Jericho North Americans

Write up for North Americans regatta at Jericho on September 7-8, 2024

by Julia Jaynes

Tasar sailors from the US and Canada came together for the North American Championship hosted at Jericho Sailing Center in Vancouver, BC. The event attracted 28 boats and sailors of all different skill levels from two time NA winners Mike and Molly Karas to Warwick Heath, a 3 time Queensland State Champ with Mireille Fortier as crew for whom this was her very first time racing, and many sailors representing the various Jericho sailing clubs on club Tasars. 

Many boats arrived on Friday, with Derek Bottles and Becca Galfer arriving in extra style on the Farr 395 Ace. Saturday brought for the most part classic English Bay conditions with current relief found in the shallows and the left side of the course generally favored upwind. Jackson and I got a rough start in the first race but were able to fight back, capitalize on an unusual righty and utilize my local knowledge as I spent the summer coaching for UBC and racing out of RVYC knowing most would overstand the layline. We were able to come away with wins in the first two races of the day. Tim Scanlon and crew Melissa Mossar came away with a flawless race three. And Mike and Molly Karas finished the day off with a win in race four.

The beer flag was hoisted to signal racing was finished for the day and sailors made their way in - likely already a bit dizzy, sans beer, after sailing double windward-leeward courses all day long. Besides washing off all the sand, the hit of the afternoon debrief was munching on the gigantic nachos. 

The wind forecast for day two looked bleak, but race committee led by Dominique Labrosse, saw flickers of wind and set the course. The wind started out light but gradually built throughout the day. The winners of the day were Thilo Giese sailing with his daughter Adri coming away with two race wins in race 5 and 7. Thilo, a five time NA champ, noted he had to be careful to not make Adri hike too hard so she would be willing to come back to sail. Also making a strong showing were Clark and Whitney Hayes at their first Tasar regatta, rounding many top marks in the top three and improving drastically through the weekend, placing fifth.

Overall the event was definitely a great bang for your buck regatta. Many thanks to the BC fleet for making the event free and providing Purdy’s chocolates to the top teams. Thank you to Jericho and Jericho rescue for all the volunteers on race committee. Full results can be found here, Photos here, and drone footage here.