Yaeger, from PCYC, wins IRC Division of the Lake Ontario 300 race.

by Katie Nicoll on 28 Jul 2012 Les Siek purchased his J-35 'Jaeger' in 2010. Right from the beginning he wanted to put together a crew that would be competitive and able to succeed in biggest regatta on Lake Ontario.

Les decided to participate in LO300 for the first time in 2010. It was an awesome experience and quite a good outcome, as they came first in their PHRF division. The following year, in preparation for LO300 2011, they participated in Susan Hood race.

In the 2011 LO300, they were close to winning it again, but had to settle for a second place, which was also quite rewarding. 'Since then we had our goal set to win the regatta overall,' explains Les. 'It came true this year when we won IRC Division overall. We are extremely happy.'

To make this all happen, Les brought together a great crew who have spent time on the boat. They include Ted Bartlewski and Robert Bartlewski who shared the driving with Les, Jerry Bulkowski trimmed most of the sails, and Irek Kosinski did a fantastic job on the bow. Adam,Witek, Peter and Lukasz filled out the rest of the crew and were very committed. 'During the race the team’s spirits were good and everyone was tirelessly doing their best in order to capture the trophy,' commented Les.

The team discussed their strategy prior to the start of the race as well as during the race. They decided to go closer to shore on the first leg to Main Duck Island. It worked perfectly as they led their division arriving at Main Duck Island. The next crucial call came at Ford Shoal, and they again decided to sail closer to the shore, which clinched the lead overall. They were fortunate that from the beginning of the race, they we were at the right place at the right time and had a lot of experience and commitment on the boat.

'It was awesome regatta, thanks to the race committee, PCYC staff and volunteers for a fantastic job organizing this, 'said Les.