• Sailing Updates

 

Hi Team U CAN 2 Supporters,

Well, the time has come to start the most important phase of our Paralympic campaign to date…the Canadian Paralympic Trials. The Canadian Yachting Association (CYA) has decided to make the trials the combined results of 2 events…the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta in Miami, Jan. 28 to Feb 1; and the Disabled/Open midwinter Championships in St. Petersburg, Feb 28 to Feb 2.  The Canadian SKUD18 team with the lowest combines scores, excluding throwouts, will have earned the right to represent Canada at the Paralympic in Bejing/Qingdao this coming September.

Team U CAN boats/crews Yin (Stacie & John) and Yang (Brenda & David) are keen to be that selected team and have put many hours training and preparing for these events. Since the America’s Regatta in St. Petersburg in early December, crews have been focusing on physical fitness, mental preparedness, getting minor boat and equipment repairs, and taking some time off over the Christmas/New Years holidays.

Thank you to Phil Smithies and Gene Hinkel for their help working on the boats and trailer in St. Petersburg. Thank you to Rob Burrow and Lise Desharnais for refining David’s seat restraints and making the spinnaker launch opening cover. Hopefully David won’t slide out of his seat or we won’t take as much green water onboard in the lumpy seas. Thank you to and Ian Miceroy and the UVIC Society of Automotive Engineers, and James Campbell for donating their race car quick-release harnesses. Finding a light-weight, easy-to-release harness for David has been challenging. Thank you to Dr. Charlie Simpson and John Neilson for their safety and design advice.   

Once again thank you to our title sponsors Angel Accessibility Solutions, Houle Electric and Tippet-Richardson. Thank you to our platinum sponsors Harrison McKay Communications, 3WAN.COM and The ROHO Group for their generous support. Thank you to all of our other corporate sponsors.

Thank you to our coaches Steve McBride, Erin Flanagan, Craig Guthrie and CYA for funding Brian Todd to come to Victoria and Florida to put on much-needed and appreciated training camps.

Our sailors will arrive in Miami this coming Wednesday and Thursday, quickly and carefully put the boats together with the goal to make it out for a quick test sail. The team will be racing in the Alex Caviglia Bluewater Classic Regatta in Miami on Jan. 18-20 as a warm-up practice event. Race results should be posted www.shakealegmiami.org in due time. Craig Guthrie from Halifax will be coaching us during this event and the day after to go over his observations during the event.

After a much-needed lay day Steve McBride arrives to start coaching from then on. The Miami Olympic Classes Regatta (first half of Canadian Trials) will be from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1. Results will be posted at www.ussailing.org

Arriving early in Miami could not be done without the generous support of the Paul J. Phelan Foundation for letting the team use the Phelan House, a 3 bedroom cottage a few blocks from the sailing site in Coconut Grove. Also a big thank you to Mike Grimm, fellow disabled sailor who lives in Miami Beach for billeting David and his brother Bob Cook who is going this time as David’s personal assistant.

Phil Smithies from St. Petersburg will be helping out Yin and Stacey Wilson from Bainbridge Island will be helping Yang with boat prep and another set of eyes on the water.

As I’m sure my team mates would agree, the 2 boat/1 team concept has had its ups and downs but overall neither team would be where we are without the help of the other. Now we will be competing head to head for the selected spot. In competition there can only be 1 winner, at least Team U CAN 2 will be represented either way so it’s a win/win.

Competition will be tough and good numbers. The entry list shows 9 teams, 2 from USA, 1 from SWE, 1 from AUS, 3 from GBR and our 2 from CAN. The team to beat will be USA Trials winners Nick and Maureen.

Thanks to everyone for support and encouragement. It’s greatly appreciated!

Stacie, John, Brenda and David
January 13 , 2008