The Ottawa C&C 27 fleet gathered on Monday, September 2nd, at 1300, for the first Fleet Builder and Mixer event at the Nepean Sailing Club. With an increasing number of C&C 27s participating in interclub events, the Fleet Builder and Mixer provided an opportunity for new and experienced sailors to come together for mentorship, skill-building, and a whole lot of laughs.
Even though the event was scheduled for a holiday Monday, crew from 12 different boats from both BYC and NSC were represented. Under the guidance of C&C Fleet Rep, Hugh Morrin, 35 crew members and skippers were assigned to seven boats for the two fun races, with the first warning at 1430. Each boat had a crew that had never sailed together before, which probably led to some interesting moments—like trying to figure out whose bright idea it was to tack at that exact moment!
It was a beautiful fall-like day on the Ottawa River, with blustery winds from the NW at 12-20+ knots. That would have made for sporty spinnaker handling with crews that had never sailed together, so consensus was reached that boats would sail white-sail only. It was a great learning opportunity for everyone and you could hear a lot of laughing on the water.
The event concluded with all racers gathering for snacks, refreshments, and socializing at a “raft-up” along the dock, next to the NSC clubhouse. Lots of big smiles and enthusiastic support for doing this again in 2025!
Organizers would really like to express their appreciation to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of this event. Special thanks to race committee volunteers Chris Kuchciak and Neil Knudsen, and race bosun Luke Sheppard, who not only set an awesome course, but also took photos and cheered the boats while they rounded the marks.
Check out these photos of the event. Race Results? All boats finished both races, no reports of major injuries, and everyone had a great time! That’s what this was all about! See also this page announcing the Fleet Builder event.
Submitted by Renée Young.
Editor’s note: A huge thank you to Renée for her inspiration and all the work she put in to making this event the huge success that it was!