Chester Race Week Shows East Coast Spirit

The 30-boat Bluenose fleet at Chester Race Week
Credit: Parker Media Management / www.parker-media.ca

Aug 27, 2024

Helly Hansen Chester Race Week has a rich 120-year history and involves four days of racing on the beautiful waters of Mahone Bay. Last weekend’s 134 registered boats and over 1,300 sailors make it the largest race week in a decade.

In typical East Coast style, sailors experienced every type of weather imaginable. Light and shifty winds bobbed the fleet through race delays waiting for the breeze on day one and two. Day three showed some improvement but the wind finally filled in on day four hitting 10-18 to close out the regatta on a high note. Four courses provide a diverse racing scene and accommodates any type of sailor and vessel.

Key sponsor, the Atlantic Division of North Sails has been thriving for over 30 years and has recently been taken over by Drew Mitchell, a Nova Scotia native. Drew has built a strong community through the sailing scene on the East Coast.

Drew was part of the Bluenose Geronimo, who placed 5th in their fleet and comments, “Chester Race Week always delivers on and off the water. This year’s weather forecast was questionable but with great race committees and hard work by the CRW staff and volunteers, everything sorted itself out. It was very impressive to see how well North Sails customers excelled during the week – remarkable really. This event is one not to miss and we hope to see even more boats on the water next year!”

North customers swept the podium in almost every division. Several North Sails experts also attended CRW, many racing themselves and placing top in their respective classes.

The fleets are diverse at CRW and North is able to support the many different types of sails for each boat from One-Design to Spinnakers or custom sails. Having sail experts on hand at these types of events is key for assessing & fixing damages, offering advice or tips & tricks, especially for new (or old!) sails.

Peter Toombs, a North customer on Headfirst 3, placed 1st in the Farr 30 division. He comments, “Coming back to CRW, this was our first regatta with brand new North 3Di sails. The adjustment on the jibs with the Helix technology was impressive. We had several settings to adjust draft depth and location. No question this new sail package gave us an advantage to help us get back to the top of the podium in a challenging design fleet. Many thanks to Drew and the North team!”

The evolution in North technology is providing more speed, more skill and more fun for sailors. North’s most recent technologies include 3Di, Helix and NPL RENEW sustainable sailcloth. 

Above: (L) Drew Mitchell, North Sails Atlantic, hosted a local information talk one morning at CRW.
(R) Geoff Moore, North Sails Toronto, and Travis Odenbach hosted a dock talk one evening on the J70 class which were hosting their National Championships at the regatta.

Louisa Bobyk, Canadian Operations of North Sails shares, “Chester Race Week is something that everyone should experience in their lifetime. It’s one full of rich history, incredible racing and legendary après activities.”

“Our team at North Sails has a long history of supporting CRW, both the sailors and event organizers. Whether it’s local knowledge talks from local experts such as Drew to regatta repair to deliveries; our team is there. For us, CRW is more than just an event, it’s something we look forward to every year.”

CRW is a community-based event, bringing the East Coast together but also connecting sailors across the country.

Rich history, beautiful scenery, fierce competition and a wild party. What more could you ask for? Be a part of the iconic fun next year August 13-16, 2025: chesterraceweek.com

Learn more about North Sails here: www.northsails.com

Overall Winners and Final Results:

Bluenose (One-Design — 30 boats)

1. Wahoo, Henry Demone, Chester, NS
2. Hot Sauce, Lisa Ross, Halifax, NS
3. Rebel, Thomas Murphy, Chester, NS

Classics (Pursuit A – 13 boats)

1. Seneca, P Class, David Creighton, Chester, NS
2. Vagrant, Morgan 366, Grant Gordon, Dartmouth, NS
3. Macintosh, Custom, Durk Steigenga, Blandford, NS

(Pursuit B – 7 boats)

1. Terpsichore, S&S 34, Bill Haliburton, Halifax, NS
2. To’mater 3, C&C, Warren Webber, Bridgewater, NS
3. Rondo, Folkboat, Dayna Nelder, Mahone Bay, NS

NS A 1 (PHRF-ToT — 12 boats)

1. Rampage, Farr 395, Graham Roy, Halifax, NS
2. Barchetta, ID35, Steve Davies, Halifax, NS
3. Jane, J120, Andrew Childs, Halifax, NS

NS A 2 (PHRF-ToT — 7 boats)

1. DogParty, J/100, Terry McKenna, Charlottetown, PEI
2. Crows, J/100, Paul Rafuse, Halifax, NS
3. Young Blood, J/100, Larry Creaser, Chester, NS

Bravo Racing NS B 1 (PHRF-ToT — 13 boats)

1. Fourplay, Melges 24, Justin Bean, Head of St. Margaret’s Bay, NS
2. Scotch Mist IV, Chris MacDonald, Halifax, NS
3. Pooh Sticks, Colin Mann, Halifax, NS

Bravo Racing NS B 2 (PHRF-ToT — 7 boats)

1. Apres Ski, Laser 28, Tony Thompson, Bedford, NS
2. Just Add Water, J30, Jesleine Baker, Halifax, NS
3. Dark Water, C&C 33, Donald K. Walker, Dartmouth, NS

Bravo Racing NS B 3 (PHRF-ToT — 7 boats)

1. Good Friday, C&C 32, Chris Davison, Bedford, NS
2. Flashdance, C&C 27, Donald Gass, Boutilier’s Point, NS
3. Enchantress, C&C 25, Blair Taylor, Windsor, NS

One Design Division – J70 Championship – 9 boats)

1. Great White, Mitchell Horn, Chester, NS
2. Lifted, Frederico Donzino, J70, Mississauga, ON
3. Joyridin’, Graeme Carr, J70, Charlottetown, PEI

One Design Division – IOD – 3 boats)

1. Storm, Peter Wickwire, IOD, Halifax, NS
2. Coachman, Dave Mosher, IOD, Chester, NS
3. Restless, Ted Murphy, IOD, Mahone Bay, NS

J-105 (One-Design — 8 boats)

1. McMac Sean McDermott/Rory Macdonald, Darmouth, NS
2. Auster II, Rob Merchant, Halifax NS
3. Bear, Evan Oulahen, Bedford, NS

Sonar (One-Design — 7 boats)

1. Ping, Sonar, Andreas Josenhans, Lunenburg, NS
2. Barbarian, Rob Barbara, Lunenburg, NS
3. Echo, John Franklin, Chico, CA

Farr 30 (One-Design — 7 boats)

1. Headfirst 3, Farr 30, Peter Toombs, Charlottetown, PEI
2. Goose, Farr 30, Ben Maloney, Bedford, NS
3. One More Time, Farr 30, Rob Gale, Halifax, NS

Full details here