THUNDER BAY — Departing from Prince Arthur's Landing, nine boats competed across three fleets, enjoying a steady breeze with fast gusts and warm sun, on Wednesday evening as at the Thunder Bay yacht club kicked off its 2025 racing season.
Although 15 boats were registered, only 9 made it to the starting line.
“It’s always a bit rush to try and get the boats in before the first race,” said Andre St. Jacques, captain of the Berserker, a J35 racing boat in fleet A.
“This past May long weekend was especially challenging with the snow flurries first thing in the morning and 40 and 50-kilometre winds in the afternoon. It was windy, wavy, very cold, but we made it.”
Divided into fleets A, B, and C, based on a rating system designed to cancel out the advantages and disadvantages of different types of sailboat, the racers launched in staggered starts at 6:20 p.m. (C), 6:25 p.m. (B) and 6:30 p.m. (A) to face off in the five-lap course, down and up winds, that took roughly one hour.
Four boats made up competitive Fleet A. Andre St. Jacques helming Berzerker claimed a win with a time of 48:49 and a corrected time of 43:10, finishing over a minute ahead of second-place Bobsled skippered by Bob Vander Ploeg. Bella, with Cam McWhirter at the helm, came third, while Gong Show captained by Casey Sellers, rounded up the fleet.
“We pray for days like today,” said St, Jacques “but, in all, they're far and few. Even in the warmest summer months, we're wearing sweaters and pants, but today it seems like its pretty warm for a day in May.”
In Fleet B, Rumba, helmed by Geoff Hall took top honours with a corrected time of 54:32, narrowly beating Eclipse and skipper Christopher Winn, who finished 31 seconds behind on the corrected time.
In fleet C, Blade Runner, led by Marty Baryluk, delivered a strong performance with a corrected time of 47:03. Andiamo (Martin Dubé) and AirAura (Chris Baily) followed in second and third, rounding out a tight group finish.
“Conditions are going to be changing as they do during the race often at this time, and I feel really excited,” said Dubé, Captain of the Andiamo a Viking 28 said prior to the race. “The crew is excited to get on a new boat, a bigger boat, and we have the previous owner to show us the ropes and go through the quirks”
The evening marked a smooth start to the race calendar. Races continue weekly, with weather and wind guiding the course of competition throughout the summer.
