York Cup showcases some of Toronto's best Match Racing

by Drew Sutherland on 20 Jul 2016 In it’s 23rd year, the York Cup presents an opportunity to showcase the wonderful sailing we have in Toronto Harbour. It boasts many names of past champions who have gone on to succeed at the pinnacle of our sport in match and other racing disciplines.

Match racing has a long tradition on the Great Lakes and should be recognized as such- the York, Stolze, Richardson, Canada’s Cup, to recent C-Class events which have been raced on the Lakes, even leading to roles within the America’s Cup This year the York Cup was hosted again by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, to be sailed in the club’s fleet of Sonars.

This year’s York Cup started with clear skies and big wind in the harbour, a beautiful sight for July on our waters. Teams participating flew flags from four nations including Bermuda, Sweden, USA and of course our own maple leaf. The format was standard for ISAF graded events, in which competitors sail a round robin against all other competitors to seed a semi-final, and eventually a final. Day one saw some very competitive and active racing with winds moving up into the teens, causing the much maligned R flag to come out (restricting the use of spinnakers) and creating some exciting mark rounding s and boat on boat maneuvering.

The team of Alexander Heinzeman representing the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club took honours for the day with a smartly sailed six - one record. They eventually finished with a seven - one record to take top seed into the Semis. Competitors retired to our beautiful Model Room for dinner and drinks to debrief and share stories from the day. As an added bonus, the Organizing Committee brought in the Lake Ontario Waterkeepers to give a talk about the progress and state of our rivers and water in the Great Lakes region. Please take a moment to look them up at website.

Day two started with a building breeze to the north. For those who know the harbour this either spells unpredictable shifting winds, or opportunity for a pass. True to form the winds did their best to throw race committee, who were able to squeak through the round robin before the winds shut down around one o’clock. Luckily, the wind found its mettle again with a brisk southerly that came up from the lake and restarted things for the semis in a best to two series. Competitors who made it through were: Alex Heinzeman (CAN) who took on Mark Johnson (USA), and Lance Fraser (BER) taking on Magnus Sandberg (SWE). Heinzeman was able to dispatch Johnson in two straight races, while Fraser had his hands full with Sandberg who pushed it to three, Fraser ultimately pulling through to advance.

With the stage set for the finals and the day well advance to 3:30, the RC determined that the SI’s would only allow for a one race finals for the cup. The wind picked up a touch and set the stage. Fraser was able to sail Heinzeman deep into the box during the pre-start and lead from wire to wire to take the York Cup under the flag of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

Special thanks should be extended to Landon Gardner as the Organizing Authority, Jess McGrath from the RCYC sailing office for support on the administration, the judges who made time to govern the racing, the Race Committee staff, Jenny Farrand and her team for setup and equipment support, The RCYC Match Racing Section for help with the boats, the volunteer members for their dedication, and the club for use of the our Sonars, Saturday’s dinner and the members hospitality!

If you would like to know more about how to get involved in supporting or participating match racing, please contact Brandon Townsend at btownsend84@gmail.com.