Eric Holden: Canadian Sailor of the Month

The month of May marks the kick off to the sailing season in many parts of Canada. After a long, arduous winter, Canadian sailors are eager to walk the docks and move their boats!

The Icebreaker Regatta, staying true to its name, was hosted out of the Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club in May greeting sailors with classic winter-like conditions. Canadian Sailing Team (CST) Radial sailors dominated the top of the leaderboard with Claire Merry (RCYC) taking top spot, Sarah Douglas in 2nd and Bronwyn Richardson in 3rd (RCYC).

The Finn North Americans were held mid-month at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach California. Greg Douglas (RCYC) duked it out with American training partner, Caleb Paine throughout the course of their 3-day event. A few strategic errors cost Douglas the overall win, however still hung on to a podium position.

Over in Europe, CST sailors were showcasing their efforts in Lake Garda at Vela Garda Trentino with Laser sailor Robert Davis battling amongst the brawny fleet of Olympic medallists and World Champions. Davis posted 4 of 9 races in the top 10 including a race win. On the Radial course, Brenda Bowskill enjoyed a profitable week sliding into the medal race for the first time on the international stage.

The Delta Lloyd Regatta played host to Olympic and Paralympic sailors in Medemblik following Trentino week. Canadians Isabella Bertold and Brenda Bowskill both in attendance, along with hometown hero, Marit Bouwmeester (NED), competed in the 5-day event resulting in a 5th place finish for Bertold.

Canadian skipper Eric Holden continues to dazzle with team Henri Lloyd collecting 17 points over rivals Great Britain, the largest overall gain of the entire Clipper Round the World Race. Not only did Holden capture the Race win (12 points-Jamaica-New York), they scored a ‘hat trick’ winning the Ocean sprint (2 points), and Scoring Gate (3 points) within this same leg. “It was pretty intense…this has been an amazing race.” explains Holden. The Clipper Race is now on a Transatlantic leg from New York to Derry Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Sail Canada congratulates Eric Holden and crew for their triple-crown accomplishment and, for the second consecutive month, honor this outstanding achievement by naming Eric Holden Sailor of the Month for May.

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

Source: Sail Canada