have a Measurement Cert and Sail Register, but the Organizing Committee will not ask for copies as part of the Registration process.
- Class Rule 7 regarding Eligibility will be in effect, whereby "at least the helmsperson of each boat shall be a member in good standing of a recognized M242 fleet." As such, Fleet 1 & 2 owners who have not signed up their boat or as an individual Member of either Fleet shall do so via the Regional website here.
- A NOR and SI's will be published in the near future.
Best regards,
Ken Holland, Fleet 2 Measurer
Michael Clements, Fleet Captain, Fleet 1
