* VIDEO * Susan Hood Yacht Race 2011
June 3rd, 2011
This is the “Coolest Race on the Lake” and we mean both Cold and Hip type of Cool ! The water is still blistering cold after a long Canadian Winter. Hyperthermia could set in – within a couple of minutes, and a quick death to follow. This race takes us 75 miles on the rhum line from Mississauga, Port Credit, to the Burlington Bridge, to the Niagara River and back to the Port Credit Yacht Club in Mississauga. The race starts at 8pm, and most boats are back by early afternoon the following morning.
This was Black Diamond’s best showing in the 4 years we entered this race. Conditions were all over the place, from no wind most of the night, inching at about 1/2 a knot in winds from 1 knot or less, to moderate winds in light rain. The a heavy down pour – to a squall that hit us around the Niagara mark. Upwards of 50 knots of wind and sustained winds of over 30 knots. Then on the tail end of the squal as the winds clocked around 180 degrees – we were hit again. Ohh, and lets not forget the Snow and Hail in the middle of the lake for good measure.
We finished mid-fleet, due mostly to some R10’s and J105’s in our fleet did not finish due to the adverse conditions. Our boat is really an Ocean Performance Cruiser, with emphasis on Cruiser ! It likes the heavier stuff, and is a pig in most Lake Ontario Conditions.
Check out the 5 minute video below, this was posted to our YOU TUBE Channel.