2019 LOOR Racing Guide

2019
Lake Ontario Offshore
Racing
Guide

2019 Executive Committee ................................................. 2
Chairman’s Welcome ........................................................... 3
A Message from our Sponsor - driveHG ........................... 5
There’s an answer for that, your club Ambassador ........... 6 - 7
Thank you to our Sponsors ................................................. 8
The Moment I had feared ................................................... 10 -11
Susan Hood Trophy Race
Clockwise or Counter Clockwise ....................................... 12 - 14
The 2018 LO600 Challenge
How to Eat Your Words ....................................................... 16 - 19
Challenging the LO600 - Double Handed ......................... 20 - 22
2018 Susan Hood & LO300/600 Trophy Winners .............. 24 - 29
A good time was had by all ................................................. 30 - 31
2018 Susan Hood & LO300/600 Flag Ceremony ............... 32 - 33
2018 LOSHRS Trophy Winners ........................................... 34 - 36
Crew Bank ............................................................................ 37
Spinnaker Strategy ............................................................... 38 - 39
Food Preparations & Crew Schedules ............................... 40- 44
Great Lake Single Handed Society ..................................... 45
Utilizing Social Media .......................................................... 46- 47
What’s a MMSI? .................................................................... 48 - 51
Thunderstorm Smarts .......................................................... 52 - 57
The History of LOSHRS ....................................................... 58 - 59
Look What’s New from Spinlock ........................................ 61
Offshore & Overnight
at the east end of Lake Ontario .......................................... 62 - 63
2019 Offshore Race Dates ................................................... 64 - 68
Safety at sea -
education courses to help you prepare ............................. 69- 71
Broadreach Foundation ....................................................... 73- 74
Contents

• SUSAN HOOD TROPHY RACE • ONTARIO 300 CHALLENGE • LAKE ONTARIO SHORT-HANDED RACING SERIES
Page 2 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
2019 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Committee
Thanks to the volunteers that make it all happen!
Monica Doedens
Committee Chair
PCYC
Dave Courtney
Ambassador
Program
LYC
Brent Hughes
Solo Racers
FBYC
Joe Doris
Past-Committee
Chair
PCYC
Mark Searle
Sponsorship
PCYC
Mac Mckenzie
LOSHRS
Registration
EYC
Steve Singer
Marketing
Communications
EYC
Brian Townsend
Sponsorship
PCYC
Mitchell
Pignatiello
Finances
PCYC
Louisa Sonosky
Social Media
MCC
Martin Osborne
LOSHRS
THSC
Sandra Chave
Shoreline
Coordination
LSYC
loor.ca
Graham Dougall
Race & Safety
Committee
QCYC
Gord Timmis
Website
Judy Willan
Administration
PCYC
LOOR
Twitter: @LO300
Facebook: @LOOR300
Instagram: @LOOR300
PCYC
Twitter: @PortCreditYacht
Facebook: @VisitPCYC
Instagram: @portcredityachtclub
COVER - LO300/600 Series, July 14, 2018
Photo credit:
Louisa Sonosky | PARKER MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Welcome…
As the new Chair of the Lake Ontario Offshore
Racing Organising Authority, I want to welcome you
all to the 2019 LOOR season. I am honoured to be
heading up this amazing committee and team of
volunteers especially as this is the 30 th Lake Ontario
300 Challenge and the 45th year for LOSHRS, the
Lake Ontario Short Handed Racing Series.
First, I would like to thank Joe Doris for all his years
as chair. His organisational skills are exceptional, and
he led the committee with steadfast flair as he took
our events to new heights. Thankfully he remains
with us as Past Chair and continues to be an invaluable
and dedicated resource.
Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 3
Monica Doedens
Chair, LOOR
I would also like to thank the equally dedicated volunteers who run these
races. You can see the pictures of the committee at the start of this guide,
but we have hundreds of others who help with everything from serving post
race chili to recording finish times. These people work tirelessly to ensure our
races remain fun and most importantly fair. I know they get great satisfaction
from what they do, but I also know they have a lot of fun doing it. We are
always looking for volunteers so please consider contacting me if you would
like to join this great team. Judging by the racing success of many of our
volunteers, your results may improve.
Finally, thank you to all our racers and you for picking up this guide. The
articles we have chosen are sure to entertain and enlighten. It has been created
to provide you with a trustworthy and inspiring place to find information
about racing. I’d like to give a big shout out to our editor Steve Singer. He’s
done an amazing job corralling the committee, ensuring all articles, ads, and
pages came together beautifully.
We hope you get lost in the articles but also pay close attention to our
advertisements. Sponsors and advertisers make our events happen. Please
support their products and services and let them know you appreciate that
they support our events. We cannot run our races without them.
We are looking forward to an exciting year.
See you at the Start Line.
Monica Doedens
Chair, 2019 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 5
To LOOR members and sailing enthusiasts,
On behalf of the entire team at Humberview Automotive Group and driveHG.ca,
we would like to welcome you to the 2019 LOOR race season on Lake Ontario.
As avid sailors, we appreciate the commitment and eagerness you display
throughout this race series and are grateful to sponsor the 2019 LOOR season
for the fourth consecutive year.
One of the pillars of the Humberview Group is to support our communities. Our
association with local hospitals and charities have been a mainstay of what drives
our team. We also strongly believe in supporting local sporting events.
The dedication and commitment it takes to run a successful sailing campaign
aligns with the Humberview Group’s core values. Two key values that drive our
team of over 1500 people are integrity and teamwork. We take pride knowing
all our customers are met with the highest standard of excellence and care for
their vehicles. As one of the largest automotive groups in Canada with 17
automotive brands and 29 locations across Ontario, we have 1 promise:
To serve you better, each and every day.
Should you require any assistance or servicing of your support vehicles, we are
happy to help. Our dealerships, Humberview Chevrolet Buick GMC and
Humberview Volkswagen are a short distance from the Port Credit Yacht Club.
We look forward to meeting many of you in the upcoming months and continuing
to build existing relationships. For those of you who have purchased or serviced
your vehicles with us, we thank you for your patronage, and we look forward to
serving you again soon.
In closing, we hope this season brings you great competition,
fair winds and tremendous joy.
Sincerely,
Andrew Lennox and Jim Leckie
ANDREW LENNOX
GENERAL MANAGER
HUMBERVIEW
CHEVROLET BUICK GMC, MOTORSPORTS,
AND COMMERCIAL TRUCKS
1650 The Queensway, Toronto, ON
416-259-3030 | humberviewgm.com
JIM LECKIE
HG DIRECTOR
OF VOLKSWAGEN OPERATIONS,
AND GENERAL MANAGER
FOR HUMBERVIEW VW
1650 The Queensway, Toronto, ON
416-259-7656 | humberviewvw.com

There’s an answer for that …
your Club Ambassador
By Terence Kuehn
You may have heard of the ‘Susan Hood Trophy Race’, ‘Lake Ontario
300 Challenge’ and ‘LOSHRS’ but you want to know more about these
offshore long-distance events and how you can get involved. The idea
of long-distance racing excites you, but you don't know how to start,
what’s involved, or where to get more information. You wish there was
someone you could talk to, help you get involved, and answer all the
questions you have. Question like; how to register, what the safety
inspection is all about, when to book a slip at PCYC prior to the race,
and how the starting sequence works, to name just a few.
Well, there is an answer for that… meet the Lake Ontario Offshore
Race series ‘Ambassadors’. This group of individuals, representing clubs
from the north shore of Lake Ontario, are experienced long-distance
racers who have volunteered to help others get involved. Their primary
responsibility is to promote the long-distance offshore racing program
within their clubs. It doesn't matter if you are a skipper looking to enter
your boat and crew for the first time or you are simply interested in
crewing on a boat; they can provide answers and guidance.
The Ambassadors know the races well and offer their assistance in
many ways to help promote offshore racing on Lake Ontario. At club
functions and regular club races, they may take the opportunity to provide
an introduction and overview of the races and talk about their ability to
assist racers in getting to the start line. They can help get your boat
ready through guidance with the safety regulations, delivery to PCYC
prior to the event, and be an onshore contact person for you during
the actual race by VHF or cell phone (yes, its allowed).

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 7
Your club Ambassador can be a valuable resource for you, ensure you
connect with them! Below is a list of the Ambassadors and
the clubs they represent.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to them for assistance. If
your club is not listed or you need contact information
for your club Ambassador, let me know and I will help
you connect with the right person.
Or, you may contact info@loor.ca:
Murray Gainer ABYC
Winnie Gainer ABYC
Stuart Rice
Alexandra YC
Guy Perrin
Britannia YC, Nepean SC (Ottawa)
Rob Bartholomew Boulevard, TS&CC
Bryan Simms Bronte Harbour YC
Terry Kuehn CBYC, HYC,
Scarborough Bluffs YC, BPYC
Brian Mitchell Cobourg YC
Geoffrey Roulet Collins Bay YC (Kingston)
Jason Smyth Dalhousie Yacht Club
Mac McKenzie Etobicoke Yacht Club
(LOOR Committee member)
Brent Hughes Frenchman’s Bay Yacht Club
(LOOR Committee member)
Dave Courtney Lake Shore Yacht Club
(LOOR Committee member)
Yuriy Mikhailov MCC
Chris Bobyk MCC
Andrea Mooney NYC
Kathleen Timmis RCYC
Rob Cajolet TMCC (Multihull)
Randy Boyd Toronto Hydroplane & Sailing Club
John Greenham Toronto Hydroplane & Sailing Club
Ken Tramposch YYC
Martin Osborne Toronto Hydroplane & Sailing Club
Joe Doris
PCYC (LOOR Committee member)
Monica Doedens PCYC (LOOR Committee member)
Hope to see you out on the race course this year.
Terry Kuehn kuehnt@interdev.ca

Thank You to our Sponsors

Susan Hood Trophy Race: May 31, 2019 “The Coolest Race on the Lake!”
LO300: July 12th, 2019 - Main Duck Course
LO300: July 12th, 2019 - Scotch Bonnet Course
• SUSAN HOOD TROPHY RACE • ONTARIO 300 CHALLENGE • LAKE ONTARIO SHORT-HANDED RACING SERIES

Page 10 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
The moment I had
feared in the past,
became one of
my favourites
By Melody Pitts
There is nothing quite like going on a sail that allows you to not only
watch the sunset, but also watch it rise.
As a child I grew up sailing on a boat, weekend trips, family vacations
and even the occasional fun race. It wasn’t until 5 years ago that I was
introduced to a whole other side of sailing - double handed racing
with my Dad – Dave Courtney. When the idea first came up to do the
LOSHR series, I was quite excited, but I will admit, the thought of doing
the 100-miler was what made me a little anxious. I had been out on
the boat for days at a time, but never overnight, and never “solo” at
times when Dad needed to sleep! I knew that all the knowledge I had
gathered over the years would surely bring me through most situations
that may arise, but never considered how much I stood to gain by getting
pushed out of my comfort zone.
Dad has a wonderful way of doing things that most people would
look at and say “wow, that is so adventurous “or “you’re crazy to do
that by yourself” and making it look completely normal. I have always
admired that, and so, with a brave face, off we went on the 100-miler.
We have gathered some good stories on our races, but this year was
by far my favourite. What started out as a pretty choppy day, with
favourable winds, quickly turned to no winds, listening to the sails
snap and swing, bobbing with no sign of even a puff of air. It is in
those moments that your patience, perseverance and even sanity truly
get tested. I had hit the point where I thought I was going to go mad!
Looking at Dad, I knew there was not a chance he would start that

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 11
engine, and so I quickly made the decision to switch my mind set and
jumped up on the bow and started fanning the sails… only joking. But really,
I started to take in all the small things that could be done to make the tiniest
difference in situations like that.
Every so often there would be a puff of air, and we would jump into action
to get every bit of speed we could. And then finally, off in the distance, you
could see that ripple on the water that you pray is what you think it is but
dare not say - WIND.
After what seemed like the longest 11 hours of my life, we rounded the
Niagara mark and were on the final stretch home, with wind! Dad went
down to sleep just before sunrise, to get some much needed rest, and I took
over. As the sun came up, I remember thinking, I wish everyone in my life
could know what this feeling is like, because simply, there is nothing like it.
The moment I had feared before, quickly became one of my favourites.
The winds continued to
shift slightly, and I made
quick work of trimming the
sails. Watching each time
as our speed rose, I felt
grateful for all that my Dad
had taught me over the
years to be able to enjoy
this moment on my own,
rather than fear it! I am so
thankful for the 100-miler,
and all the ups and downs
it can bring.
Here’s to next year, and
bringing in 1 st overall
again, right Dad?!

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 13
by Steve Singer
Susan Hood
Trophy Race
Clockwise or Counter-clockwise?
For the first time in a number of years the Susan Hood Trophy Race went the
other way around in 2018.
The waypoints for the Susan Hood include the Start and Finish lines just offshore
from the Port Credit Yacht Club, along with the Burlington Weather Tower
and the Niagara 2 Mark leaving those two marks to port. It’s a triangle course
and in most recent years, we have gone counter-clockwise, meaning after the
PCYC start we’d all basically head southwest in the general direction of Hamilton.
Strategic maneuvers kick in right after the start since this is an overnight race
in early June and the wind comes and goes and comes and goes - usually. The
evening breeze providing you with lift over the start line could just as easily
pickup, die off, back or veer. You never know. But that’s what makes sailboat
racing so interesting, challenging and fun. Many racers after crossing the line
decide to hug the shore in hopes of an onshore breeze in the late evening and
an offshore breeze to pick them back up in the early morning hours. Others
steer straight out into the lake on a south-eastly heading before turning
westward in hopes of finding an overnight wind further off shore.
But for 2018, we had new strategies to ponder and implement. The direction
of the course was reversed to be clockwise. This meant we first headed south
to the Niagara 2 Mark then turned west and set a course for the Burlington
Weather Tower. In this case both marks are kept to starboard. The final leg
would see us pointing the bow towards the finish line at PCYC, which was
basically a northernly course along the north shore of the lake.
Many finishers I spoke with agreed the 2018 race was one of the quickest
Susan Hood’s in recent memory due to fairly steady winds from the start on
Friday evening right through until late Saturday. I was curious though on what
the racers thought of going the other way around this time.
Many of my fellow competitors responded that the direction didn’t much
matter to them. They enjoy the Susan Hood Trophy Race (the Coolest Race on
the Lake), as a great kick start to the season each year regardless of the direction.
Others though, were clearly in favour of the clockwise route used in 2018.
They said the counter clockwise course – heading to the Burlington Weather

Page 14 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Tower first – has left many racers bobbing around this waypoint in the early
hours of Saturday waiting for some semblance of wind to fill in. Any kind of
puff will do! Reflecting on the general wind patterns experienced in past Susan
Hoods, many felt that having the second leg from Niagara 2 Mark to Burlington
Weather Tower rather than the other way around, worked better.
Some also felt that the June winds would generally favour smaller boats when
the course is clockwise but larger/faster vessels would benefit when the route is
counter-clockwise. It all very much depends on where you are around the time
of 2:00 am to 5:00 am on Saturday.
A few others suggested the direction of the Susan Hood course be determined
and announced on the day of the race by the Race Committee based on weather.
Or – taking it to a whole other level – letting racers decide themselves at the start
line which way they’re going to go. That would certainly make for some interesting
rendezvous’ and liaisons as vessels met going opposite directions somewhere
along that second leg. Certainly interesting ideas. The Race Committee confirms
this is easier said than done and there would be challenges associated with
some of these ideas.
The first time my son Justin and I did the Susan Hood in 2015, (counter-clockwise)
we hugged the shore during the night and after rounding the Burlington mark
benefited from brisk south west winds that pushed my Catalina 320 beyond hull
speed on a broad reach for most of the leg to Niagara. We finished first in our
class that year. In 2018, going the other way around, we also benefited from the
steady wind – this time coming from the north and then north east – rounding
the course in record time for us. We finished second.
Which direction do I prefer? If the wind is steady regardless of direction, I don’t
care which way the course is. But all things considered I did enjoy the clockwise
route more than the other way around. The course will be clockwise again in 2019.

