Brome Lake Boating Club Women Sailing Initiative named Sail Canada 2024 Recreation Event of the Year

Brome Lake Boating Club's Women's Sailing Initiative Named Sail Canada's 2024 Recreation Event of the Year © Sail Canada

Sail Canada announced today that the Brome Lake Boating Club's Women's Sailing Initiation Camp has won Sail Canada's Recreation Event of the Year Award for 2024.

The Recreation Event Award recognizes a club, an organization, an individual or a group, which is Canadian-based and affiliated with Sail Canada, that has contributed to the promotion of recreational sailing in Canada. In order to be eligible for the award, clubs or associations must be members in good standing with Sail Canada. Nominations were evaluated based on a time period ranging from January 1 to December 31, 2024.

The Lac Brome Boating Club's Women's Sailing Initiative aimed to provide sailing opportunities specifically for girls through various types of camps, ranging from recreational introduction to high performance. The project was made possible thanks to financial support from Sail Canada, Égale Action, Sports Québec, and Voile Québec.

The Lac Brome Boating Club organized a five-day introductory camp in August 2024 which was reserved for girls—cisgender, transgender, and non-binary. Under the direction of Laurence Pagé of Voile Québec, three instructors supervised a group of 21 participants aged 8 to 16 from eight municipalities in Brome-Missisquoi. The camp allowed participants to discover sailing in an inclusive and supportive environment, while giving instructors the opportunity to adapt to the specific learning needs of girls.

This type of camp has confirmed that female-only environments play a key role in keeping girls involved in sports: it allows them to try new experiences, take on challenges, build relationships, and strengthen their sense of belonging, even in individual disciplines such as sailing.

"We are very honoured to receive Sail Canada's Recreational Event of the Year Award for the first edition of our Women's Sailing Initiation Camp," said Kim Alepin of the Brome Lake Boating Club.

"This project would not have been possible without the Sailing for All initiative and the coordination of Samara Crothers, whom we sincerely thank for her commitment. With the support of Sail Canada, Sports Québec, Égale Action, and Voile Québec, we were able to welcome 21 young participants, the vast majority of whom were discovering sailing for the first time. Despite difficult weather conditions, the girls returned every day with enthusiasm and perseverance, creating an inclusive and caring atmosphere. This award recognizes the importance of making sailing accessible and offering new opportunities to girls and young women."

Additional information on the Recreation Event of the Year Award is available here.