11th Annual Coupe du Quebec Martin 16 Regatta

Here is a report from Jen Davey on the recent action sponsored by the AQVA and PCYC. Thanks Jen!

The 11^th Annual Coupe du Quebec Martin 16 regatta took place at the Pointe Claire Yacht Club this weekend, hosted by the Association québécoise de voile adapée (AQVA) in conjunction with PCYC. 25 competitors from across eastern Canada and the US joined together for two days of racing in Silver and Gold fleets. 

The weekend kicked off with a special ceremony to launch the newest addition to AQVA’ s fleet of accessible boats: a 2.4mR, the single-handed Paralympic class. The acquisition was made possible through a generous grant from the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s Paralympic Equipment Fund. The boat belonged to Nigist Legesse-Sewnnet, a 2.4mR sailor from the Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario who passed away this spring. Nigist was dearly beloved by many and the boat was christened “Abyssinia”, a nod to her Ethiopian roots, and the name she had chosen for her boat. Abyssinia will be a club boat used to expose developing competitors to the Paralympic class and offer the opportunity to engage in high performance regattas that might not otherwise be within reach of developing racers.

At the end of two often light and shifty days, the final score sheet revealed the tight level of competition currently at play in the east coast Martin fleet. Gold fleet was won by Pierre Richard of AQVA/PCYC, just ahead of Nepean Sailing Club’s Christine Lavallée, with Erick Poirier, also of AQVA/PCYC in 3^rd . The top 3 were separated by just 1 point before the drop race added a slightly wider gap of 4 points. Silver was close as well: Brian Cuerrier or Belleville, ON took top place followed by Basil Katsivalis (AQVA/PCYC) and Karell Regnier (Nepean Able Sail), all three within 2 points of each other.

A big thank you to PRO Madelaine Palfreeman and her crew who, as always, provided excellent racing in a variety of conditions. Thanks also to the staff and support from the Pointe Claire Yacht Club and the many AQVA volunteers who made the whole weekend possible.