The
“COOLEST”
Friday
May 31 st
2019
Race on the Lake!
Photo Credit: Louisa Sonosky - PARKER MEDIA MANAGEMENT
75 Nautical Miles on Western Lake Ontario
Single, Double & Fully Crewed Divisions
White & Flying Sails PHRF & IRC
Great Prizes, Great Trophies
For Details & Online Registration go to

Page 16 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
how to eat
your words
The 2018 LO600 Challenge
By Brent Hughes
SV Pearl, C&C 35
When asked by the Toronto Boat Show to make a few presentations last
winter, we decided to re-vamp the spring 2017 LOOR presentations we
completed on "How to Make it to the Finish Line". Each time I was introduced
at the show, the announcer emphasized the fact that I "had finished every
long-distance race I had started". That gave me an odd feeling, like my
luck was going to run out soon. And it did…
Have I eaten my words this past season? Yes, I have. Humbly. But rather
than make excuses, I simply accepted it for what it was and moved on. As
such, the following is the text I sent to family and friends soon after the
retirement, from the warmth of Sodus Bay Yacht Club.
Hi all.
My phone, text and email has been pinging non-stop since I called the
LO600 Race Committee at 7am to inform them that Pearl is retiring from the
LO600, and heading to Sodus Bay YC, 15 nm from the Ford Shoal buoy, where
I’m sending this message from. Firstly, I’m ok. And Pearl is ok. No injuries,
no breakages, no minor catastrophe led to my decision to retire from the
second lap of the lake, this year. It was just a decision made.
This was my 10th solo circumnavigation of Lake Ontario on Pearl, and
my 19th circumnavigation of the lake in the LO300/LO600. This was also my
FIRST ever retirement from a distance race in my life… so the decision was
not taken lightly.
But there’s two main adages that I like to live by; the first one I read in a
sailing book years ago, and it states “An accident is nothing but a series of
incidents that go unresolved”, as in… small problems get bigger, and
compound or cascade quickly, thus leading to an accident.
The second was said to me by Wally McMinn, from the GLSS, (Great
Lakes Singlehanded Society), my mentor when I started sailing solo with
the group. He said, “sail hard and sail well, but if things go wrong, ALWAYS,

Photo Credit: Louisa Sonosky - PARKER MEDIA MANAGEMENT
keep enough energy to make is safely to a port. Both scenarios have just
played themselves out, and I believe I’ve done the right thing.
First, the lightning, storms, and massive (and I mean massive) wind shifts
on Monday night kept me up, awake, and on my toes all night long.
Second, when the promised wind filled in from the NW early Tuesday
morning, I realized that Pearl had dropped 10 boats in the fleet, and that my
competition had significantly closed the gap on Pearl. Hence, I hand steered
(on no sleep), from 0500 until the very windy upwind finish at PCYC at 1405hrs.
Job complete. 1st solo Single Handed 2 division, 1st overall solo (both
divisions), and 8th overall in the PHRF Sperry Cup standings. Happy.
I planned to start the second lap, pop the kite, set the auto for 103 degrees
for 130 nm… and get some rest. But that’s not what happened.
Third. It was VERY puffy at the start/finish line at PCYC so up went the A3. It
didn’t last. Within 10 miles I swapped it the much larger A2. It too didn’t last.
The wind came back… with a vengeance… and shifted more N than NW. Down
came the A2, out went the Genoa.
Fourth, the waves built quickly. The wind built as well. Quickly well beyond
the forecast. All good. No issues. Fun, so far.
Fifth, just after sunset, I went to start the motor to charge the batteries. I’d
maintained a half hour charge schedule every 6 hours throughout the first half
of the race. Because the auto helm had been “working”, I cut this in half, to 3
hours..... I went to start the motor. NOTHING.
Sixth. Uh oh. Try battery 1 again. Nothing. Try battery 2
(house), nothing. Try both. Nothing!!!!!! Darkness coming. I
shut off everything. Even the main battery switch. Wait 5
minutes… at this time I see a ship behind me (no issue,
Uh oh

Page 18 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
just see him in the downbound (eastbound) lane, I’m just north of it). And,
lucky me, at exactly the same time, a light comes over the horizon in the
upbound (westbound) lane (I’m just south of it) but I NEED to get this going.
I say a little sailor’s prayer, turn the power on to battery 1, turn the key, and
there’s the slightest movement… finally it roars to life!!!!! Crisis averted.
Seventh. But… the two ships. I check Marine Traffic, hail both, let them
know I’ll stay between the lanes and not be an issue for them. All good.
Both captains appreciate it… but (again), the waves are now… big! The
upbound ship is very slow coming into it. The downbound ship is very slow
to pass as I’m surfing up to 11 knots under whites… I’m stuck hand steering
(while charging the batteries), between the lanes (and thus high of my
course to the Ford Shoal marker by 20 degrees), for an hour and a half…
Eighth. I finally get to turn down. Now it’s really blowing. I reef the
mainsail. I take in half the Genoa on the Furler… but I am careless in my
tie off (more on this)…
Ninth. Both the sailing vessel ‘Upstart’ and ‘Pearl’ are hailed by a cruising
boat, a mile or so to leeward, informing us his course is 115 degrees to
Sodus Bay (ours is 105 to Ford), all good… but I cannot get a visual on him
with the far off lights of Rochester (any of you that know this shore knows
there’s a ton of random lights here). All good, but…
Tenth. I’d like to fix this knot in the Genoa Furler line, furl it completely,
and get a smaller headsail and the headstay rigged… in order to do that,
I need to turn dead downwind, blanket the Genoa with the main to ease
the load, and work out the knots in 10 ft swells… but I can’t get a visual on
the cruiser, and don’t want there to be a bigger problem (read accident)
with him, so I soldier on.
Eleventh. I’ve charged the batteries for 2 hours now. Allow the auto
helm to run for 1 hour while I have 3 catnaps and start the motor. The
starting battery is A-OK, but when I switch to “house”, the RPMs drop big
time, telling me there’s a real big drain here!!!
Twelfth. So… now it’s 3 am. I’m 40 or so miles from Ford Shoal.
Again. All is still ok… but you can see how these incidents are
compounding… I do not have enough fuel to run the engine to
charge the batteries every hour for the next two days (remember
I’m entering day 4). And I do not have enough personal “fuel” to hand
steer too much more without some serious rest!!!!
Thirteenth. The Ford Shoal marker is just that. A Shoal. A big nasty
Shoal 4 miles from Oswego Harbour, with a small window for the
rounding. Should these incidents all become an accident near there…
then I have a real problem.
Fourteenth. The wind is going to continue out of the N and NE for a
while yet, with a long slog (30 miles) back up to Main Duck. Then go west
see what I mean???? Lots of waves. Lots of wind. Charging issues.
Fuel reserves. Personal fatigue.
O k

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 19
“This all has the potential to get un-fun
really quickly… my decision was made.
But I kept quiet about it until I made the
call at 0700 to the Race Committee.”
This all has the potential to get un-fun really quickly… my decision was
made. But I kept quiet about it until I made the call at 0700 to the Race
Committee. At 0700, still 10nm from Sodus Bay, I called Monica Doedens, a
member of the Race Committee, gave her the news and then altered course
to dead downwind and fixed my Furler issue. Then I sailed right to the
harbour entrance of Sodus Bay before I engaged forward gear on the engine,
officially ending my LO600 session…
The kids and I are heading to the 1000 Islands in 9 days. Pearl is in one
piece. I’m in one piece. My initial goal of finishing the LO300 was completed.
The win was the icing on that cake.
So the LO600 Solo is left unfinished for Pearl in 2018. I’m ok with
that. Ten of us signed up this year. I was the 8th to retire (!!!!).
I made the right decision. I am sure of it. The incidents did not
become an accident. And I had enough personal fuel to get to
shore… but not much more. I am very tired. Very, very tired.
I’m going to now have a giant shot of Jameson, alone,
raise a toast to good seamanship… and then go to sleep.
Thank you all for your support.
Brent and Pearl - Sodus Bay YC

2018
LO600
Finish
Challenging the
Lake Ontario 600
- Double Handed
By Bert Barrett
SV Upstart,
Sunfast 3200
CHALLENGE
The Lake Ontario 300 is the world’s longest annual fresh water race. Just over
four years ago the Lake Ontario 600 (brainchild of locally renowned solo sailor,
Brent Hughes), came into being. This race is held biennially in conjunction
with the LO300. Competitors first compete in the 300, cross the finish line,
and, without stopping, continue to do the same 300-mile course a second time.
Eleven boats registered for the LO600 in 2018. Most of these entries were
members of the Great Lakes Singlehanded Society and therefore single handed.
There were also fully crewed boats and my own boat, “Upstart“, which was
double handed. Due to the small number of entries, all boats in the LO600 are
lumped into a single division. Yes, single handers are in the same division as
fully crewed and double handed boats -- hence the LO600 may be considered
more a “challenge” than a true race.
In my mind, 600 miles double handed, compared to 600 miles single handed,
is “a walk in the park.” My sailing partner and I have completed several double
handed distance races together and we understand the importance of one of us
taking a nap whenever there is any sort of downtime. Single handers can only
take 10 to 15-minute naps at a time, and to actually nap for 10 minutes during
a race means one has to be really tired. In reality, this means real sleep starts to
happen only on the second day of the race. Fatigue has already set in and
consequently the single hander never breaks out of sleep deprivation mode.
Sleep deprivation is not usually a problem on fully crewed boats but having to
spend hours adrift under the blistering sun with different personalities in close
quarters waiting for wind can be extremely demoralizing.
The 2018 LO300 was particularly grueling. It was not the dread of storms,
but a light air race with large windless holes. Boats were becalmed for long
periods in scorching heat under a blistering sun while crews fought vicious,
biting flies. Many boats retired from the 300 and only six of the 11 boats
registered for the 600 continued onto the second lap.
Beginning this second lap, Upstart had set course for Ford Shoal some 120
nautical miles away. Broad reaching, with spinnaker flying in 10 knots of
breeze, we thought we were in for a very comfortable ride for the duration. By
early afternoon however, we were experiencing gusts of over 25 knots and
doused the chute. Later that afternoon, following seas grew larger as the wind
built. Frequently we saw boat speeds of 11 knots as we surfed down these
waves. Shortly before dark we switched to our heavy weather jib and reefed
the main, sacrificing speed for safety.
Just before midnight, I heard the Coast Guard responding to a call from
Revival, a single-handed Abbot 30. Revival was out of VHF range for me to

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 21
hear her side of the conversation, but I understood she had a problem, was
retiring from the race, and heading back to Port Credit under jury rig. The
Coast Guard needed a complete inventory of Revival’s flares, other safety
equipment, and wanted an hourly situation report, until she reached Port
Credit. (We later learned that Revival had lost her forestay.)
Soon after, I listened in to a conversation between Brent Hughes on Pearl
and the captain of a westbound freighter. Brent confirmed that he was aware of
the freighter’s course and speed and would be keeping clear. I could see that
freighter on my AIS--but also saw an eastbound freighter. Pearl was a few miles
behind us and I imagined Brent trying to navigate between shipping lanes and
the two freighters as they passed each other in the night. Quite an unnerving
situation in the dark. I was then hailed by the skipper of a sailing vessel who
wanted to know my position because he was unable to identify my navigation
lights. I turned on my deck light and that seemed to cheer him. Brent did the
same. The unknown skipper said he was heading for Rochester, but neither
Brent nor I were able to see his navigation lights. We suspected he was without
electrical power (using a hand-held VHF radio), and this was confirmed a few
hours later when the Coast Guard hailed him requesting his ETA for Rochester.
They intended to meet him there.
Two passing freighters at night coming in opposite directions at the same
time, joined by a sailboat in distress without lights combined with that night’s
wind and sea state can produce stress that really sucks the energy out of you.
When the crises had finally passed, Brent hailed me and said Pearl was having
some serious electrical problems. The house battery was discharging at an
alarming rate and somehow his engine battery was being drained simultaneously.
His engine barely kicked over, nearly failing to start, when he tried to recharge.
Brent and I have had several latenight
radio conversations over the
years and I could tell from his voice,
this time, that he was exhausted. See
Brent’s full accounting of this LO600
Challenge in ‘How To Eat Your Words’,
beginning on page 16 of this Guide.
It would be an understatement to
say that I found my conversations with
Brent overnight and the next morning
extremely poignant. His decision to
retire left me confused and stuck for
words. Although he was a few miles
behind us, Brent, on corrected time,
had a comfortable lead. Never before
had he retired from a race. The crown
that Pearl had been wearing on the
tracker and leaderboard for four days
was being passed to Upstart and I
was mute. Brent, "father" of the
LO600, was retiring. The fact that,

Page 22 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
after a night of deliberation, he made such a wise decision is only further
testament to his excellent seamanship.
With Brent’s retiring, only two boats were left: Jeannie, a fully crewed J35
and Upstart. We were several hours ahead but over the next day and a half,
this lead dwindled. We would sail into a hole, and every time Jeannie would
close the gap. When we rounded the Niagara mark and headed for Port Credit,
Jeannie was almost on our transom. She passed us with about 15 miles to go
and crossed the finish line more than an hour ahead of us.
When we docked, Brent was there with the LOOR welcoming party and a
bottle of champagne. Although Jeannie got the line honors, Upstart was
awarded first place on corrected time.

