Olympic Finn sailor Greg Douglas had the opportunity to shake hands with some prominent figures in Toronto last Friday. Mayor Rob Ford and PASO President Mario Vázquez Raña met at Toronto City Hall today to discuss the upcoming XVII Pan American Games taking place in 2015. Douglas was on hand to offer his support and enthusiasm for a Major Games event taking place in his own backyard. "This is a great opportunity for Canadian athletes to showcase their talent in their home country. Home court advantage is always motivational."

CST alumni and meteorologist Eric Holden (pictured second from the left) has been selected to join the 'Dynamic Dozen' on a race around the world, the Clipper 13-14 Yacht Race. The group of twelve, who went through a rigorous selection process over months, were selected from hundreds of candidates to take on the challenge of leading twelve amateur crews on the adventure of a lifetime.

They will also be the first to race on the new fleet of Clipper 70 yachts. Eric Holden says "This will no doubt be a gruelling 18 months and will be testing in every way imaginable. To have the support of such great friends will be a huge boost when things get tough." Eric is not a stranger to the Clipper race as his sister took part in the gruelling adventure back in 1999.

Canadian Sailing Team members Danielle Boyd and Erin Rafuse stopped into the Sail Canada office today, giving us the chance to catch up with the girls on their progress in the new 49er FX; the new Olympic skiff, similar to the 49er but designed for women.

Fresh off the Highway from Florida (boat on the roof and all) the girls are excited about their new rig. They've been logging lots of hours in the FX since the beginning of February. 2012 North American 49er champ Daniel Inkpen worked with the girls to get them accustomed to the boat.