Sail Canada Sailor of the Month

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 latest recipient.

The 2019 Bermuda International Invitational Race Week (BIIRW) took place April 27-May 3 in Bermuda. Completing ten races throughout the week, the crew of Chester from Nova Scotia dominated the iconic IOD Class.

The Chester team of Peter Wickwire, Dan MacMillan, Emily Merry, Chris Veinot, and Hillary Grantmyre of the Chester IOD fleet are veterans of this regatta, mastering the light winds ranging from 6 knots at the beginning of the event to 10 knots at the end.

Racing together since 2013, this crew has had a lot of experience sailing J/24s and IODs in their home waters of Nova Scotia. Their experience allowed them to stay above the fleet throughout the event, finishing 14 points clear of their nearest rival.

“Match Racing and international IOD events provide boats that are rotated at least daily,” explained Wickwire. “Being able to adjust quickly is key. We had a good run in Bermuda!” The crew of Chester stood on the podium to accept the Vrengen Gold Cup after finishing first in the series.

This seasoned crew has won the BIIRW five times and are currently IOD North American champions.

Congratulations to the Helly Hansen Sailor of the Month – the crew of Chester.
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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.