Great prices on Gill Gear

Again this year we are offering Gill sailing gear for purchase through the CDA at a significant discount to MSRP.  This deal is available to all Canadian I14 sailors.

To see this year's Gill lineup, check out the catalog on the Gill North America website.  Fleet members (or at least those on my mailing list) will receive an order form by email shortly.  If you didn't get an order form, but want one, please contact me.

Submit the completed order form with cheque payable (plus 13% HST) to the Canadian Dinghy Association by May 28th.  Orders will be held for pickup in Toronto, or can be shipped (anywhere in Canada) for an additional cost.

The 2011 season starts this weekend!

The Canadian i14 fleet kicks off the 2011 racing season this weekend, April 30th and May 1st, with two days of high performance racing expected to churn up the waters of Toronto Harbour.

The regatta is the 2011 HPT Regatta, hosted by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. 

This will also be the first race of the 2011 CDA Championship Series, with points going towards the Lipton Cup Trophy awarded at the end of the year.

The NOR has been posted on the RCYC webpage.  Note that section 2.2 of the NOR should also list "International Fourteens" under "eligible classes".

Please also note that to be scored in this or any other CDA event, all boat owners must be paid in full for the racing season.  To pay this year's fleet racing dues, visit this link on the OSA webpage and click [Register] on the right hand side.

See you there!

The results are in...

The results of the international 14 rules vote are in.  A summary follows:

1) The rules governing the measurement of mainsails will change, and the "Australian Measure-The-Angle Approach" has been selected;

2) The weight reduction will continue as planned, and not be delayed. 

The majority of Canadian fleet owners voted "with" both of these proposals.  Check out the link here and please contact me if you have any more questions.

-Matt

Need Gear?

Like we've done for the past few years, the CDA will again be partnering with Gill in 2011to offer great quality gear at competitive prices.  We're still working out the details, and will keep you posted.

In the meantime, check out Gill's official website and their catalog and start making your shopping list!

Awards Night 2010!

From Left to Right: The C.W. Bourke Trophy, The Fleet Captain's Cup, The Douglas Cup, The Lipton Cup, The Norman R. Gooderham Trophy, The Alan Townsend Trophy, The Viscount Alexander of Tunis Trophy, and The Crew Race Trophy

The 2010 CDA Awards Night (cleverly disguised as a night at the pub), was a great success.  More than 30 people crowded into the Crown & Beaver Pub at the RCYC to see the awards, which is as good a turnout as our summer regattas!  Special thanks go out to Kara Johnson for the photos, and the staff at the RCYC for putting on a great show.

In no particular order, I'm proud to present our 2010 CDA trophy winners:

Peter Hayward (Right) and Marco Koechli (Centre), winners of the Itchenor Trays for the best score on day 1 of the CDA Championships.  The Itchenor Trays were presented by the British 14' dinghy team in 1969.

Jason Lemieux (Right) taking home the Viscount Alexander of Tunis Trophy, for winning the last race of the CDAs.  Graham Lockett (absent) was the winning crew.  The "Viscount A." was first presented in 1949.

The Charles W. Bourke Memorial Trophy was awarded to Peter and Marco, as the overall winner of the CDA Championships.  This was Peter's fifth time winning this trophy: 1995, '99, '01, '03, and now 2010.

Marco also won the Bob Davis Memorial Trophy, awarded to the winning crew of the CDA Championships.  The Davis Trophy was first awarded in 1976, for the winning crew of the CDA Championships.  Considering crews do all the work on the '14, it's a much sought-after award.  Unfortunately, Marianne & Paul Davis were unable to make the trip to Toronto to present the trophy.

The Norman R. Gooderham Trophy, circa 1900.  Since 1948 it has been presented to the 14 foot dinghy class RCYC Club Champion.  This year's winner was Andrew Yates; your president gladly accepted the trophy on his behalf! 

This year's CDA Championship Series, the "Racing formerly known as the Lipton Cup", was won by Peter and Marco.  The CDA Series Champion is determined by the combined score of five major regattas held across the CDA (Calgary anyone?!?!) with one regatta as a drop.  This year's events were the Ottawa Skiff Grand Prix, the RCYC Open, the Cassidy's Bay Invitational, the RCYC Skiff Regatta, and the CDA Championships.

Thanks to everyone for a great season.  Hopefully someone will step up and keep Marco and Peter from sweeping next year's awards, as competition heats up in advance of the 2011 World Championships in Weymouth, UK!

2010 Canadian International Fourteen Awards Night!

Join us on November 26th, at the RCYC's Crown and Beaver Pub for the 2010 Awards Night.  Cocktails will begin at 7 (or before, if you like!) to be followed by the presentation of the 2010 awards.

Trophies will be presented for the Canadian Championships, 2010 Series Championships (aka Lipton Cup), as well as trophies for several other regattas throughout the season.  Photos from the season (Cassidy's Bay and CDA Championships) will be up on the big screen, and a collection of the CDA's other trophies will also be on display. 

We will also be starting the nomination process for the 2011 Hall of Fame inductions happening next spring.  If you know someone who deserves to be nominated, this will be your first opportunity to find out how.

This of course is an open event - sailors of all kinds, past or present, skipper or crew, and of course family and friends are all invited!

Hope to see you there.  For more info, please contact me (Matt) using the link on www.i14.ca.

2010 International 14 Canadian Championships!

The end of summer really blows in Toronto. Literally!  In this case, sustained winds between 15 and 20kts, with gusts approaching 30 on the first day of this year's CDA championships. With the westerly direction, the direction was relatively steady, which meant GREAT flat-water, heavy wind races.

The racing was very close, with the lead in each of the three races changing several times. Spectators on the docks of the RCYC had downtown Toronto as a backdrop for some fast-paced, very tight sailing (and a few epic crashes, too!).

The second day of racing provided lighter winds and even closer tactical racing.  The spread between first and last was on the order of only a few minutes!

In the end, consistency paid off, with the top three boats no stranger to being at the top of the podium.

1.  Peter Haywire/Marco Koechli, CAN 601
2.  Andrew Yates/John Curtis, CAN 597
3.  Jason Lemieux/Graham Lockett, CAN 605

Photos: Joaquim Santos @ http://www.eye4photos.ca/14.