Toronto International Boat Show - SailFest Review
by Guy Perrin on 11 Jan 2010
Archambault display at the 2010 Toronto International Boat Show Guy Perrin
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While the sun is shining in Toronto this week-end, a quick look at the windchill factor of -12 C provides a welcome excuse to spend some indoor time at the Toronto International Boat Show. The show caters to all forms of on-water activities, whether you are cottager shopping for a new ski boat for the family, an avid angler hoping to acquire a faster bass boat or a retired couple considering cruising the Trent-Severn Waterway, the show has a vessel to suit your taste. Kids will also enjoy the largest indoor lake complete with wakeboarding demonstrations and Duma, the waterskiing Jack Russell Terrier.
This first review will focus on the SailFest area, catering to all sailors. Those who know me will attest to the fact I am usually attracted to performance sailing vessels first; I was very pleased to the introduction of new names to the Canadian sailing scenes at TIBS. Competition Yachts is the new local dealer for French Archambault manufacturer; they are proudly displaying the powerful IRC winner A40 RC, the popular A35 and the new A31. All Archmbault are advertised as the future generation of sailboats, powerful boats with spacious interiors. The 40 and 35 footer have been dominating the european racing scene for the past few years and are slowly gaining popularity in North America. Also new this year is the introduction of the Viper 640 by Ottawa's Advantage Boating; the Viper 640 is a modern design and construction 21’ sportsboat; it combines the stiffness of a keelboat with the acceleration and planing ability usually associated with dinghies. This boat will appeal to a very wide audience, from families to hard-core one-design racers.
Other performance vessels on display include the Jeanneau SunFast 3200; this yacht will appeal to short-handed racers with it’s ergonomic cockpit and dual rudder design. The C&C 115 is also available for viewing; there is already a small fleet of these scattered throughout yacht clubs in the Greater Toronto Area. The J/80 class association also has a boat on display. Those who don’t mind getting wet will find an amazing assortment of dinghies ranging from family dayboats, including vessels like the Norseboat, that are reminiscent of a bygone era to olympic class racers to plastic entry level dinghies for kids. The array of sail and hull colors in the dinghy zone is fascinating!
The SailFest area is also host to Derek Hatfield’s Spirit of Canada and Diane Reid’s One Girl ocean Challenge campaigns. While Derek has his sight set on the next VELUX 5 Oceans race with some new team gear and news of the ECO 60 Class, Diane is mounting a campaign to participate in the 2011 Mini Transat race. In addition to being in the booth, Derek will be doing presentations about the Vendee Globe and VELUX 5 Oceans Race 2010 on Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday at 2pm, Saturday the 16th at 2pm and Sunday the 17th at 4pm. Diane is attracting a lot of attention with a fully rigged, 21 foot, ocean-going Mini 6.5 yacht in the display area.
Families are also lining up to visit many other sailboats ranging from the mid-twenty to high forty feet; the usual big brands are all there: Hunter, Catalina, Tartan, Hanse, Jeanneau and Beneteau. The SailFest area is also the perfect place if you are in the market for new sails; I don’t recall ever seeing so many different sail makers at the same show.
Keep an eye out for more reviews and comments throughout the week.
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