RED JACKET, the iconic Canadian sailboat that won the 1968 SORC, is back racing on Lake Ontario. The RED JACKET LEGACY PROGRAM provides opportunity for sailors of all ages, with a preference for women, to safely develop their keelboat skills. This program will expand the current Wind Athletes Canada program aboard Blue Magic (J35) which in two years has put more than 60 sailors through experiencing keelboat racing. The participants are ages 15-66, 70% women, many with minimal sailing or racing experience.
The program involves two boats: RED JACKET (Bruckman 39 custom) berthed at PEYC and WILD CHILD 2 (Kirby 30) which will be raced out of Kingston Yacht Club May - October with the goal of moving adult and youth sailors into keelboat course racing and short long distance racing at the club level. These participants will gain sufficient keelboat experience to move them to RED JACKET for long distance racing on Lake Ontario and other Great Lakes distance regattas. Red Jacket will provide the platform for sailors to gain long distance overnight racing experience and develop a pool of Canadian sailors that are qualified to participate in international long distance events.
Of critical importance to this program is the ability to sufficiently fund a variety of the program costs i.e. safety equipment, safety training, insurance, regatta entry, crew gear, travel logistics and accommodation. Sponsorship and donations to support the program are actively being pursued. Please consider sending a tax deductible donation to support this innovative program of Wind Athletes Canada.