NSC and NCASA hosted the 2019 Mobility Cup on September 9-13. The regatta attracted 35 adaptive sailors from as far away as Hawaii and California, and from 7 provinces coast to coast. We had 4 days of excellent winds, completing a full set of races for Gold and Silver fleets.
The Mobility Cup is the Canadian championship of the AbleSail Network of Canada. The Nepean Sailing Club and the National Capital Able Sail Association were jointly the hosts and organizers.
Pierre Richard of Montreal won the Gold fleet with 7 bullets out of 10 races, and Antoine Robert of Montreal won the Silver fleet with an impressive performance across 8 races. NSC members Doreen Ames and Karell Régnier scored 4th and 9th in Gold, while Alex Krneta and Brian Moretton scored 9th and 18th in Silver. Doreen also won the trophy for best female sailor of the regatta.
The event began with a practice day on Monday in ultra-light winds. The Mayor then officially opened the regatta. Winds were sustained for the 4 race days, building toward the end of the week. The 2 fleets alternated morning and afternoon, with a changeover at lunchtime. The changeover was a well-structured process that takes some time, while race officials waited patiently. Each fleet completed at least 2 races per day.
The event was chaired by Alan Galley and Aaron Wong-Sing, who proved to be more than up to the task. The Fleet Captain extends his congratulations and thanks to them, on behalf of NSC.
The regatta built a team of 91 volunteers for event planning, implementation and everyday activities. This included everything from registration to launch and dock crews, companions and meal organizers. Regatta team leaders from NSC included Doreen Ames, Rick Anderton, Hugh McDowell, David Gardiner, Lyn Hall, Chris Hughes, Deana Kosabek, John Rae and Peter Wood. Wendi Ley, president of the National Capital Able Sail Association also played a key role in regatta planning and activities. Race bosun and house/facilities staff provided important services for the event.
Support from the regatta came from 16 industry sponsors, both local and national, for which we are very grateful. Running a successful international regatta for adaptive sailors is a somewhat complex and expensive endeavour for which the level sponsorship support we received was invaluable.
Media followed the event. Mobility Cup 2019 and Able Sail were featured on the CBC Ottawa News on September 10th. See timestamps 15:29 and 33:17 for sailor and dock-side interviews.
Photos and videos of Mobility Cup 2019 have been posted to the Ottawa Sailing Community Facebook page.
Alan and Aaron made the following summary:
“This regatta could not have taken place without the support of the Nepean Sailing Club Board for which Dominic Goodwill and David Neasmith were our principal contacts and strong supporters. Heather Erven was an enormous help all through the 2 years of regatta organizing and Julie Laframboise was cheerful and supportive in putting up with the registration process and other unexpected problems that popped up during the regatta. Gene Bruce and James Pole were calm, cool and collected as they watched the various regatta activities descend on the yard. Chef Ronnie and the kitchen staff produced consistent and high quality breakfasts and lunches during the regatta, not to mention a great BBQ.
I believe all of the regatta volunteers and NSC staff set a very high standard for future Mobility Cup regattas across Canada to emulate. Our heartfelt appreciation to all involved!”