This summer take
the Challenge …
Friday
July 12 th
2019
Photo Credit: Louisa Sonosky - PARKER MEDIA MANAGEMENT
• 300 KM & 300 NM Race Around Lake Ontario
• Single, Double & Fully Crewed Divisions
• White & Flying Sails PHRF & IRC
for details & online registration visit

2018 TROPHY WINNERS
Susan Hood
Trophy Race
Susan Hood Trophy - PHRF-Susan Hood Trophy
Suspect Bryan Sims BHYC
The Rigging Shoppe Trophy - PHRF-Overall FS-SH
First Place Live Wire Kim Piller PCYC
Second Place Areion Brian Mitchell CYC
Third Place Eclipse Garry Cooke FPYC
driveHG Trophy - PHRF-FS-DH Division 1
First Place Star Chaser Kenneth Martin
& Ron Statler PCYC
Second Place Pearl Brent Hughes
& Stephen Barry FBYC
Third Place Incorrigible Rui Cordeiro
& Lisa Gillen NYC
Commonwealth Trophy - PHRF-FS-FC Division 1
First Place Suspect Bryan Sims BHYC
Second Place The Cat Came Back Graham Toms ABYC
Third Place Red Leaf Matt Emerson CBYC
Susan Hood Trophy
The Rigging Shoppe Trophy
driveHG Trophy
White Hawk Trophy - PHRF-FS-FC Division 2
First Place Strega John Harper MCC
Second Place Shorthanded Michael Pietz PCYC
Third Place Lively Murray Gainer ABYC
Dave Heron Cup - PHRF-FS-FC Division 3
First Place Plika Ian Struthers RCYC
Second Place Shockwave Les Wardrop EYC
Third Place Sassafras Colin Brown RHYC
George McCloy Bowl - PHRF-FS-FC Division 4
First Place Casual EleganceGeoff Clarke BC
Second Place Wee Beastie III Sean Matthews HYC
Third Place Another Hazard Peter Wolniak PCYC
The Commonwealth Trophy
The George McCloy Bowl

Susan Hood & LO300/600 Races
Snail’s Pace Trophy - PHRF-FS-FC Division 5
First Place Katbird Kathleen Timmis RCYC
Second Place It’s a Conspiracy Adrian Hanley BHYC
Third Place Umitaka Roger Van Vlack ABYC
The Past Chairman’s Cup - PHRF-FS-FC Division 6
First PlaceByte Size
Alex Kantemir LSYC
Second Place Volga Yuriy Mikhailov MCC
Third Place Cirrus Jamie Spotswood NYC
The Snails Pace Trophy
J. J. Morch Rose Bowl - IRC Overall
Spitfire Jonathan Bamberger NYC
The Memorial Cup - IRC Division 1
First Place Spitfire Jonathan Bamberger NYC
Second Place Beneteau First 40 Paul Marcaccio RCYC
Third Place Hooligan II Bruce Pierce MCC
Jim Johnstone Susan Hood Trophy - PHRF-NFS-DH Division 1
First Place Southern Cross Mike Newbury
& Andre Maetzener RCYC
Second Place In The Moment Steve Singer
& Justin Singer EYC
Third Place Fuzzy Logic Nick Lekic
& Svetlana Lekic LSYC
George McCloy Wheel - PHRF-NFS-FC Division 1
First Place Freestyle Jim Oldershaw PCYC
Second Place Hip Hip Thomas Lynam DYC
Third Place Rag Top Simon Treadwell RCYC
The Past Chairman’s Cup
J. J. Morch Rose Bowl
Doug Hood Memorial Trophy - PHRF-NFS-DH Division 2
First Place Running Free Christopher Borgal QCYC
Second Place Oasis Evan Steed PCYC
Third Place Bow Movement Dave Hill Maple Leaf YC
Doug Hood Memorial Trophy

Page 26 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Special Awards
Ron Watt Award
Joe Doris
In acknowledgment of dedication and service to the sailing
community.
Corinthian Award
Ron Watt Award
François Larocque and the crew of Galaxsea
In acknowledgement of their efforts in effecting a rescue that saved a life on Lake Ontario.
All aboard exhibited the Corinthian spirit all sailors aspire to.
Lake Ontario
300/600 Challenges
Scotch Bonnet Team Challenge
Sponsored by Pat Sturgeon Yachts
Main Duck Island Course
The Sperry Trophy
LO300 Champion Overall PHRF
Suspect Bryan Sims BHYC
The Gold Cup Trophy
LO300 Champion Overall IRC
Afterburn Darren Gornall & Craig Pirie
PCYC
The Pearl Trophy
LO600 Championship Overall LO600 PHRF
Upstart Bert Barrett &
John Andersen BPYC
LOOR Championship Trophy IRC-OSA
Sea Ya Gilles Bisnaire MCC
Sperry Gold Cup Trophy
The Pearl Trophy LO600 Overall

LOOR Championship Trophy PHRF-OSA
Suspect Bryan Sims BHYC
The LO300 Committee Trophy
Line Honours - LO600
Jeannie Geoffrey Roulet Collins Bay YC
Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 27
The Northern Light Trophy
Line Honours - LO300
Esprit de Corps IV Gilles Barbot Atlas Ocean Racing
The LO 300 Committee Trophy
Oakville Yacht Squadron Fuginon Trophy
PHRF-BCT FS-DH Fleet
Star Chaser Kenneth Martin & Ron Statler PCYC
Port Credit Yacht Club Commodores Cup
PHRF-BCT FS-FC Fleet
Suspect Bryan Sims BHYC
Oakville Yacht Squadron Commodore’s Cup
Ross Seeley Trophy PHRF-GLSS LO300 Champion
Pearl Brent Hughes FBYC
President’s Challenge Cup
PHRF-GLSS LO300 BCT First Time Racer
Live Wire Kim Piller PCYC
Flag PHRF-GLSS LO300 Division 1
First Place Wall-E Luke Brockman GLSS
Second Place Live Wire Kim Piller PCYC
Third Place Quick & Dirty Noel Brockman Maple Leaf YC
Flag PHRF-GLSS LO300 Division 2
First Place Pearl Brent Hughes FBYC
Second Place Mythos Ted Spanos PCYC
Third Place Revival James Roscoe BC
Tigress Trophy - Gordon Elliott Placque
- PHRF-FS-DH Division 1
First Place Star Chaser Kenneth Martin &
Ron Statler PCYC
Second Place Upstart Bert Barrett &
John Andersen BPYC
Third Place Thunder Corey Sawchuk &
Fred Stanley PCYC
The Main Duck Rock - PHRF-FS-DH Division 2
First Place True North Simon Mielniczuk &
Jory Gibson ABYC
Second Place Kaminak Jarrod Armstrong &
Michael Hatton ABYC
Third Place Sumac Peter Smith &
Neil Watson WYC
Port Credit Yacht Club Commodore’s Cup
Ross Seeley Trophy
The President’s Challenge Cup
Tigress Trophy
The Main Duck Rock

Page 28 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
The Peter Tait Memorial Trophy - PHRF-FS-FC Division 1
First Place Suspect Bryan Sims BHYC
Second Place Red Leaf Matt Emerson CBYC
Third Place Razorbill Leon Irish WYC
The Joe Fernandes Trophy - PHRF-FS-FC Division 2
First Place Zoom Mac Sadowski EYC/YCZC
Second Place Blast Chris Bobyk MCC
Third Place Rum Kist William Morland EYC
The Lighthouse Trophy - PHRF-FS-FC Division 3
First Place Nemesis Michael Innell CBYC
Second Place Angéline I François Droüin YCQ
Third Place Setanta Joe Doris PCYC
The PCYC Ice Bowl - PHRF-FS-FC Division 4
First Place Umitaka Roger Van Vlack ABYC
Second Place It’s a Conspiracy Adrian Hanley BHYC
Third Place 4Tuna Gualtiero Guadagni ABYC
Leanard Alknis(Trimpus) Memorial Trophy
- IRC-FS-FC Division
First Place Afterburn Darren Gornall & Craig
Pirie PCYC
Second Place Sea Ya Gilles Bisnaire MCC
Third Place Esprit de Corps IV Gilles Barbot
Atlas Ocean Racing
The Mount Gay Trophy - Multi Hull - GLMRA
First Place Flight Simulator Tom Reese YYC
Second Place Trippy Robert Cajolet TMCC-
Scotch Bonnet Course
The Windancer Trophy - Line Honours - Scotch Bonnet
Doralla Kirk Allan RCYC
The Yachtsman’s Cup - PHRF-FS-DH Division 1
First Place Doralla Kirk Allan
& Robert Allan RCYC
Second Place Windburn Michael Brown
& Al Hansen NYC
The Peter Tait Memorial Trophy
Joe Fernandes Trophy
The Lighthouse Trophy
Trimpus Memorial Trophy
Third Place Morningstar XI Mike Veenhuizen
& Rick Veenhuizen QCYC
The PHRF-LO Trophy - PHRF-FS-FC Division 1
First Place Blue Bayou Chris Ufton EYC
Second Place Alchemist Ron Ander EYC
The Southern Cross Cup - PHRF-BCT-NFS-DH Fleet
First Place Blue Eagle Martin Osborne
& John Greenham THSC
The Store Mason’s Chandlery Trophy - PHRF-BCT-NFS-FC Fleet
Relentless Floyd Dempster ABYC
Jim Wilkinson Trophy - PHRF-NFS-DH Division 1
First Place Blue Eagle Martin Osborne
& John Greenham THSC
The Mount Gay Trophy
The Yachtsman’s Cup

Second Place Sangaela Geoffrey Fairbank &
Alexander McCrorie Fairbank BPYC
Third Place Deva David Medhurst & Eva Innes RCYC
Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 29
The Endeavour Trophy - PHRF-NFS-FC Division 1
First Place Relentless Floyd Dempster ABYC
Second Place Hip Hip Thomas Lynam DYC
Third Place Allegro Marty Cameron BPYC
Scotiabank Bowl - PHRF-NFS-FC Division 2
First Place Oasis Evan Steed PCYC
Second Place Pegasus Greg Berry BPYC
Third Place In The Moment Steve Singer EYC
Main Duck Team Challenge
Sponsored by Sperry
MDIC Trophy
First Place Bronte Harbour Yacht Club
• Ruffian - Peter Wells
• Its a Conspiracy - Adrian Hanley
• Suspect - Bryan Sims
Second Place ABYC Team Too
• Kaminak - Jarrod Armstrong
• True North - Simon Mielniczuk & Jory Gibson
• 4Tuna -Gualtiero Guadagni
The Endeavour Trophy
MDIC Trophy
Scotch Bonnet Team Challenge
Sponsored by Pat Sturgeon Yachts
SBC Trophy
First Place ABYC Team AB
• Radzeer - Kenneth Evan • Relentless - Floyd Dempster
Second Place BPYC
• Sangaela - Geoffrey Fairbanks • Allegro - Marty Cameron
MDIC Trophy
Congratulations to all of our winners!

A GOOD TIME…
The 2018 Susan Hood and LO300/600 Awards Banquet

WAS HAD BY ALL.
Saturday November 10, 2018 - Hosted at PCYC

2018 Flag Ceremony

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 33
Susan Hood & L300/600 Races

Page 34 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
LOSHRS
2018 TROPHY WINNERS
The Tarshish Trophy, the Berolina Trophy, the Palmer Trophy and the Guenevere
Chalice are the four original trophies for LOSHRS first awarded in 1975.
Tarshish Trophy
Kim Piller Live Wire PCYC
Berolina Trophy
Kim Piller Live Wire PCYC
Best corrected time in SH FS in 100 Miler
Palmer Trophy
John Hagen Les EYC
Best total corrected time in SH FS in YYC Weekend
Guenevere Chalice
Kirk Allan Doralla RCYC
Best total Elapsed time in SH in YYC Weekend
Tarshish Trophy
Berolina Trophy
Herman Schneider Memorial
Ken Martin Star Chaser PCYC
Best corrected time for DH FS1 in overall series
G.S. Parke Memorial Trophy
Kim Piller Live Wire PCYC
and
John Hagen Les EYC
Best Low Point total for SH FS in overall series
Captain's Cup
Kirk Allan Doralla RCYC
Best Low Point total for SH WS in overall series
Guenevere Chalice
Captain's Cup

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 35
Labatt Low Point Doublehanded
David Maher &
Cathy McLeod Blew By U NYC
Best Low Point total for DH fleet in overall series *
Labatt Low Point Singlehanded
Kirk Allan Doralla RCYC
Best Low Point total for SH fleet in overall series *
Memorial Cup
David Maher &
Cathy McLeod Blew By U NYC
Best Low Point total for DH WS in overall series*
Scotiabank Trophy
Kathleen Timmis &
Gord Timmis Katbird RCYC
Best Low Point total for DH FS in overall series *
*Must complete 100 miler + 3 best races
Endeavor II Trophy
Andy Davies Moody One PCYC
Best corrected time in SH WS in Course Race
Youngstown Trophy
Brent Hughes Pearl FBY
Best corrected time in SH FS in Course Race
Labatt Low Point Doublehanded
Labatt Low Point Singlehanded
Memorial Cup
Scotiabank Trophy
Seagull Trophy
Ian McAllister Mr. Ed PCYC
Best corrected time in DH WS on Course Race
Martini Shaker Trophy
Ken Martin Star Chaser PCYC
Best corrected time in DH FS on course race
Jack Pitt Trophy
Jack Pitt Trophy
Andy Davies Moody One PCYC
Best total corrected time in SH WS for YYC Weekend
Water Colours Trophy
Yuriy Mikailov & Maxim
Mikailov Volga MCC
Best total corrected time in DH FS at YYC Weekend
Walter Penz Trophy
Kirk Allan Doralla RCYC
Best corrected time in SH WS in 100 miler
Watercolours Trophy
Walter Penz Trophy

