Calm winds curtailed the weekend racing on Chestermere Lake for the Alberta Provincial Sailing Championship Aug. 3-4.
Race organizers were only able to run two complete race over the course of a weekend usually full of racing.
Competing for the first time in the full rig class of lasers, which are a type of boat, is local sailor sixteen-year-old Connor Weicht.
“I’m feeling good, I’ve had a really great summer,” said Weicht who hoped to finish in the top five of his class. Unfortunately for him he ran into bad luck in both races.
He was in front of the start line for the first race Saturday. He had to circle back for a legal start.
Weicht then had trouble with his main sail on the second race.
Sailing racing has been described as being like 3D chess.
“It’s a tactics game,” said Weicht.
Some of the difficulties presented by Chestermere lake include the weeds which can slow the boats down and the variability of wind direction and strength.
“The wind is super shifty and puffy here,” he said, “we don’t generally get a constant wind from one direction, and so you have to always be aware of that.”
“Everyone’s trying to be on the next shift closest to the mark…It takes a lot of thought and a lot of process to get it done,” said Weicht.
In addition to the challenges presented by nature he has the other racers to contend with. In sailing in Alberta, there are no gender or age classes. The only divisions are based on the type of boat.
“You can have a child of twelve sailing a laser against his grandfather who is 84 sailing a laser,” said Fie Hulskar, Alberta Sailing Association Executive Director.
Hulskar said that Weicht is one of the provinces budding young sailors.
He likely would have made his top five goal if more races could have been held.
“Connor is one of them that is going to go to Canada Games for us,” she said.
Despite the poor winds the event was successful with Chestermere sailor Phil Paxton won the laser class to be this year’s Provincial Champion.
