Competitors as far away as Brazil will be in town this week as registration continues to come in for 2010 CYA Sail East Regatta.
Sail East attracts young sailors between the ages of 8 to 18 and is sanctioned by the Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) and the Nova Scotia Yachting Association (NSYA). The Northern Yacht Club (NYC) won the right to host the event in 2010.
“We hoped to make this an international event by attracting competitors from the U.S.,” says Dean Baldwin, Sail East co-chair. “We didn’t expect to attract competitors from a different continent.” Twin brothers who reside in Brazil are making the trip to North Sydney to attend the event. Sailing with the Lunenburg Yacht Club, the pair will be competing in hopes of qualifying for the World Youth Championships.
The organizing committee was also pleased to receive a registration from Kugluktuk, Nunavut. With competitors from both the North and South, the event promises to be exciting for both competitors and spectators alike. Junior Sailors from the NYC and surrounding Clubs feel they have an advantage competing in their own area. Local participants have an advantage knowing the water, wind and currents of Sydney Harbour’s Northwest Arm. While the event will feature competitors who are national and international hopefuls, for some young competitors this will be their first sailing competition. “That’s what’s great about Sail East,” says Baldwin, “you see various ages and skill levels.”
The event begins with training on Wednesday and Thursday with the competition getting underway at 10am Friday, wrapping up on Saturday afternoon. Spectators are encouraged to come down to the event with excellent viewing from Munroe Park. Refreshments and food will be available to purchase. Hotels in the area are close to capacity and restaurants will see an influx of patrons over the four days.
This is the second time the Northern Yacht Club (NYC) has hosted Sail East in the past ten years. The Club has a rich history of hosting sailing events having hosted a leg of NSYA 420 Circuit in 2009 and the World Snipe Championships in the past. The NYC Learn to Sail Program has been teaching sailing for more than 40 years.
For more information visit northernyachtclub.ca.
