Stuart Flinn: Sail Canada Sailor of the Month

June marks the official start of summer for Canadians resulting in plenty of on-water action and exciting results this month!

Canadian Paralympic sailors took to Newport (RI) to take on the top Paralympic competitors in the world. The Canucks dominated the leaderboard in all three classes at the C. Thomas Clagett Jr. Regatta with John McRoberts & Jackie Gay coming out on top with a gold medal finish in the SKUD. Race seven was a make-or-break for the two leading SKUD teams. Porteous/Walker (USA) and McRoberts/Gay (CAN) were on equal points and McRoberts/Gay beat out their American rivals on the final leg securing the gold for Canada.

“This is our third event together as a team so it was a test for us,” says McRoberts. “Communication is very important in the very challenging conditions we’ve had the last couple of days so it has been a great opportunity for us to practice and also work on the mental aspect of competition.”

Canadians Tingley (RNSYS), Lutes (PCYC) & Campbell (SSC) were very close to securing gold as well, finishing up one point behind the Americans in 2nd overall. Peter Wood (NSC) placed 2nd in the 2.4mR fleet behind American Ted Green.

The 2014 Etchells’ World Championships attracted many Canadian legends and heroes to the New York Yacht Club in mid-June. Former professional hockey player and Olympian Hank Lammens, 3-time Olympian Jay Cross, 5-time Olympian Richard Clarke, 2012 Olympian Luke Ramsay, 2-time Olympian Brad Boston, and 2-time Olympian Bill Abbott were just a few among the many international rockstars in attendance at this high profile event.

Two-time Canadian Olympian Stuart Flinn is one of the most familiar faces on the Etchells’ scene establishing himself, along with skipper Ante Razmilovich and crew Chris Larson, as repeat medallists. Team ‘Swedish Blue’ have secured five podium positions at the Etchells World Championships over the last 10 years, capturing 2nd place overall at the most recent event. Flinn continues to impress against the best in the world, including Australian legend John Bertrand who placed 7th this year.

Phil Gow, Chair of the Sail Canada Athlete Development Committee and 2-time Olympic teammate (Soling ’88 and ‘92), credits Flinn’s success to his humble attitude and dedication to the sport.

“Stuart is obviously exceptionally good on the boat, very professional and an intense competitor, however the standout reason he’s great to sail with is because he makes it fun. He doesn’t bring ego to the equation, just an absolute commitment to process and the success of the team. He enjoys being part of the racing community in a way that’s led to dozens of strong, long-lasting friendships all over the world. To maintain his competitive edge over several decades and to balance that with family and work is not an easy accomplishment. A true testimony to the great attitude and perspective Stu brings to the sport.”

Stuart is a graduate from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Sail Canada honors Stuart Flinn’s achievements by recognizes him as Sailor of the Month for June. Sail Canada’s Sailor of the Month award acknowledges sailing achievements by Canadians involved or associated with the sport in all its forms. Sail Canada encourages the submission of noteworthy Canadian sailing activities to sailorofthemonth@sailing.ca