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« Back Post Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Bluebottle Trophy Team Race Series
Competition for the Royal Navy Bluebottle Trophy resumed April 23 & 24 at the Southern Yacht Club after a break of several decades. A team of 10 sailors from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) in Toronto, traveled south to sail member owned J/22’s in a team race, best of 17, format. Click on the picture to read the full article.
Competition for the Royal Navy Bluebottle Trophy resumed April 23 & 24 at the Southern Yacht Club after a break of several decades.

A team of 10 sailors from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) in Toronto, travelled south to sail member owned J/22’s in a team race, best of 17, format.

In spite of the distractions of warm, sunny skies, Jazz Fest, the French Quarter and an unlimited supply of cold beer and crawfish, our guests demonstrated that their sailing skills were not diminished by being frozen in for the winter.

Following an afternoon of practice, the RCYC team joined our SYC team on the deck off the Bar Friday evening for welcome aboard cocktails, toasts and the exchange of club burgees.

Earlier that day the RCYC team presented their Canadian flag which flew from the SYC flagpole for the duration of the regatta. 

On Saturday both teams enjoyed sailing in moderate breezes and great race management by regatta PRO George Hero and his team of volunteers and the oversight of Chief Judge Karen Reisch.

Ultimately, the youth and team racing acumen of the RCYC team won the day and the regatta.

That evening the Canadian team participated in our Evening Colors ceremony, firing the cannon, and then singing “O Canada”, their national anthem as their flag was lowered.

On Sunday, with no racing scheduled, both teams enjoyed feasting on char-grilled oysters, jambalaya and lots of sunshine on our upper deck.

At the Awards ceremony, RCYC was presented with an engraved plate and, in turn, they presented to SYC a two-volume set of “The Annals of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, 1852-2000”.

A SYC team will visit Toronto in 2018 to sail again for the Bluebottle Trophy.

A special thanks to our SYC team members, the volunteers and the SYC staff that made this regatta such a success. Also for a superb job by Regatta Chair Billy Marchal and special thanks to Marchals and Griglacks for hosting the RCYC team and to our members who provided their boats.

A.E.”Chip”Carpenter