Sail Canada Sailor of the Month – Sonar Paralympic Team

Sail Canada’s Sailor of the Month award acknowledges sailing achievements by Canadians involved or associated with the sport in all its forms. Here is the January report…

Quantum Key West Race Week was hosted by Storm TrySail Club, welcoming 133 boats in 12 classes including the One Design division – Melges 24. Richard Reid’s boat ‘Zingara’ was stacked with Canadian powerhouses Greg Douglas (RCYC) and Billy Gooderham (RCYC) placing 3rd overall in their division.

The Sailing World Cup Miami was a pinnacle event for Canadian sailors on the journey to the Rio. The North American continental qualifier was a last chance opportunity for Canadian Olympic hopefuls looking to secure a country berth for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The light wind regatta proved fruitful for six Canadian classes including RS:X Men and Women, 470 Men and Women, Finn and Nacra 17. On a performance note, the 470 Mens team Jake and Graeme Saunders (RNSYS) broke through to their first World Cup medal race, finishing 2nd in the race and 7th overall.

The Canadian Paralympic team secured their ticket to Rio at the 2014 Para World Championships, thus now shifting the main focus to podium performances for the 2.4mR and Sonar class in Miami. Bruce Millar (RVicYC) set his sights on overtaking GBR’s Helena Lucas. After sailing a strong opening series, Millar slipped behind Lucas in the final race days of the event to finish with a silver medal.

The Canadian Sonar Team is consistent podium performers but other top nations such as AUS, GBR and FRA have stood in the way of Canadian gold – until now. Paul Tingley (RNSYS), Scott Lutes (AQVA), and Logan Campbell (SSC) put on a clinic in smart sailing, scoring three bullets and top three in 7 races.

“We knew what we had to do and we executed exactly as planned,” explains Tingley. “It is a good feeling knowing that the process is producing the desired result. We sailed against the best in the world and we beat the best in the world.”

Mission accomplished for Team Tingley as they prove their gold medal potential in Rio. A Paralympic showdown not to be missed in September!

Sail Canada applauds all the outstanding sailors for their achievements including our Sailor of the Month in January – Paul Tingley, Scott Lutes, and Logan Campbell. This team is also 2015 Rolex Sailor of the Year finalists and 2014 Skippers’ Plan Team of the Year.

Sail Canada encourages the submission of noteworthy Canadian sailing activities to sailorofthemonth@sailing.ca.