(Port Credit, ONT, Canada)- Starting July 13th, Saturday, the Lake
Ontario 300 Challenge is the premier offshore race on Lake Ontario, and
it provides a challenging circumnavigation of the lake. A group of
double handed racers originally developed the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge
as the ultimate double-handed challenge in 1990 and it still remains
the longest annual fresh water race. The Main Duck Island course is
300nm and starts at PCYC. It includes mark roundings at Gibraltar, the
Main Duck Islands, Ford Shoal, Niagara R2 and finishes back at PCYC.The Lake Ontario 300 Challenge also incorporates a shorter 190nm course for non-flying sail divisions as well as flying sail yachts with a PHRF rating over 180. This is the Scotch Bonnet Island Course, and it starts at PCYC, including mark roundings at Gibraltar, Scotch Bonnet Island, Niagara R2 and then finishes back at PCYC.
Nineteen J/Teams are participating this year, a significant increase from last year's participation rate. Starting with the Singlehanded class, Geoff Cornish's J/125 ROULEUR is the lone J/Team sailing from Royal Canadian YC.
The IRC 1 division has three fast J's sailing; all with line honors potential based on breeze. Leading the fleet may be Jon Bamberger's J/145 SPITFIRE with John McLeod's J/133 HOT WATER and the J/111 SURVENANT (skippered by a Quebec quartet of Marcel Cote, P Bernier, C Boulet, N Cote and Y Dion) all in hot pursuit! In IRC 2 division are three well-sailed J/109s, including Denys Jones's CARPE VENTUS, Murray Gainer's LIVELY (a past LO 300 race winner) and Sheila Smith's PHOENIX. Sailing IRC 3 is Stephen Trevitt's J/35 SCENE, a past winner in class in the LO 300.
In PHRF 1 are two J/105s- CASUAL ELEGANCE skippered by Geoff Clarke and VOODOO MAGIC led by the quartet of Bjug Borgundvaag, Scott Hansen, Bill Bevan and Paul Martini. Graham Toms' J/120 THE CAT CAME BACK and Mike Pietz's J/35 SHORTHANDED will also be in the mix. For more Lake Ontario 300 sailing information
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