Page 36 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Sportech Plaque
Jonathan Lelie Just One More ML
Best total corrected time in SH FS in Dalhousie Weekend
Sportech Trophy
Andy Davies Moody One PCYC
Best total corrected time in SH WS in Dalhousie Weekend
Roger Shaw Trophy
Janet & Bill Roscoe Beyond Survival BC
Best Low Point total for DH WS in
YYC + Dalhousie Weekend
Leonard Alksnis Memorial Trophy
Simon Mielniczuk & Jory
Gibson True North ABYC
Best Low Point total for DH FS
in YYC + Dalhousie Weekend
Ian McAllister Trophy (DH FS)
Tim Sweet & Magda
Warczok Give'r NYC
Best total corrected time in DH FS
Ian McAllister Trophy (DH WS)
Janet & Bill
Roscoe
Beyond Survival BC
Best total corrected time in DH WS
Jim Schoenhardt Trophy
David Courtney & Melody
Courtney Aarrow LSYC
Best corrected time in DH fleet
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF
OUR WINNERS!
Sportech Plaque
Roger Shaw Trophy
Leonard Alksnis Memorial Trophy
Ian McAllister Trophy (DH FS)
G.S. Parke Memorial Trophy
Jim Schoenhardt Trophy
The 2018 LOSHRS Awards Banquet, Saturday February 9 th , 2019

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 37
Did You Know About the … Crew Bank?
Photo Credit: Louisa Sonosky - PARKER MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Whether you are a racer looking to sign on as a crew member in a LOOR
event, or a skipper who is short on crew, the Crew Bank may provide the
solution you are looking for.
The last thing we want is racers left on land or boat owners stuck at the
dock because they couldn’t connect. The Crew Bank is a resource for both
racers and boat owners in order to help them find a match and get out on
the race course. Here’s a sample of some of last year’s profiles:
“I have raced in 8 LO300s - the last four on a C&C 27. Now looking
for a bigger, faster boat to go to Main Duck and back.”
“Motivated and competitive sailor with over seven years’ racing
experience. I possess a keen desire to contribute to the success of a
racing crew. Having worked pit, jib, main, spinnaker, sewer, guy and
helm in races of various formats.”
“With 18 years sailing experience, I raced on many boats: class40,
mini, Mumm30, Jod35, Selection, First40, pogo 2, pogo 6,5, shark, x99
… I have a lot of experience on long distance races, and I did the
mini-transat in 2009.”
The Crew Bank was in high demand during the 2018 season and crew were
snapped up very early. Check it out and ensure you don’t miss the opportunity
to participate in a 2019 LOOR event. You’ll find the link on the right side
of the Registration page, called ‘Crew/Boat Boards’, or go to the Crew Bank
page on the LOOR site under Racer Info.
With the Crew Bank, you can meet your crew requirements and join your
fellow competitors at the Start Line!

Spinnaker
Strategy
Why do I need a
Code ‘0’?
Photo by North Sails
By Hugh Beaton,
North Sails
I get asked this question frequently, and the answer is different for nearly
every application. Recent advances in the design and engineering of these
sails has made it possible to tailor a Code 0 for any application from offshore
racers setting records to family cruisers looking to add some performance for
day sailing. The choices are nearly endless – size, shape, target wind angles,
rating rules all playing a part in getting the correct sail.
It all starts with a consultation with lots of open questions to fully understand
how the sail will be used and where it fits into the rest of the boat’s inventory
of sails so that good crossovers can be achieved. This past year I had the
pleasure of working on a new project where the inventory of sails needed to
be simple and easy to handle by a small crew when sailing offshore, and yet
high performance to compete in the premier races on the Great Lakes.
Suspect, a Perry 57, was launched just days before the Susan Hood Trophy
Race and completed her sea trials during the race. Our task in designing the
sail wardrobe for this boat was to cover as much of the wind speed and wind
angle chart as possible with just four sails; Mainsail with three reefs, 135%
furling genoa, A2 spinnaker, and a versatile Code 0.
Later in the summer I was able to join the boat for the Lake Ontario 300
and use the sails in a wide range of challenging conditions. This experience
allowed me to come away with a new appreciation of what Code 0s can offer
for all of us, regardless of the speed of the boat or the size of the budget.
Well done to all that worked on her beautiful re-fit.
The design of the sail for Suspect is fuller to give the Code 0 a clean, easy
to use reaching shape that works well in the 55-90 awa range (apparent wind
angle). In light winds the A2 crossover is at 75 awa, compared to 90-100 awa
for winds above 12 knots.
For modern sail plans with non-overlapping jibs, the Code 0 can be a very
different sail, targeted to tight wind angles and light winds, offering the
performance of a huge genoa. Our new Helix family of Code 0’s is ideal for
these applications offering a flatter shape while maintaining a clean leech exit.
For any type of distance racing, a modern Code 0 that has been custom designed
for the application is a very valuable weapon – a must have for most.
These advances in design and construction are producing excellent cruising
sails also, giving a much-needed boost in power for light winds with a safe
and easy-to-handle package. These are really a game changer for the new
style cruiser that has a furling mainsail and small jib.

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 39
For the solo and double handed racers, a furling Code 0 offers even more
value as it permits the upwind sail to remain on a furler, and the Code 0 used
for all close reaching regardless of wind speed.
For most applications, the modern Code 0 is a laminate or 3D molded
composite using high modulus fibre to minimize stretch. The sails are set on
furling systems to make setting and dousing these big sails safe and reliable.
There are some important factors in making the furling work properly that
should be thoroughly reviewed during the consultation process;
Do I need a bowsprit to clear my pulpit?
Should I upgrade my spinnaker halyard ?
Is my rope clutch strong enough or can I leave the
halyard on the winch?
What make of furling system do I need?
How do I set up a tweaker to control leech twist?
Photo by Hugh Beaton
Once these issues have been addressed then we need to look at the wind
speed and wind angle targets for the specific sail being discussed to make sure
the design and construction is perfect. Lots to cover in the consultation
process, but the payoff is huge, delivering a sail that you will be wanting to use
every time you leave the dock.
Hugh Beaton
Hugh.Beaton@northsails.com

Page 40 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Food Preparations
& Crew
What works best
on your boat?
Compiled by Steve Singer
Whether it’s your first time preparing for the LO300
or you’re a veteran of a few challenges, planning for
food, drinks, and crew shifts is important. Figuring
out the provisioning well in advance can make the
difference between eating well or running out of
food. Having a crew schedule set up should result in
a happy crew versus a group of fatigued and grumpy
cockpit companions. Thinking about how I handle food prep and crew shifts on In
The Moment, my Catalina 320 cruiser/ racer, led me to wonder how other racers
manage these elements of offshore overnight racing.
You’ll notice some commonalities as well as a few different techniques on provisioning
and scheduling. Some will likely match what you’re doing now, and others may
provide new ideas for your next challenge.
Food Preparations
Ron Ander – ‘Alchemist’
Having refrigeration that lasts for four days and four night is important. We pack about
50 small rock-hard frozen water bottles into out galley cooler covering items that
need to stay the coldest.
Foods like cold cuts, cheese, fish, cooked meats, etc. are sealed in Tupperware
containers. Sandwiches, fruits and vegetables are also in containers to stay dry and
are put on top of the ice bottles. Ice cubes or blocks create a mess when they melt.
Everything in our cooler is kept cold and dry. As water bottles closest to the top melt
we use them for our drinking water.
Our traditional meal is a gourmet omelet. At home I precut ingredients and put them
in individual food grade plastic bags. The egg is pre-blended and is brought in a
sealed jar. The smells of the omelet mixed with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee
picks up our spirits.
Kenneth Martin - 'Star Chaser'
Have a meeting with everyone at least one week before the race to
assign who brings what food. We have individuals look after their
own non-alcoholic drinks based on a minimum of what they should
bring. We schedule one major hot dinner and lunch for each day,
and we try to have the food pre-prepared, so the hot dinner only
needs to be warmed up. Examples are: lasagna, chilli and garlic bread.
Food and snacks the night crew can easily grab are important including:

homemade sandwiches in zip-lock bags, lots of apples, bananas, grapes, crackers
and good cheese. Energy bars are okay but be careful as they can be high on sugar
content. Some cold coffee drinks to stay awake at night. I also like fruit flavored water
without sugar; almost anyone can drink this, and it's slightly more interesting than
straight water.
Thomas Lynam - 'Hip Hop'
For food we all took turns providing meals. We did cold breakfast like pastries, cereal,
etc. Lunch was sandwiches, wraps or something similar. For dinner we BBQ chicken,
sausages, steak with side salads. I find pre-cook sausage are good race food as they
keep well, cook quickly and are an easy hot meal. Chocolate croissants are also a
crowd pleaser on Hip Hop.
Peter Smith - 'Sumac'
We keep food and drink incredibly basic, probably because almost
every boat I race the LO300 on is more akin to a tent than a cottage.
Our galley usually consists of a small gimballed camping stove to boil
water, a built-in thermos flask to keep it warm, and for each crew member,
a single plastic cup with a lid, fork and spoon. The fare is even poorer than
our galley equipment: as many instant noodle packets as we think will keep us fed
depending on Ron’s forecast.
Lots of bottled water, most of it pre-frozen so we don’t need to waste space and
weight with bags of ice. Lots of snack foods like chocolate, candy, meat sticks, nuts,
chips and what ever the crew wants. Instant coffee, hot chocolate and the type of
creamers don’t need to be refrigerated. No beer as it makes you thirstier and leads to
dehydration headaches. Packets of powder flavour for the water bottles.
Geoff Roulet - 'Jeannie'
Our provisioning guidelines include; no alcohol during the race: light but high calorie
meals, non-greasy pre-cooked foods, lots of items that can be consumed on-the-run if
weather does not support cooking, and lots of liquids – water, juices, lemonade, lemon tea.
The person providing the meal is responsible for preparation and most of the clean-up.
As skipper I bring: water, juices, etc., snacks, and breakfasts. Lunches and dinners are
shared evenly between the rest of the crew. Breakfast is light but filling: juice, cereal with
fruit and yogurt, tea/coffee and bagels & cream cheese. Lunches are sandwiches or wraps.
Dinners are generally a pre-prepared and frozen one pot/pan meal, such
as pasta casserole. It stays frozen for days and requires very little
onboard preparation. We try eating dinner together, in shifts of
two, but all in the same block of time before the first evening
watch. Another common dinner is cup-a-soup with additional
noodles and pre-cooked chicken added.
When sea conditions do not allow use of the oven or stove it’s a
good idea to have ready packaged Caesar salad and a pre-cooked
meat – ham, salmon.

Page 42 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Bert Barrett – 'Upstart'
With no refrigeration on the boat, I pre-freeze
several water bottles and then two days before the
race I purchase about 1Kg of dry ice which also
goes into the home freezer. I don’t use dry ice
in the boat because the CO2 it gives off replaces
the air in the boat and you could die. The super
cold iced bottled water keeps the food chilled for
days and when the ice thaws, we drink the water.
I prepare frozen meals like Chilli and Goulash in
single meal sized plastic containers for dinners
and keep them in the ice box next to the frozen
bottled water. For breakfast we eat instant oatmeal
and I also take a few small containers of sterilized soy milk and granola. For lunch, store
bought salad packages with trail mix added and bread and peanut butter. Mostly we
drink water but for flavour we take powdered Gatorade. For long races when single
handed, I take soups to which I add minute rice for when the frozen food runs out.
Crew Shifts
Ron Ander - 'Alchemist'
With a crew of four or five we stow our gear in the “V” berth and keep the port quarter
berth, port double berth, and starboard single berth free and ready to use. When you
are very tired, possibly a little sick, in the middle of the night you want your bed ready.
In the 2018 LO300 with a crew of five, because of light conditions, there were several
times when one person was at the helm, another sleeping in the cockpit, while three more
were comfortably sound asleep down below. We don’t use a typical sleep shift cycle.
There are many times when “all-hands-on-deck” is necessary. There are also many times
when one person can helm and make sail adjustments including spinnaker trimming
alone. Generally, our plan is “Sleep-When-You-Can.”
Kenneth Martin - 'Star Chaser'
We try to overlap shifts and might have six-hour shifts during the day and as short as
two-hour shifts at night. If you have 8 bodies, two coming on as two go off works
well. The second night is much more important than the first night. The shift schedules
should be covered in plastic and taped to the bulk head, with a second sheet ready to
go when the first one is lost. If the number of bodies doesn't work out well, then someone
can "float" some or all the time.
In addition, everyone must have their own harness and tether and this equipment must
used if there is significant wind and during the night. This must be discussed prior to
the race. Everyone also needs a toque, long underwear, and gloves (in the
summer, leather garden gloves work well - if it's really raining a lot, put
latex gloves inside leather garden gloves - when you need to do
real work, just slip the garden gloves off; the latex gloves
keep your hands dry)
Thomas Lynam - 'Hip Hop'
For the Scotch Bonnet we had four crew. We split the crew
into two watches. Each watch was on for three hours
splitting 1.5 helm and 1.5 trim follow by three hours
off/standby. This was not strictly enforced but followed

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 43
closely. There were times when the current watch would elect to go a little long to
allow a little more sleep for the off watch.
Peter Smith - 'Sumac'
Managing your crew is a huge part of being competitive. Here is what I’ve learned over
the last 10 years of competing in the LO300 with a crew of between four and eight.

Page 44 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Set expectations with your crew to ensure you can complete the course without
someone having to go back to work or bail out during the race. Accept that sailors
who haven’t sailed together before don’t always mix. Pick and practice so you can
balance each watch, consider both crew ability and personality. When things are
going well, crew balance is not so important, but I think the LO300 is about surviving
the light air, the unlucky breaks, managing disappointment, and minimising mistakes.
If possible, the skipper should float between watch’s spending more time as navigator
than helm. Try to put the most experienced and focused crew on during the night. In
many races our hard work overnight has helped move us from last in the division to
leading it. This is where knowing your crew helps because some people struggle at
night. Following a GPS definitely makes it easier than it once was, but the best crews are
the ones that are not relying on the instrument numbers for maintaining boat speed.
People get tired and as skipper you need to show the importance of rest and downtime.
Let your schedule be flexible to the conditions. Everyone should have either
head phones, earbuds, a pillow, or whatever it takes to be able to switch
off and get some rest. When conditions are steady send crew below to get
some sleep, chances are you will not have long before the work starts again.
Geoff Roulet - 'Jeannie'
Although I am personally able to recharge on about two hours sleep, many of my crew
require a longer off-watch break. With a crew of four, we have settled on four-hour
watches with two crew on deck. However, a four-hour watch is long, particularly in
the midnight to 5:00 period and crew may become inattentive. To compensate, we stagger
the watch changes with one new crew member coming on watch every two hours.
For this watch plan to work it needs to begin around 20:00 and run until 9:00. Since
20:00 is not a normal sleep time for many of us, crew must make a conscious effort
to go below and try to rest. Some younger crew (20-30 years) insist they do not need
sleep and can pull “all-nighters”. It is probably true they can stay somewhat awake,
but I question their ability to perform effectively if we experience bad weather or a
boat problem. So, as skipper, I make a strong effort to enforce watch schedules.
Between 9:00 and 20:00 all crew contribute to keeping the boat moving, boat
maintenance, and meal preparation. We also take naps when the action is light.
Although each crew member is expected to be able to handle all tasks, some are
more experienced than others. And so, we are flexible and at any time the “best”
or “freshest” crew member will take on an appropriate job.
In Summary
Frozen water bottles are a great idea if your using an icebox versus refrigerator.
And, pre-preparing a variety of different types of easy to heat up and eat is highly
recommended. On ITM we bring Chilli for the first dinner, chicken drumsticks for
whenever and lots of sandwich fixings, fruit, chocolate and ready-made salads. We
have plenty of water, other various drinks, tea and coffee and don’t open the beer or
wine until we’ve checked in after the race.
Having some type of crew schedule seems to be recommended but it, along with
the crew, need to be flexible to the conditions and experience. Although we use a
four-hour overlapping schedule on ITM, I find it prudent to also have a three-person
plan ready to go in the event one of us is unwell. There is a definite consensus that
rest is very important - as much as you can get whenever you can get it.

