This week Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) announced an extension of a long standing sponsorship agreement with Skippers’ Plan Marine Insurance.  The 2014 partnership program features title sponsorship of both the prestigious Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA) Annual Regatta and the ABYC Annual Regatta.

LYRA Annual Regatta

LYRA is an association of yacht clubs on Lake Ontario and eastern Lake Erie founded in 1884 to promote yacht racing among member clubs. Each year a member club hosts the celebrated LYRA Annual Regatta. In 2014, ABYC is hosting the 130th edition of this regatta from July 26 – August 3, 2014 and includes racing in a variety of formats including long distance races that will require the crews to sail through the night without making landfall.

“Yacht racers look forward to the annual LYRA Regatta”, explains Roger van Vlack, the Regatta Chair, “and it is traditionally one of the best attended events of the sailing season.  Sailors come from all over the lakes to enjoy a high level of competition. With the support of Skippers’ Plan, this year’s LYRA regatta will be one to remember with top notch race management and organization on the water accompanied by welcoming shore side hospitality that ABYC has become known for.”

“We are committed to improving the sailing experience at events like LYRA all across Canada” said Andrew Robertson of Skippers’ Plan Insurance.  “Financial support is one way we achieve this goal but my staff and I are also volunteering our time to help make this historic regatta a success.   I look forward to seeing everyone on the water and being part of a revitalized LYRA Regatta at ABYC.      

LYRA 2014 will feature two major championships; the IRC North American Championship and the PHRF Lake Ontario Championship. Both IRC and PHRF are systems of handicapping sailboats of different makes and models for the purpose of racing. The regatta will also include a number of one-design classes competing head to head in boats outfitted very similarly, based on stringently applied class specifications and this year the long distance Freeman Cup Races (July 26-27) will also include classes for double- and single-handed crews. Overall, the event will attract a wide range of sailors from club and weekend racers to world class racers and Olympians.

ABYC Annual Regatta

The ABYC Regatta is an annual event, sanctioned by the Lake Ontario Racing Council (LORC) and is a main stay on the Lake Ontario seasonal sailing calendar. The long running event will be held May 24-25, 2014 and is traditionally the first major inter-club sailing competition of the season and therefore carries with it an air of excitement of a new season.

ABYC has a long history of developing outstanding sailors and contributing to the sport of sailing in Ontario.  The ABYC membership includes experienced race managers, judges and officials, which gives sailors confidence in knowing the rules of competition will be applied and upheld, furthering their enjoyment of the events.

About Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club   Established in 1932, Ashbridge’s Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) is a private sailing club located in Ashbridge’s Bay on Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario.  The club’s prime objective is “to advance the sport of sailing in all its branches”.  Today ABYC has a very active racing and cruising fleet as well as an excellent sailing school program for children and adults.  
 
About Skippers’ Plan Marine Insurance   Skippers’ Plan has been meeting the insurance needs of Canadian boaters for over 60 years offering customized coverage for all types of pleasure craft.  They are the leading supporter of sailing events in Canada and the exclusive insurance broker for Sail Canada and the national sailing team.   Skippers’ Plan is owned and operated by The CG&B Group Inc., a full-service insurance brokerage offering all lines of personal and commercial insurance.