(Toronto, ONT, Canada)- For the first time ever at the Pan Am Games,
sailing enthusiasts can watch internationally acclaimed Olympic caliber
sailors compete for medals along a downtown city’s waterfront, making
for some of the most exciting lakeside action of the summer— and all for
free!The Royal Canadian Yacht Club is the host venue for the sailors and sailing operations at the Games while the sailing competitions take place on an ever-moving field of play on Lake Ontario. Spectators may watch at their favorite lakefront vantage points throughout the week.
On July 18 and 19, after six days of intense competition, the highly anticipated sailing finals will take place in the inner harbour and will be visible from one of downtown Toronto’s most popular urban beaches — Sugar Beach. Set against Toronto’s skyline, spectators will watch as 148 of the world’s best sailors vie for medals in windsurfers, dinghies, catamarans and keelboats. Sugar Beach’s waterfront location will also host the Medal Ceremonies for sailing on both days.
From July 12 to 17, starting at 11:30 a.m., sailing preliminaries are taking place in Toronto Harbour and Lake Ontario on several different race courses. For these six days, there will be no designated spectator seating areas, and spectators are encouraged to find their own position to watch the sport from their favorite place on the waterfront or Toronto Island.
The Pan American Games are the world’s third largest international multi-sport Games, only surpassed in size and scope by the Olympic Summer Games and the Asian Games. First held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951, this is the third time that Canada has been the host. The 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto on July 12-19 includes 10 sailing events on Lake Ontario.
Racing update:
After light winds only permitted one race in all events on July 13th, slightly better conditions allowed for either two or three races to be completed on the following day. With six countries competing in the J/24 class, anything goes at this stage as the racing is so close. In fact, after another light air day for day three of the competition, the Argentineans are in the lead with their crew of Matias Pereira, Guillermo Bellinotto, Federico Ambrus and Juan Pereyra. In second is the Canadian Olympian and World Champion, Terry McLaughlin, with his crew of Sandy Andrews, David Ogden and David Jarvis. Currently lying third is the Mexican team of Ken Porter, Gerrit Gentry, Daniel Banos and Pam Noriega.
With the double-counting races in the finale, this entire group could get upset since you cannot count out the Chilean team led by Matias Seguel, nor the Peruvians skippered by Luis Olcese, nor the Brazilians with helm of John Spear. For more J/24 Pan Am Games sailing information
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