Great Lake
Single-handed
Society
By Brent Hughes,
Pearl, CAN13775
FBYC, GLSS
The 11th Annual LO300 Solo Challenge
begins on Saturday July 13th, 2019
Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 45
Have you kicked yourself for not being part of the first 10 (my goodness
where has the time gone?) Lake Ontario 300 Solo Challenges? Do you
now believe that the Lake Ontario 300 Solo Challenge is something that
YOU can do??? Have you heard the stories of adventure from the 29
Lake Ontario sailors who are now lifetime members of the GLSS?
The list of accomplishments by these sailors is long. In the first 10 years
running of the LO300 Solo Challenge, the 29 new Lake Ontario members
of the GLSS have racked up an impressive 93 Official Challenges finished,
plus another 10 “Special” Challenges (Lake Ontario 600 (9) and Lake
Michigan Super Mac (1), totaling 103 Solo Challenges. This includes a
total of 70 (!!) Lake Ontario 300 Solo Challenges finished, in just 10 years.
Make 2019 the year you become the 30th member of the Lake Ontario
GLSS Roster, in the 30th running of the Lake Ontario 300 Race. The Lake
Ontario Offshore Racing (LOOR) Committee, in conjunction with the
Great Lakes Single Handed Society, is proud to announce the 11th
Annual Lake Ontario 300 Solo Challenge, beginning Saturday July 13th,
at the Port Credit Yacht Club.
For further details please contact Brent Hughes
at bhughes@ucci.ca,
(416-984-7967) or
visit www.solosailors.org for more information.
Good Luck!!!!

Page 46 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
UTILIZING SOCIAL MEDIA
TO ELEVATE YOUR REGATTA
By Louisa Sonosky | Parker Media Management Inc.
YOU’VE GOT THE FOLLOWERS – NOW WHAT?
Half the battle in social media is gaining followers, the other half (arguably the
more important half), is what to do to keep them interested and engaging with
you. The importance of this cannot be underplayed as your followers are an
important asset to your brand, organisation and event. I’ve put together my top
5 tips on how to utilize your followers to elevate your regatta, increase its
success, and impress sponsors.
POST WITH MEANING
It’s not enough to post a status update a couple days before an event or share a
link from something else. All posts need to be done with meaning to represent an
extension of your event/brands voice. For example, sharing information leading
up to the event about sponsors, how-to sign up for certain things, or payment
deadlines have much more significance to your followers than a post with a few
sentences only. Running a contest with a giveaway from one of your sponsors or
asking a question to elicit a response from them. LOOR did this in 2017 with
Humberview for a chance to win car detailing packages; racers had to post a
sunset picture. Always ask yourself about the value added – to your customer
and event – before you hit the post button.
CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION
Coming in hot right before and during your event but then never posting again
isn’t the best thing. You should consistently be communicating with your followers,
so they get to know your brand and members of your event. Consistent
communication in 2017 for the Susan Hood Trophy Race allowed us to increase
Facebook engagement by 178.2% in the long term and 92% in the short term.
In 2018, we further increased engagement by 13.28%. Similarly, for the LO300
in 2017, we engaged with 40,329 on Facebook alone – a 73% increase – while
on Twitter we delivered messages to 18,200 people.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
If you’re feeling like you have to post for the sake of posting, then you probably
shouldn’t be posting. Always think back to your regatta’s purpose before posting
something to ensure it fits with your events meaning, purpose and community.
Followers are constantly thrown information all day so the last thing they need
is more unnecessary posts that clutter their feeds.
THE SECOND TIP LEADS INTO THE THIRD – GRAPHICS
You MUST use some form of graphics when posting or sharing something on your
event’s social media platforms. Videos and photos are way more engaging than

words – especially in our time starved
society where the maximum attention
span in a video is 10 seconds. Videos
created and posted by Parker Media
during the 2017 LO300 reached over
10,610 people while in 2018, they
reached 17,980. Of those reached this
past season, 8,900 people watched
those videos which represents a total of
3,200 minutes consumed (over 53 hours!).
REVIEW YOUR ANALYTICS
This is probably the most important
part of utilizing your followers to wow
sponsors. These numbers and information
represent “extreme value”, i.e. what the
sponsor will get in return. Sponsors want
more than just a banner at events like
back in the day. They expect to see how
you’re communicating online with your
community and gaining their attention.
This two-way communication represents
a larger community (or “eyeballs”), that
they can engage their brand with, such
as the 616,618 people engaged with
LOOR’s Facebook page during the 2018
LO300 (an increase of 53.13% from
2017). The numbers from your analytics,
across all your platforms, is what value
your brand or event brings to a sponsor
– which is the question they all love to
ask. On LOOR’s Instagram account, 6,623
impressions (total number of times a post
was seen) occurred during the LO300.
And when all else fails, contact
Parker Media Management -
we’ll take care of it.
Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 47

Page 48 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
What’s a MMSI?
And, why I need one
and how do I get it?
By Graham Dougall,
Race Management, Safety and Technical Committee Chair
The Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) is a unique numeric identity
assigned to a vessel’s radio to identify the vessel for use in Digital Selective
Calling (DSC) on radio frequency equipment capable of DSC, e.g. VHF-FM
marine radio 1 . Think of it as the equivalent to a phone number for your vessel.
Vessels within range can directly contact and identify each other provided
that both vessels have obtained MMSI numbers and have entered them
into their VHF radios. This functionality is also a way to transmit the identity
of your vessel and position, in the event of an emergency in conjunction
with the standard MAYDAY radio protocol.
A MMSI is free from your vessel’s country of registration. That’s right; a
MMSI is one of those free items in the expensive sport of sailing.
VHF-FM marine radios sold today must be capable of DSC and it is
recommended that you make use of your free MMSI. If you have programmed
your MMSI into your radio, when you push and hold the red button for 5
seconds, the radio will:
1. Transmit a digital MAYDAY signal
2. Include your MMSI number
3. Relay your latitude and longitude position from;
a. an integrated GPS, (many new fixed VHF-FM Marine DSC radios
are sold with an integrated GPS)
b. a GPS cable with or communicating with the VHF-FM Marine
DSC radio aboard the vessel, or
c. You manually inputting your vessel’s position into the radio.
Something that you are required to do every four (4) hours
if the GPS position isn’t obtained from either a. or b.
Any ship or coast radio station that receives the MAYDAY will act on it.
When your VHF-FM Marine DSC radio receives a MAYDAY, it makes a very
loud sound and displays the MMSI with LAT LON of the originating station.
Only a coast radio station, such as the Canadian Coast Guard Prescott Marine
Communications and Traffic Services Centre, can cancel a DSC initiated
MAYDAY. Utilizing the DSC functionality is an extremely fast way to initiate
a MAYDAY. If you do not have MMSI installed and are not connected to a
GPS, you cannot avail yourself of this functionality.
1
There are several situations were devices can be assigned MMSI, e.g., hand-held VHF-FM radio
that moves from vessel to vessel. There is an identifier included in the MMSI to flag these types of
devices. DSC is supported on GMDSS mandated radio communications equipment beyond VHF.

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 49
What was described above around DSC is how it functions within the
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The following from
the Canadian Coast Guard web site describes GMDSS.
“What is GMDSS?
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is an
international system which uses improved terrestrial and satellite
technology and ship-board radio systems. It ensures rapid alerting of
shore-based rescue and communications authorities in the event of an
emergency. In addition, the system alerts vessels in the immediate
vicinity and provides improved means of locating survivors.
GMDSS was developed through the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) and represents a significant change in the way maritime safety
communications are conducted. While it is mandatory for all ships
subject to the International Convention for the Safety Of Life At Sea
(SOLAS) (cargo ships 300 gross tons or greater and all passenger vessels,
on international voyages), GMDSS will impact on all radio-equipped
vessels, regardless of size. The global implementation of GMDSS
services became effective on February 1, 1999.
Why GMDSS?
GMDSS was developed to SAVE LIVES by modernizing and enhancing
the current radiocommunications system. By utilizing satellite and
digital selective calling technology, GMDSS provides a more effective
distress alerting system. It improves the current system by:
increasing the probability that an alert will be sent when a vessel is in distress;
R increasing the likelihood that the alert will be received;
R increasing the ability to locate survivors;
R improving rescue communications and coordination; and
providing mariners with vital maritime safety information.” i
R

Page 50 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
GMDSS is a very important safety system that can be used by sailors,
whether cruising or racing, around the world. GMDSS is something that any
ii, iii
sailor should learn about
There is one more component that uses MMSI and that is AIS.
AIS, or Automatic Identification System, transmits data about a vessel,
including; MMSI, vessel name, course and speed. Receivers can display the
text of the data received or display them on a chart plotter/Multifunction
Display. This data transmission was designed and implemented to help
collision avoidance. AIS equipment can calculate the Closest Point of
Approach (CPA) and Time to Closest Point of Approach (CPA). AIS alarms
can be created when either CPA or TCPA is below the set threshold. This
information can certainly help with determining avoidance while lowering
the adverse impact to the race because of the long lead time. Both receive-only
and receive/transmit AIS units are on the market. There are various classes
for AIS transmitters depending whether AIS is mandated or optional on the
vessel. If you are thinking about installing an AIS transmitter, you should
really research AIS because of the various options and configuration that
are possible. Consult a reputable marine electronics dealer.
Many LOOR racers are installing AIS either receive-only or active to help
with navigating safety across the commercial traffic lanes. There are web
and smart phone apps that provide tracking of AIS transmissions 2.
One tie-in between MMSI, VHF-FM Marine Radio and AIS is the fact that
the MMSI of the nearby vessel is included in its AIS transmission. If you
want or need to make radio contact with a nearby vessel with an AIS
transmission, you just use the DSC feature of your radio including the
MMSI of the vessel and their radio will react to it.
You never know when this might come in handy. During a course at the
Humber Bay Sailing Centre on Electronic Navigation presented by long
time world cruisers, Ken and Carol Gillstrom, mentioned three ways to
attempt to get the attention of that nearby big ship on the radio,
R Put out a call describing the vessel and asking them to response.
R Not much chance of a response
R Put out a call to the ship by name obtained from AIS.
A little better chance of a response
R Put out a DSC call with the vessel’s MMSI obtained from AIS. The
best change of a response.
If you are participating in a LOOR Category 3 race, you are required to
have a 25-watt VHF-FM marine radio, under the LOOR Offshore
Special Regulations (OSR) {3.29}iv,v, the safety requirements. If it is
DSC capable, you are required to have a MMSI.
2
For a list see the web site
https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/top-8-websites-to-track-your-ship/

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 51
When you register for any of LOOR’s events, one of the questions asks for
you to enter your MMSI number. Please supply this for your safety sake.
The steps for obtaining and making use of the free MMSI are simple
and straight forward.
1. Submit a request for MMSI to your country’s issuer
a. Canada see https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf01032.html
b. USA see https://www.wikihow.com/Get-an-MMSI-Number
2. Once you receive your MMSI, follow the instructions for your VHF-FM
Marine DSC radio to install the MMSI. There are complications if you
fail to do so in three attempts or the radio already has a MMSI
3. If necessary, cable the GPS to the radio as defined by
both devices instructions
If there are any changes about the information included in the MMSI, such as
vessel change, your details, etc., you need to follow the necessary steps to
ensure everything is accurate and up-to-date to ensure the MMSI will do what’s
intended when its used.
For the DYI racers, and others interested in AIS, there is an interesting and
useful article in the UK magazine, Practical Boat Owner’s February 2019
issue, “See and be seen” on page 62. vi
Of course, everyone operating a VHF-FM marine radio, fixed or hand-held,
on your vessel is required to have a Restricted Operators Certificate (Marine),
which is a legal requirement. 3
So, go ahead and obtain your FREE MMSI which is required for LOOR
Category 3 events and extremely useful throughout the season.
LOOR would like to thank the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Central
& Arctic Canada (JRCC C&CA) at Trentonvii and Canadian Coast Guard
Prescott Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centreviii for their
support and help with LOOR races.
i http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/SAR_Gmdss
ii https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=GMDSS
iii https://www.amsa.gov.au/safety-navigation/navigation-systems/global-maritime-distress-safety-system
v https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/27634c_67476ea6f468467cbe65aefc6aeb6b17.pdf
v https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/27634c_72771d6f9af5492b8d38cbe009b49934.pdf
vi Berry, David, See and be seen, page 62, Practical Boat Owner February 2019 www.pbo.co.uk
vii https://sarcontacts.info/contacts/jrcc-trenton-central-canada-only-6023/
viii http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/Notship#central
3.
https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/oep-navigation-radiocomms-faqs-1489.htm

