2019 LOOR Racing Guide

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