More delays on Portland Harbour today however race committees were successful in squeezing in 2 races in light winds for both the 2.4mR and Skud while the Sonars managed to sail only one race today.

Paul "The Gambler" Tingley played hard today with two 2nd place finishes on the day moving him up to 4th overall. Tingley was the most consisten sailor bringing a ten point gap between him and third place (NED) to only four points. Paul was showing strength and determination on the course today coming within 2 seconds of winning the first race but lost out at the finish line to Brit Helena Lucas.

The weather in Weymouth was actually like summer today, but that came with a cost to racing, lighter winds and more variable in direction. After the sailors were postponed on shore for a few hours, the seabreeze began to materialize and the racers were sent out at about 12:10PM. They got 2 races in, with winds between 5 and 7kts initially coming from 240 then a right shift to 210, during the second race.

All three Canadian boats had some struggles on the water today. There were start issues for John McRoberts and Stacie Louttit with an OCS in the first race and a 4 in the second. They had some good speed going in the second race but an altercation at the final mark and a subsequent 360 cost them a better result they are glued to 4th place at the moment.

Day 2 of the Paralympic Games brought some ups and downs for the Canadian team. The wind in Weymouth was coming from 250-260 (avg) on the compass and ranged between 10- 14 kts on the courses.

Paul Tingley had an excellent first race in the 2.4 rounding the first mark in 6th then working through the fleet to finish 2nd, in a very close race with NED, only a few feet of seperation at the finish line. The second race was a tough one for Paul he came off the start but was not able to get enough clear air to get up to full speed, he finished 10th in race 4.

80 sailors across 3 Paralympic classes took to the waters on Portland harbour today. The first 2 races of an 11 race series are on the scoresheet now. Canadian sailors had their ups and downs on the course today. In the Skud 18, John McRoberts and Stacie Louttit had a good start to their regatta, finishing 4th followed by 3rd to sit in 3rd place overall. McRoberts felt his speed was comparable with the two boats ahead (GBR & AUS) but he had to do a fair bit of catching up due to conservative starts. Paul Tingley had a 6 and 7 in the 2.4mR today and had to spend some time dealing with a protest (which he won) where he was fouled at the start of the second race and had to work back from fairly deep in the fleet.

Over the past few days the Canadian Paralympic Sailing team has had training, measuring, opening ceremonies and now a practice race under their belts. Tomorrow the show really begins. It has been a very busy week and year for sure but the preparation is now done!

There were a variety of conditions for practice racing with the SKUD and 2.4's sailing in the morning race. Winds ranged from very light, 3 kts up to 8-10kts with 90 degrees of compass change. The team looked strong on the water today helping them get rid of the jitters before tomorrow.

Tonight there was a torch lighting ceremony here at the Paralympic sailing venue and like most days, the weather is very cool so maybe the torch will help to warm things up a bit!

The Canadian Yachting Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Cook to the new position of Development Team Manager.
Chris is a high performing Finn sailor who finished 5^th in the 2008 Olympic Games and had numerous , podium finishes at International and North American based championships including a recent Bronze Medal finish at the World Cup Event in Palma in 2012. Chris was on target to compete in his 2^nd games this year until struck by illness in the final trial. His immediate support for his fellow Finn sailor, Greg Douglas, who benefitted most from Chris’s withdrawal, was a display of his high quality sportsmanship.