Thunderstorm
Smarts
By Ron Bianchi
We all know that checking the weather forecast is an important part of
planning a day out on the water but understanding how thunderstorms
work may help to keep you and your crew safe during your sail.
All sailors, whether they’re out on the lake for a race or just a leisurely cruise,
should have a solid understanding of weather patterns and be able to interpret
a forecast. Taking these usual steps, however, doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing.
We’ve all experienced weather conditions that are different than what had
been predicted. Meteorology is not a perfect science. A few factors are
responsible for this inaccuracy, including changes in the speed of weather
systems and local and large-scale weather interactions. Ultimately, even the
best weather models aren’t always completely reliable.
Since we can’t control the weather, we have to be able to handle whatever
hand Mother Nature chooses to deal us once we’re out there, and one of the
most powerful cards in her arsenal is the thunderstorm. This atmospheric
phenomenon brings us a variety of sudden weather changes, such as strong
to violent shifting winds, heavy rains which reduce visibility, as well as the
possibility of large hail and lightning. A thunderstorm can form in a matter
of minutes and if you are not prepared, as NASA states, “It’s a bad day.”
Understanding the thunderstorm life cycle
One of the best ways to prepare for an unexpected thunderstorm is to
understand its life cycle. Knowing what to look for at each stage can help
you make informed safety decisions in the moment.
Thunderstorm life cycles have a beginning, a middle, and an end phase.
Where you end up relative to this cycle will dictate what weather you experience.
A storm front can have many cells in different phases, with each individual
cell lasting about an hour. Maintaining a close observation of these stages
helps you in determining the
severity of the thunderstorm,
which will, in turn, help you in
preparing the boat properly
before the storm strikes.
Graphic by A. Parlak
STAGE 1:
TOWERING CUMULUS STAGE
The towering cumulus, or
developmental, phase is the initial
growth stage of the storm. It is
marked by notable vertical growth. If

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 53
you keep an eye on the upper portions of the clouds, you’ll notice they look
like they’re boiling. This signifies instability and a greater likelihood of storm
activity. The greater vertical height signifies that development of the storm is
well underway. This step usually lasts for about 20 to 30 minutes before it
transforms into the next phase.
STAGE 2:
MATURE STAGE
The mature stage is the most active
and, potentially, the most dangerous
portion of the cycle. From a distance,
you will see the anvil begin to develop
and spread out. If you are closer to
the storm, you will see the base
darken rapidly and lightning and
thunder will begin then intensify
Graphic by A. Parlak
and increase in frequency.
The first strong wind gust will bring with it the start of heavy rain, reducing
your visibility to almost zero. Lightning and thunder will peak during this
phase, and any strong gusts will be concentrated at the start of this stage.
The winds will begin to abate in the heavy rain. Again, this phase will last for
about 20 to 30 minutes before transforming to the final part of the cycle.
STAGE 3:
DISSIPATING STAGE
The last phase of a typical storm is
dominated by air flowing down
and outward from its core. The
intensity of the rain decreases, you
will see fewer lightning strikes, and
the skies will begin to brighten.
The storm will then collapse which
may be the trigger for new cells to
develop, beginning the whole cycle
Graphic by A. Parlak
again. The new storm will develop
some ten miles away from the dying storm.
The thunderstorm cycle described above is typical of the average storm
that you would experience during the summer along weather fronts. But
the right ingredients, in the form of atmospheric moisture and dynamics,
can turn this average summer storm into a beast.
DEW POINT
One of the best indicators of potential storm severity is the dew point. If the
forecast calls for storms, the dew point will give you a more precise measure
of moisture than relative humidity would indicate. Higher dew point readings
mean that there is more atmospheric fuel for the storm to feed on, and that
means the storm is much more likely to become severe. Look for dew point
readings greater than 18°C, especially in the spring and early summer. Be sure

Page 54 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
to check the dew point from several weather stations. With all the weather
data available to us via smartphone apps, it’s easier than ever to quickly find
the weather information you need.
THE 360 VIEW
Certain visual clues have been proven to be an effective way to gauge the
severity of an approaching storm - if you know where to look.
When thunderstorms are developing, always pay attention to the 360° view
of the world around your boat. Most thunderstorms that form along fronts
move from southwest to northeast, so usually storms you see to the north
will probably be moving away from you. Pay especially close attention to
storms that are approaching from the west-southwest to south-southwest
quadrant. These are the storms that may impact you the most.
Pileus Cap - Photo by A. Parlak
CLUES IN THE CLOUDS
Certain visual clues have been proven to be an effective way to gauge the
severity of an approaching storm.
A pileus cloud or cap is a small horizontal lenticular-looking cloud that
can appear above a growing thunderstorm. These types of clouds tend
to change shape rapidly and are often indicators of severe weather.
They show that the growing storm has a
strong updraft, and strong updrafts
usually indicate intense storms.
Another visual feature you’ll want to
look for is the overshooting thunderstorm
top. This is a dome-shaped cloud that sits
on and extends above the anvil. The dome
shape indicates a very strong updraft,
which again shows that the approaching
storm will be severe.
Graphic by A. Parlak

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 55
Mattamus - Photo by A. Parlak
Mammatus clouds are found underneath the
leading edge of the anvil of the approaching
storm. These distinctive, lumpy clouds look like
little pouches and are a visual signal indicating
that there is a strong possibility of hail, heavy
rain and lightning with this storm. When you see
mammatus, you are probably a few short minutes
away from the storm striking your location.
Colour is another clue that you’re not dealing
with an average storm. Most storms producing
strange greenish-yellow colouring in the clouds
have been proven to be very strong, to severe in
intensity, bringing flooding rains, large damaging
hail, and frequent lightning.
Shelf clouds or gust front cloud lines are
horizontal cloud formations that are associated
with the leading edge of strong thunderstorm
outflow winds. These sharp, low shelf clouds
are the best indicator that a potentially violent
wind squall is approaching.
Lightning flashes are sometimes difficult to see
during the day, so make sure you listen closely
for the continuous rumbling of thunder. If there
aren’t any pauses between the thunder claps,
it’s a pretty good sign that lightning strikes are
frequent. If you see flashes every few seconds,
the storm has gone into severe mode.
Shelf Clouds - Photo by A. Parlak
Photo by Lucien Kolly (Unsplash)

Page 56 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Preparing for the storm
Preparations for the storm will vary depending on the type of boat you have,
the equipment on board, the conditions and duration of the storm, your
and the crew’s skills and experience, as well as your position in the water,
whether near or off-shore. The following suggestions are based on storms
that last around one to two hours.
If the thunderstorm or squall is small, and you see it early enough on radar
via your smartphone app, you may be able to estimate the storm’s speed
and direction, giving you a chance to change course in time to escape.
One of the most common ways to get ready ahead of severe weather is to
drop or reef your sails well before the possibility of sudden high wind arises.
It’s better to do this as early as possible - don’t wait until the boat is heeled
over to make this decision. Once you have dropped the sails, start the boat’s
engine and leave it in neutral so you are ready to go should you need to motor
directly into the wind and waves during the worst of the storm. This will give
you maximum control of the vessel. Sailing or, in this case, motoring, bow-on
into the waves is your best defense in a high-wind situation. Make sure to
avoid positioning your vessel beam-on to the waves.
Another option is to heave-to. This is a way to stall the boat while pointing
it at an angle into the wind and waves. Practice this maneuver on really
windy days so that you get familiar with it and you know exactly how
your boat will respond when placed in this position. Heaving-to is much
safer than simply dropping the sails, locking the tiller to leeward and
drifting, which is called lying ahull.
Faced with an oncoming storm, you also have the option to reef your sails
and prepare to run off. By doing this, you are running downwind and down
the waves in a controlled manner.
If you have enough time before the storm hits, look for a sheltered area to
drop anchor. Secure the boat and hunker down until the severe weather passes.
And, of course, don’t forget the basics. Make sure everyone onboard is
wearing a personal floatation device (PFD). Any crew on deck should also be
wearing a harness and tether. Turn on your navigation lights and take note
of your current position. Tune your radio to the marine weather band and
pay attention to any update on the approaching storm. Remember, as the
captain, it’s your job to always be thinking ahead and preparing for all
possible situations, including man overboard, a direct lightning strike, or
the loss of all onboard electronics.
Tools of the trade
These days your smartphone is one of the most useful tools at your disposal.
Apps specifically geared towards the mariner offer assistance and information
on navigation, anchoring, safety, sail trim, weather forecasts and much more.
These apps are powerful additions to your sailing kit.
Thunderstorms and squalls generally show up quite vividly on radar, allowing

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 57
you to accurately predict when and if you may be hit. Having this type of detailed
information at your fingertips will be of immense value to you out on the boat,
giving you early warning about severe weather and allowing enough time for
you to prepare your crew and secure your boat well ahead of the storm.
There are many apps that can put weather radar in your pocket. RadarScope
is among the best storm-tracking apps in Canada and the US. It’s easy to use
and features a highly-detailed weather radar display utility which was designed
to be used by a variety of people in professions ranging from meteorologists
to sailors. This app allows you to view super-resolution data from all Canadian
and US radars. It also provides weather warnings and predicted storm
tracks, making RadarScope indispensable to the modern mariner.
My Lightning Tracker is another app that you may want to
download. It is used for monitoring lightning strikes all
around the world and it works in near real-time. You can
watch thunderstorms as they occur and take note of the
number of strikes in order to gauge the severity of the
storm. The app can also be set up to send notifications
whenever strikes are detected in your area.
Both apps are available for Android and iOS.
Sail away
Photo by Noah Sillman (Unsplash)
Meteorology is an imperfect science and you can’t always rely on your typical
weather forecasts to keep you safe out on the water. The more you understand
how atmospheric phenomena, especially thunderstorms, form and behave,
the better prepared you will be to ride out unexpected storms, keeping your
crew and your boat safe.
In addition to learning about the visual cues that signal approaching storms,
get in the habit of using a variety of smartphone apps to keep track of current
sky conditions in your area.
Taking the time for a few extra preparations is worth it to ensure smooth sailing,
no matter the weather.
Ron Bianchi is currently the Director of Strategic Development for Weather
Services at Wood Met-Ocean group. He has held the position of Vice President
of Meteorology for Weather Network/MeteoMedia, Operations Manager for
Environment Canada’s Storm Prediction Centre in Ontario. He is Past President
of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, and a Fellow of
the Royal Meteorological and American Meteorological Society’s.
Ron was also a CYA Sailing and Power Instructor from 1982 to 2000, and has
managed and taught sailing, meteorology, navigation, and boat safety for several
sailing schools throughout the GTA. Ron has been lecturing and teaching
about the nature and behaviour of the atmosphere at Sailing Schools, Yacht
Clubs, Boat shows, Canadian Sail and Power Squadrons, Colleges and
Universities for over two decades.
Photo by Jeff Pawlikowski (Unsplash)

Page 58 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
The History
of LOSHRS
(Lake Ontario Short Handed Racing Series)
Compiled by Mac McKenzie
Gordon Piller and Dave Hunter
started LOSHRS in 1975. PCYC did not
want to be responsible to start with.
The board thought it was crazy for a
bunch of solo sailors to race across
the lake. (how times have changed).
Photo credit: Steve Singer
The day before the first race, PCYC
came on board and sponsored the race. The race was originally going to be
known as the Dave Hunter single handed race but was changed to the Port
Credit Open Single-handed Race. There were 4 divisions in the first race,
Shark Division, Self steering division, Division 'A' and Division 'B'.
The first race on July 26 th , 1975, was to Dalhousie Yacht Club - stay Saturday
night and then race back Sunday. The Sunday race was not mandatory,
however the winner on corrected time was based on the best results from
either Saturday or Sunday. So, if you opted out of Sunday and it was the best
conditions for your boat, you were probably not going to win.
There was a time limit back then of 1800 Hrs. Dalhousie Yacht club had their
dining room open and a band was booked for the evening’s entertainment.
Safety coverage of the fleet was maintained by the Canadian Coastguard
vessel 'Spindrift', and the Mississauga Marine Air Rescue Service Auxiliary
vessels 'Wyanoke' a 50' red tug and 'Odin II' a Whitby 42 sail boat. All vessels
were radar equipped for monitoring purposes. All racers were required to
hoist their radar reflectors for the duration of the race. All safety vessels
monitored VHF channel 16 and CB radio channel 13.
The sailors only had paper charts and dead reckoning for navigation.
Some sailors did have RDF, (Radio Direction Finders). There were no
autopilots back then. The racers had to tie off the helm to trim sails, change
sails etc. The Self Steering Division was for boats that had some form of
self steering utilizing a wind vane.
The long-distance race was introduced very soon after the initial race
weekend, 2 or 3 years later. The course changed from year to year. The
Youngstown weekend and Queen City's day race were added before 1980.
In 1999 the turn out boasted 7 or 8 boats. Ian McAllister, rear Commodore
of PCYC, thought that if they add a double handed fleet, both fleets would
grow. In 2002 there was a fun race, double handed back from Dalhousie.

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 59
Single handed racers took part in this race with a friend or significant
other and this was the birth of the double handed fleet. In 2003 there were
2 sets of Sailing Instruction's, one for the SH and one for the DH. Ian did not
want to upset the single-handed guys. The introduction of the DH fleet had
to be done carefully. So, the LOSHRS acronym went from Lake Ontario
Single Handed Racing Series to Lake Ontario Shorthanded Racing Series.
By 2004 there were 50 to 60 boats in the fleet. Single handers went from 7 or
8 to the low 30's. It was pretty much an even split between SH and DH.
In 2010 there were 90+ boats coming up the river at Dalhousie. This was a
great party and for those that were there a fantastic memory. Boats were
rafted 5 deep on the wall from the Dalhousie Yacht club down to the marina.
The two weekend races became a very social occasion with a great dock
party where participants brought finger food to share, stories to tell and
beer and wine were supplied.
The original trophies challenged for were:
The 'Tarshish' Trophy – This was awarded to the fastest boat on elapsed
time. All boats entered in the race were eligible for this trophy. Tarshish was
a popular port of commerce in the Mediterranean from 1600 BC to 900 BC.
The fastest sailing vessels of the ancient Phoenician traders carried wines
and olive oils to Tarshish, lashed down on their decks in terracotta jugs
known as 'Amphora’. The Tarshish trophy is a reproduction of an ancient
amphora. It was donated by Gordon and Agnes Piller.
The 'Berolina' Trophy – This was awarded to the fasted boat on corrected
time. Boats from Division 'A' and Division 'B' were eligible. The Berolina trophy
was donated by Mr. E. Priebe whose redwing Berolina campaigned on Lake
Ontario prior to his move to Vancouver. The trophy is a fine First Nations
totem carving depicting man's triumph over the sea. The trophy was hand
carved by D. Nahanee of the famed West Coast Squamish Nation.
The 'Palmer' Trophy – This was awarded to the fastest boat in the Self
Steering Division on corrected time. The 'Palmer' Trophy was donated to
the race by Mr. S. Palmer, one of PCYC's self steering enthusiasts, represents
the steering vane from a dual axis self steering unit.
The Guenevere Chalice – This was awarded to the boat with the best total
elapsed time for the YYC Weekend. Donated by Dave and Kathy Hunter.
Recalling the legends of King Arthur, the Guenevere Chalice is mounted on
a piece of ancient chalcedony scattered with poppy jasper reminiscent of
the rock from which King Arthur withdrew the Sword of Excalibur.

