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Lake Ontario Offshore Racing - Newsletter
March 9, 2021
Preparing for Racing.

The start of the 2021 Lake Ontario Racing Season is less than 12-weeks away…can you believe it?  I suspect many of you are already itching to take off the winter cover and start cleaning the hull.  

The LOOR committee has been working hard to make sure all is ready for the racing season.  Race dates are set, Notice of Race is posted, crews are being arranged, and registration is open.  We continue to monitor restrictions, and will be following  government guidelines carefully to ensure our racers stay safe.  We will make your everyone stays informed of any changes we need to make.  

LOOR continues to host our Webinar Series to help prepare racers for an exciting 2021 Lake Ontario Racing Season. The next Webinar, How Do I Obtain a PHRF-LO Certificate, is Tuesday, March 16th @ 19:30.

The fleet has started to fill-in nicely. No doubt many of you are already looking forward to getting out on the water to set course and personal records in 2021. This year we are celebrating the 31st LO300 Challenge and the 4th LO600 Challenge. 

The first race of the season is the 75 NM Susan Hood Trophy Race, scheduled for Friday, June 04th. Running annually since 1955 (well, except for last year of course) on the first weekend of June and affectionately referred to as “the coolest race on the lake”, First Warning is 19:45PM on the Friday evening, making it an overnight experience on often very cold water with racers typically back at PCYC during the afternoon of the following day.

The Lake Ontario Short Handed Racing Series (LOSHRS) also begins that weekend, with the 16 NM Course Race scheduled for Sunday, June 5th.

We are also working on virtual races plus a special HUG program with driveHG.  Stay tuned in the next few weeks for more information.   2021 LOOR racing promises to be memorable for all race participants.
 
Take care of yourselves, and if you can, take care of someone else.

Monica Doedens
Chair, Lake Ontario Offshore Racing
2021 Racing Schedule and Registration Links:
 
Susan Hood Trophy Race (SHTR)        Friday, June 04, 2021 (75 NM)
 
LO300 – Lake Ontario 300                             Saturday, July 10, 2021 (300 NM)
 
LO600 – Lake Ontario 600                             Saturday, July 10, 2021 (600 NM)
 
●       Race #1 – Course Race                          Sunday, June 06, 2021 (16 NM)
●       Race #2 – Coastal Race                       Saturday, June 19, 2021 (Max 28 NM)
●       Race #3 – Coastal Race                       Sunday, June 20, 2021 (Max 28 NM)
●       Race #4 – Long Distance (100 miler)      Saturday, August 14, 2021 (81 NM)
●       Race #5 – PCYC to DYC                        Saturday, September 18, 2021 (25 NM)
●       Race #6 – DYC to PCYC                         Sunday, September 19, 2021 (25 NM)

On-Water and On-Line we are planning for the 2021 Season.

LOOR is pleased to announce that it is partnering with Sailonline.org to concurrently run the Susan Hood Trophy Race, LO300 Challenge and LOSHRS Long-Distance 100- miler races using Sailonline’s real conditions simulator. Starting at the same time as the on-water races, and using real world weather and forecasting, the virtual race will allow those who are unable to race on-water, beginners, retired racers and armchair analysts to experience these 2021 LOOR races with the same conditions as the on-water racers.
 
Sailonline.org is a community-owned sailing navsim game providing a realistic, entertaining and educational platform for those who love the sea and sailing, wherever they may be around the globe.
 
Registration is free at sailonline.org – though you may join the Sailonline Yacht Club if you wish to support the volunteer driven community – and join in a race or practice and see for yourself. 
Webinar Series:
 
Upcoming LOOR Webinars (Also free):
 
Tuesday, March 16, 2021 @ 1930: I need a PHRF-LO certificate for my sailboat, what do I need to do? See the Blog post at www.loor.ca to register.
Rates & Dates

LOOR RACE:

Susan Hood Trophy Race: $112.00 + $14.56 HST = $126.56
SHTR Early Bird: $ 80.00 + $10.40 HST = $ 90.40

LO300 Challenge: $435.00 + $56.55 HST = $491.55
LO300 Early Bird: $320.00 + $41.60 HST = $361.60

LO600 Challenge: $540.00 + $70.20 HST = $610.20
LO600 Early Bird: $425.00 + $55.25 HST = $480.25

LOSHRS Race Series: $190.00 + $24.70 HST = $214.70
LOSHRS Early Bird: $137.50 + $17.88 HST = $155.38
LOSHRS Single Race: $ 63.50 + $ 8.28 HST = $ 71.76

Registration is now open! Click on the links above to register.
Racing Safety

Offshore Special Regulations & Safety Requirements 
 
Lake Ontario Offshore Racing follows World Sailing’s Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) for safety requirements over and above governmental requirements. Requirements vary by category and the LOOR versions of the OSRs are available at:
Crew Bank - Need Crew or interested in Crewing?

If you are a sailor and interested in participating in one of the Lake Ontario Offshore Races, or a skipper who needs crew, use the Crew/Boats Boards on the Yacht Scoring Registration and Official Document page.
 
Go to the Crew Bank page on the LOOR site.
Sail Rating / Handicap

Sail Measurement Certificate
If you’re purchasing a new sail or having a sail serviced at a sailmaker’s, it’s to your benefit to have the sailmaker measure the sails and provide you with a Sailmakers’ Sail Measurement Certificate. This will save having to measure the sail later. This especially applies to older sails as they shrink in the dimensions that are measured for handicap rating. Shrink enough to generate a slight change in your rating!

North Sail PHRF and IRC Measurements
Once again, North Sails Toronto is providing complimentary sail measurement ahead of the 2021 sailing and racing season.
 
If you need to get your sails measured or if you have a new sail contact North Sails today @ Toronto@northsails.com to schedule.
 
Although this only takes about 30-minutes, don't leave this to the last minute (and certainly not the day before the race).
Sailors for the Seas / Clean Regattas

LOOR has been a Partner of Sailors for the Seas since 2019 and the Lake Ontario 300 is a certified Clean Regatta.

Sailors for the Seas is a globally recognized agency that promotes “Clean Regattas” through several Best Practices and practical strategies. 

Their aim is to promote global awareness as to the impact that we are having on our waterways. Part of this effort has been the development of a Best Practices Checklist. Over the coming months this Newsletter will showcase one of the five areas in the Checklist, ways in which we can all help.

ELIMINATION OF SINGLE-USE ITEMS

 1. Eliminate Single-Use Water Bottles and Provide Water Refill Stations
 2. Eliminate Plastic Straws
 3. Serve Food with Plastic-Free Dinnerware
 4. Use or Provide Reusable Bags
 5. Award Practical Items or Use a Perpetual or Upcycled Trophy

For more information check out Sailors for the Seas website.

Stay Connected with Offshore Racing!
Facebook: @LOOR300
Twitter: @LO300
Instagram: @LOOR300

Join the conversation. We want to hear from you! Hashtags you can use include:
General: #LOOR 
LO300 Specific: #LO300 or #LO300Challenge 
LOSHRS Specific: #LOSHRS

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