Long Distance Racing at the Whitby Yacht Club
After a few years hiatus, Whitby Yacht Club is returning to the Lake Ontario Long Distance Racing schedule.
The two races that had been organized are returning to the calendar. The Whitby 50, running from Whitby to Toronto, will take place 20 and 21 June 2024. The Whitby 100, running from Whitby to Toronto to Niagara to Newcastle and back to Whitby, will take place 20 and 21 September.
Long Distance Racing
at the
Whitby Yacht Club
In the past few years, Sail Canada has assessed that overnight races on large, freshwater lakes fall under the definition of Offshore Racing and they are now recommending that these races comply with the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations (OSR). The most experienced Long Distance racing organization on Lake Ontario is the Lake Ontario Offshore Racing Committee (LOOR) of the Port Credit Yacht Club. Whitby Yacht Club is now working with the LOOR Safety Committee to ensure our races comply with the OSR and ensure consistency amongst the organizers of Long Distance races on the lake.
The key aspects of the OSR are the stability of the vessel racing, the safety equipment carried on the vessel, and the training of the crew. LOOR has a page that describes stability. It can be found here. Skippers who are interested in Long Distance racing should contact the Primary Race Officer (PRO) at wycfleet2@gmail.com. He can assist in determining whether a stability screening exists for your boat.
The safety equipment required to meet the OSR standards far exceeds the Transport Canada minimum standards. It is a good idea to review this early to ensure that the necessary items can be acquired in time. The checklist that skippers must use to verify compliance with the OSRs can be found here.
The two key aspects of the training requirement are the Personal Survival Courses and Crew Overboard Recovery Training. The minimum standard for these races is the Sail Canada Coastal Personal Survival Course. The Offshore Personal Survival Course, which meets the World Sailing Offshore standard, is also acceptable. Registration for these courses through Ontario Sailing can be found here. For 2024, the requirement is for 15 per cent of the crew to have taken a course within the last five years, with a minimum of one crew member per vessel. Equivalencies may be requested by contacting the PRO at
wycfleet2@gmail.com.
At least 50 per cent of the crew must participate in a Crew Over Board Recovery Drill and Abandon Ship
training session once per year. Members must sign the Crew Overboard Recovery Drill Certificate.