LOSHRS
2019
• Try just one race or sign up
for the whole series of six!
• Race single or double
handed your choice!
• Enjoy amazing sunsets to
moonlight lake crossings!
• Enjoy unique camaraderie of
fellow sailors, on and off the
water, great post-race dock
parties, dinner events, and
prize filled annual banquet!
REGISTER TODAY.
RACE 1
Sun. Jun. 2 nd
COURSE RACE
RACE 2
Sat. Jun. 15 th
TORONTO TO YOUNGSTOWN
RACE 3
The racing series
that started it all …
6 Great Races
4 FunWeekends!
Sun. Jun. 16 th
YOUNGSTOWN TO TORONTO
RACE 4
Sat. Aug. 17 th INTO Sun. Aug. 18
th
100 MILE RACE
RACE 5 & 6
Sat. Sep. 14 th & Sun. Sep. 15 th
DALHOUSIE WEEKEND
Sail
Giveaway

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 61
Look What’s New from Spinlock
By Carolyn Burgess, The Rigging Shoppe
With over 30 years of experience designing and manufacturing rope holding
equipment for sailboats, Spinlock UK is an industry leader in innovation.
After 45,000 miles of testing in the world’s toughest ocean race, Spinlock has launched
the VITO inflatable PFD with incredible features. The VITO offers sailors great comfort,
fit and adjustment; easy to put on, easy to adjust to size and the VITO feels lightweight
and compact. It includes a sprayhood to reduce the risk of secondary drowning and a
Pylon Lifejacket Light a high intensity, water activated flashing LED Light on a 23cm
flexible antenna wand. It also includes the Lume-On Lifejacket bladder illumination
light and a leg strap with stowage. The structured
shape means the VITO doesn't get tangled
and can be put on quickly and easily, in the
dark and with cold, wet and tired hands. (SRP
$464.99/each CDN)
You may choose to compliment
your new VITO Inflatable PFD with one of Spinlock’s new Performance
Safety Lines. They are up to 50% lighter and more compact than
conventional safety lines. Features include lightweight clips with
wide opening gate, overload Indicator, OSR compliant and webbing
'Dry Coated' to reduce water absorption & stay lighter for longer.
(SRP $94.99-$136.99/each CDN)
Did you know you can retrofit your existing Inflatable PFD with
the Spinlock Lume-On Lifejacket bladder illumination? Two
compact self-adhesive, water-activated flashing LED Lights (pair)
illuminate the inflated lifejacket bladder to increase visibility and
aid in locating a man over board. They are a standard feature on
all Deckvest 5D and VITO since 2015. This product can be added
to older Spinlock PFD’s and other brands of Inflatable PFD’s.
(SRP $22.99/Pair CDN)
New for spring of 2019, Sail-Sense is a revolutionary
sensor which helps you be smarter about your sail
management. It attaches permanently to the sail,
measuring key performance data such as Hours of
Use, UV, G-Force and Flogging (movement). Creating
a ‘passport’ for your sails, identifying make, model,
construction date, dimensions and materials. SailSense
links via Bluetooth with an App installed on a mobile,
tablet, or PC to deliver powerful analytical and
performance data. Sewn to the sail either on
construction or as an aftermarket purchase, Sail-Sense will wake up on movement,
immediately logging hours of use, UV Exposure, G-Force and Flogging.
(SRP $307.99 CDN)
The Rigging Shoppe Ltd.
44 Midwest Rd.Toronto, Ontario M1P 3A9
416-752-1711
www.riggingshoppe.com
Boatloads of Bright ideas for Boaters for almost 50 years!

Page 62 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
Offshore & Overnight
at the East End of Lake Ontario
By R. Geoffrey Roulet
Is your home port at the eastern end of Lake Ontario? Would you and
your crew like to experience long distance offshore and overnight racing
before heading west to join the Lake Ontario 300? If your answers are “yes”
then consider taking part in the Long Point Challenge (CBYC), Mowat Race
(PEYC), and Round the County Race (BQYC). If you sail out of a port at the
western end of the lake why not combine a cruise of the Bay of Quinte or
Thousand Islands with participation in these races?
Long Point Challenge
Saturday, June 15 – Sunday, June 16, 2019
Collins Bay Yacht Club (CBYC), Kingston
This 107 NM race, starting Saturday morning, takes you from Collins Bay
at Kingston out into the lake via the Lower Gap east of Amherst Island or
the Upper Gap to the west, through the passage between Long Point (Prince
Edward Point) and Main Duck Island, round the mid-lake ODAS buoy (45012),
and then returns to Collins Bay. The course offers protected water sailing in
the area north of Main Duck Island and potentially stronger lake conditions
as you head out to the turning point. Crew tactical skills are challenged as
they select their course around Amherst Island and navigate through
shipping lanes and channels off Prince Edward County and Main Duck. The
race is open to all boats suitable for offshore racing; single-handed,
double-handed or fully crewed, monohull or multihull.
More information, the NOR and SIs can be found at:
http://collinsbaymarina.com/cbyc/racing/long-point-challenge
or by e-mail at: lpc@collinsbayyachtclub.ca
Mowat Race
Friday, August 2 – Saturday, August 3, 2019
Prince Edward Yacht Club (PEYC), Picton
The Mowat Race at 65 NM is the shortest of our three eastern offshore
races, but with a start at 2000 hours still ensures a period of night sailing.
Leaving Picton Bay, boats sail east along Adolphus Reach and out into the
lake via the Upper Gap. From there the course makes a port rounding of
Main Duck and Yorkshire Islands and then returns back to Picton, again via
the Upper Gap to the west of Amherst Island.
More information can be found at:
http://www.peyc.ca/mowat-race/

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 63
Long Point Challenge Mowatt Race Round the County
Round the County
Saturday, August 17 – Sunday August 18, 2019
Bay of Quinte Yacht Club (BQYC), Belleville
Established in 1967 this 110 NM race is a circumnavigation of Prince
Edward County. Prior to the start on Saturday morning the fleet proceeds
through the Bay of Quinte, Murray Canal, and Presqu’ile Bay to the start
just off Presqu’ile Point lighthouse. Leaving the bay, racers round the
county keeping Scotch Bonnet, Psyche Shoal and False Duck Island to port.
The course passes through the Upper Gap, west along Adolphus Reach,
north eastward through Long Reach and then west through the Bay of
Quinte to Belleville. Crews can expect to meet light challenging winds in
the confined reaches and potentially high winds and heavy seas while on
the outside of the county. Night navigation through the Bay of Quinte
reaches provides an extra challenge for this race.
More information, the NOR and SIs can be found at:
http://www.bqyc.ca/rtc.php
or by e-mail at: rtc@bqyc.ca

Page 64 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
2019 OFFSHORE RACE DATES
May 26th
Niagara On the Lake /YYC to Port Weller Race – www.yyc.org
Annual race from Niagara River Mark to a set mark off Dalhousie and
Port Weller and return.
May 31st
Susan Hood Trophy Race – PCYC – www.loor.ca
“The Coolest Race on The Lake” is known as the Susan Hood Trophy race.
It starts on a Friday evening and is a 73-mile overnight race- PCYC to
Niagara R2 to Burlington Weather Mark, returning to PCYC. This race
opens offshore racing on Lake Ontario and is an excellent warm up race
for the season. The Susan Hood has both PRHF and IRC Divisions and is
open to fully crewed, double handed and single-handed yachts. Flying
and Non-Flying Sails.
June 2nd LOSHRS Race 1,
Course Race – PCYC – www.loor.ca
The first race of this 6-race series is a course race starting at PCYC to a mark
set just off the Clarkson Pier (approximately 4 miles west of PCYC) and
finishing at the Gibraltar Mark in Toronto. This first race is designed to be
a medium distance course race that provides multiple directions and tacks.
LOSHRS Race # 1 follows the Susan Hood and provides an excellent
opportunity for yachts to compete in both races on the same weekend.
June 15th
LOSHRS Races 2 & 3, Youngstown Weekend – www.loor.ca
Youngstown 2-day event starts with a pre-race party at PCYC on Friday
evening with a Saturday morning start from PCYC to the Niagara R2
Mark. Upon arriving the festivities continue with a dock party, followed
by an evening dinner at Youngstown Yacht Club. Many participants make
an annual treck up the hill to the “Stone Jug” for added entertainment.
Sunday is a return race to PCYC starting at 10:00 AM.
June 15th
LONG POINT CHALLENGE
Collins Bay Yacht Club (CBYC) – www. collinsbaymarina.com/cbyc/
This 107-mile course is an ideal warm-up for the Lake Ontario 300 for
Eastern Lake Ontario sailors. The course has everything from protected
flat water to wide open, potentially strong lake conditions, combined
with geographic features and shipping lanes. The race is open to all
boats that are suitable for offshore racing. We welcome single-handed,
double-handed, and fully crewed boats, monohull or multihull. Course:
Kingston to the Mid-Lake ODAS Buoy off Point Petre and Return. This
race is a GLSS Qualifier.
PCYC - Photo Credit: Andre von Nickisch - Instagram @VNR.Photography

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 65
Scotch Bonnet Island
June 16th
Waupoos Wabbit Wace
Prince Edward Yacht Club
www.peyc.ca
A 27nm race starting from the McFarland
Park Dock in Picton, around
Indian Point Mark, to Green Island Kp2
to starboard, Waupoos Island mark to
starboard, finishing at Waupoos Marina.
June 21st Whitby 50 Miler
Whitby Yacht Club – www.wyc.ca
Whitby Yacht Club hosts the Whitby
50, a long-distance night race which is
open to outside competitors. Historically,
this was an "across the lake" race.
Unfortunately, it lapsed for a number
of years but has since been revived.
The new course for this race is from a
marker in front of WYC to a marker in
front of the Eastern Gap. The start
marker is wind dependant and will be
provided on race night. Other race
details will be provided in the Sailing
Instructions and on the WYC website.
June 21st – 22nd
Scotch Bonnet Light Race
Genesee Yacht Club
www.scotchbonnetrace.com
The Scotch Bonnet Light Race is
among the oldest and longest invitational
regattas on Lake Ontario. The spinnaker
divisions will first sail west approximately
10 nautical miles (12 statute miles) to the
Wautoma Shoals buoy, then north 34
nm to Scotch Bonnet Island, and finally
south 38 nm back to Rochester - a total
distance of 82 nm for the race. Genoa
only divisions will sail from Rochester
straight across to Scotch Bonnet Island
and back. www.geneseeyc.com
June 30th – July 5th
Golden Horseshoe Regatta Week –
GHYRA -
www. ghyra.teamapp.com
Events will take place on the open waters
of western Lake Ontario or Hamilton
Harbour. PHRF-LO and Cruise Divisions
will sail four Lake Ontario events and
one event in Hamilton Harbour as
defined in the Sailing Instructions.
July 11th Eastern Yachting Circuit
Annual Regatta – Eastern Yacht Club
www.easternyachtingcircuit.org
A 35-mile race held on Thursday
night as part of the overall regatta
or a single race.
July 12th
Lake Ontario 300 Challenge – PCYC
www.loor.ca
The premier offshore race on Lake
Ontario provides a challenging
circumnavigation of the lake. A group
of Single-handed Racers originally
developed the LO300 as the ultimate
double handed challenge in 1990 and
remains the world’s longest annual
fresh water race.
Youngstown Yacht Club,- Photo Credit:Tim Finkle, RCR Yachts

Page 66 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
continued from previous page
July 12th
Lake Ontario 300 Challenge – PCYC
www.loor.ca
The Main Duck Island Race Course is
300 nautical miles and starts at PCYC and
includes mark rounding’s at Humberview
Mark to Ford Shoal, Main Duck Islands,
then back to Niagara R2 mark to the
PCYC Rounding mark before finishing
at PCYC. The LO300 Main Duck Course
is open to mono-hull and multi-hull
yachts and includes a Single-Handed
Challenge. www.loor.ca
The Scotch Bonnet Island Course is for
all Non-Flying Sails and yachts with flying
sails and a PRHF rating greater than 180
registered in the Lake Ontario 300
Challenge. This Scotch Bonnet Island
Course starts at PCYC, and includes
mark rounding’s at Gibraltar Mark,
Scotch Bonnet Island, Niagara R2 mark
and finishing at PCYC.
Main Duck Island
July 19th – 21st
Women's Annual Regatta (WAR)
www.rhyc.ca
This means WAR - Bringing back the
Women's Regatta at RHYC. The idea was
born over beers and a bonfire, as all great
ideas are. After two years of meeting in
the off seasons, the idea of bringing back
the Women's Annual Regatta (WAR) is
coming to fruition in July 2019. The
intent is simple: host an all women's
regatta which is both competitive enough
to challenge experienced racers and
inclusive enough to draw new sailors
to the race course.
Royal Hamilton Yacht Club
July 20th
Bronte Harbour YC Overnight Race
www.bhyc.on.ca
The course is from the BHYC start line
to the CCI Weather Tower, Niagara
River Mark, Gibraltar Buoy, finishing at
Bronte Inner Harbour light mark.
July 28th
LYRA 100 Mile Race
www.lyrawaters.org
The 100 Mile Race is new for 2019
LYRA Race Week and can be used as a
counter event for the Overall Regatta
Championship (100 Mile Race, Centennial
Cup or Founders Cup Race count for 0.5).
Awards for IRC and PHRF First Overall
and Division Winners. Starts Sunday
July 28 outside Rochester Harbour, rounds
Rochester Weather Buoy, finishes off
Toronto Island Pier.
July 30th
LYRA Centennial Cup Race
www.lyrawaters.org
The Centennial Cup was first donated
in 1977 by Rochester Yacht club to the
first PRHF-LO corrected time winner of
the race from Youngstown Levels Regatta
to the host club of the LYRA race week.
It is generally held on the Monday starting
in Toronto. The course continues to a
mark off either Olcott or Brockport,
NY, and finishes at Rochester. Please
check website for more details.

Prince Edward Yacht Club
July 30th
LYRA Founders Cup Race
www.lyrawaters.org
The Founders Cup was first donated by
Oswego Yacht Club in 1989 and is used
as a feeder race for the LYRA Race Week
for yachts racing to the regatta from an
opposite direction from Youngstown.
The Founders Race is planned to start
in Sodus Bay. Please check website for
more details.
July 31st
LYRA Charles Freeman Cup Races
www.lyrawaters.org
The Freeman Cup has a storied history
dating back to 1921.The Charles Freeman
Cup was first awarded in 1921 to the
fastest yacht competing in a longdistance
race held as part of LYRA Race
Week. Typically, the length of the race
has been over 100 miles and changes
from year to year based on the course
provided by the LYRA host Club.
July 31st
LYRA Lady Freeman Cup Race
www.lyrawaters.org
The Lady Freeman Cup was also created
in the 20’s later to provide a shorter longdistance
course for white sail yachts.
Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 67
August 3rd 4th Mowat Race
Prince Edward Yacht Club
www.peyc.ca
Approximately 65nm. The course for
the original Mowat left Picton, along
the Adolphus Reach, through the Upper
Gap and around Main Duck and
Yorkshire Island to port, Pigeon Island
to Port through the Lower Gap (Kingston)
and returning to Picton inside Amherst
Island via the Adolphus Reach. This
course has been modified over the
years and the 2019 start line will be off
McFarland Park Dock. Proceed out of
the upper gap to circumnavigate Main
Duck Island taking M9 to port, proceed
to the southeast end of Main Duck taking
the mark to port. In passing Main Duck
Island take Yorkshire Island to Port.
Return through upper gap to finish
between QP 5 and QP6 unless otherwise
stated at the skipper’s meeting. Prince
Edward Yacht Club, located in Picton, is
very picturesque and this race is an
excellent way to enjoy “The County”
during vacation time.
Aug 16th – 17th
Boswell Trophy Race – RCYC
www.rcyc.ca
This classic race during Royals Weekend,
is a long-distance point to point day
race with fully crewed, double-handed,
and single-handed divisions. NOR is
pending and will be posted on RCYC
website. For more details on the New
RCYC Offshore races please email
RCYC directly.
Amherst Island - Photo Credit: Protect AmherstIsland.com

Page 68 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
continued from previous page
August 17th
LOSHRS Race 4,
Long Distance Race – PCYC
www.loor.ca
The 100 Miler is the most challenging
race for short-handed sailors and
provides an excellent test of skills. An
extension of the race is provided for
those single-handed participants wishing
to qualify for GLSSS. The race starts at
PCYC then heads east to Gibraltar
Buoy, then heads west to Burlington
Weather Tower at Hamilton then to
Niagara R2 and finishes at PCYC. To
be eligible for scoring in the overall
series competition for LOSHRS, the
100-mile race must be finished.
August 17th
The BQYC
Round the County Race – BQYC
www.bqyc.ca
Established in 1967 this 110 NM race
is a circumnavigation of Prince Edward
County. Prior to the start on Saturday
morning the fleet proceeds through the
Bay of Quinte, Murray Canal, and
Presqu’ile Bay to the start just off
Presqu’ile Point lighthouse. Leaving the
bay, racers round the county keeping
Scotch Bonnet, Psyche Shoal and False
Duck Island to port. The course passes
through the Upper Gap, west along
Adolphus Reach, north eastward through
Long Reach and then west through the
Bay of Quinte to Belleville. Crews can
expect to meet light challenging winds
in the confined reaches and potentially
high winds and heavy seas while on the
outside of the county. Night navigation
through the Bay of Quinte reaches
provides an extra challenge for this race.
September 14th
LOSHRS Races 5 & 6,
DYC Weekend
www.loor.ca
Dalhousie 2-day event is the original
race of the LOSHRS Series and has
always been the most popular of the
series. Saturday is race # 5 from PCYC
to Port Dalhousie then Sunday is race
#6 from Dalhousie to PCYC. This
weekend features a great dock gathering.
The Sunday was originally an informal
race home but has been changed to be
part of the series of races.
September 21st
Donald Summerville
Memorial Race – ABYC
www.lorc.org
Bay of Quinte - Aldophus Reach
Donald Summerville Memorial Yacht
Race is held each year in memory of
Mayor Donald Summerville an
east-ender who had close ties with
many of the original members of
ABYC. He was mayor of Toronto in
the early 1960’s. Again, this race for
many years of successful long-distance
racing on Lake Ontario, was 1 of
the 4 overnight races in the former
CYRA offshore series. This is a
sanctioned LORC race.

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 69
Safety at Sea – education &
courses to help you prepare
By Graham Dougall, Race Management,
Technical and Safety Committee Chair
The Scouts’ motto of “Be Prepared” certainly applies to those participating
in offshore sailing, especially if that includes racing. One key way to help
you prepare is through formal training and education. It’s important to first
identify your needs, and second, determine the training available to meet
those needs. Are you looking to improve your general knowledge related to
offshore sailing or to obtain specific certifications or qualifications that might
be required for offshore racing or chartering?
This article discusses some of the training that provides certification in
offshore racing safety at sea, so you can determine what path you want to take.
One factor in your consideration is whether the races you want to
participate in have or will have specific training or certification requirements.
One example is the presumptive safety at sea requirements for the Chicago
Mac Race in 2019.
“Enhanced safety at sea training requirements for sailors in the 2019 edition
of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust are
expected to be announced when the Notice of Race is issued in January 2019.”
In recent years, the World Sailing’s committees responsible for their
Offshore Special Regulations (OSRs) 1 realized the need for training and
education to increase safety at sea for offshore and long-distance races i .
World Sailing’s OSR mandate the training for some of the categories, i.e.,
0, 1, etc., while a country’s sailing organization or the organizing authority
of an event may require this for the other categories. This is what the
Chicago Yacht Club has done for their race.
Each countries’ national sailing authority has the delegation to manage and
administer World Sailing’s Offshore Personal Survival course curriculum in
their country; Sail Canada for Canada and US Sailing for USA. Providers and
instructors of the World Sailing Approved Offshore Personal Survival Training
course must be sanctioned by their MNA for compliance with OSR Training
Section 6; the course typically includes classroom and practical sessions that
cover all OSR categories of racing and certification is good for five years. Both
Sail Canada and US Sailing provide courses to achieve this certification level.
There are many other courses that cover aspects of safety at sea. These
training opportunities can provide important knowledge and are worthwhile
attending. It should be noted however that these training opportunities
1
These OSR are basis, (along with the Sail Canada’s prescriptions to them), for LOOR’s Offshore
Special Regulations, which are the LOOR safety requirements for LOOR’s races.

Page 70 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide
might not cover all training topics required by World Sailing to ensure
compliance with the requirements of a WORLD SAILING Approved
personal safety course.
Some of the organizations giving these types of courses include the
“Great Lakes Cruising Club School iii ” and the “Cruising Club of America iv ”.
Sail Canada and US Sailing recognize the need for educational courses
that do not meet the strict World Sailing Offshore Personal Survival level,
by being only one day or not having the hands-on component. The Chicago
Mac requirements for 2019 accept some of these other certifications from
US Sailing. Sail Canada is developing similar level courses. The following
table illustrates the current situation as of the spring of 2019.
Table 1 Sail Canada and US Sailing Safety at Sea Courses
OSR
CANADA US DAYS TYPE CERTIFICATION CYC
CAT
MAC
a.
World Sailing-
International
Offshore
Offshore
Offshore Safety
Personal
Class room Personal
at Sea with 0-1-2 2 – practical Survival Course Yes
Survival
Hands- on
- in water (2 day)
Course v
Training vi
certificate, valid
for five yrs.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Safety at Sea
Seminar (*)
N/A
N/A
N/A
(*) Under development
Offshore Safety
at Sea iv
3-4
1
Class room
a Safety at Sea
Seminar (1 day)
certificate, valid
for five years.
Yes
Web No
Web Yes
Web No
Coastal
Safety 4 1
at Sea iv
Offshore
Safety at Sea 3-4 1
– Online v
Coastal
Safety at Sea 4
– Online v
Currently, the World Sailing OSR for Category 3 only mandates training for
50% of the crew when racing double-handed. Sail Canada has no prescriptions
in this area. The LOOR OSR for Category 3 removes the mandated required
for double-handed. This is being looked at by World Sailing and Sail Canada
with the possibility that the mandated training requirement will be expanded.
At that point, LOOR will decide whether to mandate this as well. There will
be adequate notice for those needing to obtain the training.

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 71
While LOOR does not have mandated training for crew as an entry
requirement, taking such training is highly encouraged.
To make training more easily accessible, particularly for shorter and
protected water events, Sail Canada and US Sailing have considered alternate
training options that leave out some of the World Sailing curriculum
requirements, such as in pool life raft training. Sail Canada is finalizing the
development of a one-day course with a life vest hands-on session; the
course aimed at OSR Category 3 event participants is expected to be
available later in 2019.
Again, any training on safety afloat is useful, whether targeted to the
offshore racer or the cruiser because when things go wrong, it really doesn’t
matter whether you were racing or cruising. All safety at sea training and
education is valuable, you just need to determine whether the events you
plan to participate in will require specific training as a condition of entry.
To find out about future Offshore Personal Survival Courses
or related information:
Coordinated by Ontario Sailing, check their web site at:
www.ontariosailing.ca/registration-forms/.
Rest of Canada see Sail Canada’s web site at:
www.sailing.ca/offshore-personal-survival-s15677
USA see US Sailing web site at:
www.ussailing.org/education/adult/safety-at-sea-courses/
Rest of the world, see World Sailing web site at:
www.sailing.org/classesandequipment/offshore/sea_survival.php
If you have input and question for the LOOR Safety Committee,
please email safety@loor.ca.
i
https://www.cycracetomackinac.com/mac-race-previews-2019-safety-at-sea-training-requirements/
?fbclid=IwAR3bZso36ercZMM71QlELDAj8HZZbvTTp36K8y1q2HwJXC2WPSA3q5pJ3Go
ii
http://www.sailing.org/classesandequipment/offshore/sea_survival.php
iii
https://www.glccschool.com/home
iv
https://www.cruisingclub.org/
v
https://www.sailing.ca/offshore-personal-survival-s15677
vi
https://www.ussailing.org/education/adult/safety-at-sea-courses/

Page 72 Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide

Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Guide Page 73
The Broad Reach Foundation
providing disadvantaged youth with sailing opportunities
By Randall Withell and Marguerite Pyron
The Broad Reach Foundation for Youth Leaders
Dictionaries define sailing as: “The action of sailing in a ship or boat … An act of
beginning a voyage or leaving a harbour.”
True sailors know and describe sailing in terms that are much broader, deeper,
and much more meaningful than any dictionary
Sailing is indeed a way of living, not only a sport and science. It’s an experience that
adds great value to one’s life. As soon as one gets out on the water, regardless of age,
regardless of the vessel or the waters below the boat.
Out there is a different, chosen world with its own pace and beauty, with excitement
and unpredictability, with risk, danger, and a deep satisfaction that these variables can
be mastered and – often later -- enjoyed. Growing in skill, knowledge and understanding
of what a sailor needs to sail the boat with the power of wind and water; to safely leave
and return to port; to happily raise a pint, to share it with friends and plan the next day out.
The Broad Reach Foundation for Youth Leaders believes that what you, the sailor
experiences, is equally valuable to what a disadvantaged youth experiences when
stepping aboard a sailboat – the chrome that shines, the sails that billow, the cut of
spray from bow, the sleek of wake from stern! And yes, they are timid and fearful:
I don’t know what I’m doing! I’ve never been on a boat before! I can’t swim! And
then there is: I am here, this is my adventure, this is my new way of being, that I never
knew before: on the street or in the homeless shelter. Always confused as to what the
future holds, puzzled as to how they fit within a community of people they do not
know, the kids leave their troubles ashore and come back better for it.
The waters open for the sailor, league
upon league. The waters also open,
league upon league, for the disadvantaged
youth, who don’t know what it means
to really sail, to be fearful and respectful
in a good way and with good people
lending a hand.
These kids, some of whom had no idea
that Toronto is on a lake, in a day or
two, will take the helm as they never
Photo - courtesy of The Broad Reach Foundation
took before, they will laugh and hear
that laughter roll back to them, in rejoice and recognition, because now they can
believe that learning leads to more choices, more courage, more curiosity. They
come off the boat smiling, with appreciation and with more hope. Sailing is a
microcosm of life where these kids find new ways of working out solutions.
For 20 years, the Broad Reach Foundation has ensured that disadvantaged youth do
learn from the experience of sailing. That they benefit from the values gained from
the crew, the weather and the comfort of good fun and shared belonging.
With the success of 20 years under our keel and, in addition to seeking more corporate
sponsorship and support, our three-year plan at Broad Reach includes:
• Expanding the depth and impact of our program
• Hosting two annual sailing regattas: at The Boulevard on 22 June
and at the National on 7 September

Photo - courtesy of The Broad Reach Foundation
• Sailing our 1966 Rhodes Offshore 40 flagship s/y Jilàsi in the
Great Lakes Challenge 2019
• Progressing 40 youth from our programming to Toronto Brigantine’s to
strengthen scope of training, and
• Preparing a youth crew to sail the LO300 race before 2021.
This plan comes with need for support. Broad Reach needs Captains, Lead Hands,
and Crew for our Summer Afloat. More sailors mean less burn-out, more help,
and more impact. We need to strengthen the impact of our Winter Ashore
activities such as cardboard boat races, March break PCOC workshops, organising
regattas and fundraising events.
This year we are bringing back the long-standing tradition celebrating the Spring
Thaw at The Boulevard Club on Saturday March 30 th . This worthy tradition celebrates
accomplished sailors in our community and helps younger ones develop their skills.
Please join us!
The disadvantaged youth we serve would never have the joy and experience of sailing
had it not been for the sailing community’s support and for that, we are deeply grateful.
The generosity of sailors is what we value. Sail training charities have not had much
success sustaining their work in the GTA and yet, in our first 20 years, Broad Reach
has sustained itself and accomplished a lot with the generosity that has been offered
to us, year after year.
So, when you sail the milestone race that is the 30 th LO300 Challenge spare a thought
for the kids that can only dream about such experience and who get but a glimpse of
it on one of the Broad Reach boats.
Wishing you all a wonderful race.
Let’s Sail it Forward for Youth – together!
Contact:
Marguerite Pyron,
Executive Director @ 416-850-5755
www.sailbroadareach.ca
info@sailbroadreach.ca
Youth Development through the Sport,
Science and Experience of Sailing since 1998
Photo - courtesy of The Broad Reach Foundation
1966 Rhodes Offshore 40 flagship s/y Jilàsi