At this year’s 47th Annual Southern Straits Race hosted by West Vancouver Yacht Club, Canada’s newest offshore racing program had it’s premiere race to kick off the team’s North American Launch Tour. Rolex Sailor of the Year, Eric Holden, skippered the iconic O Canada Open 60 for a successful debut of Canadian Ocean Racing’s team.
O Canada crew for the Southern Straits Race included Launch Tour crew members Morgen Watson and Sandy Macpherson. Guest crew members included Richard James, Zachary Plasvic and Andrew Costa, while the team’s media producer, Tristan Perry, documented the monumental re-entry into the racing scene for O Canada.
Richard James provided a wealth of racing insights for the team, crewing many Sydney to Hobart races and smashing records on maxi catamaran Playstation. Zachary Plasvic RS:X Class Canadian Olympic sailor made a return to O Canada, having sailed her back in 2010 during her campaign in New Zealand.
“It was awesome having Richard and Zac as part of our crew for the Southern Straits Race. As a windsurfer, Zac was always pointing out puffs and wind shifts, while Richard added expertise in big boat handling. Both are great guys, so we all had a fun time figuring out O Canada’s sweet spots together,” said Morgen Watson, Operations Manager and Crew for Canadian Ocean Racing.
Andrew Costa, hovercraft pilot for Vancouver-area Coast Guard, has been helping the Canadian Ocean Racing team throughout the refit process and was excited to be part of the team’s debut race.
“My first Southern Straits was with Eric about 13 years ago, and I’m happy to be on his new ride,” Costa said on the Thursday training sail before the race.
The Southern Straits Race lasted just over a day for the team, with O Canada returning to the start/finish line early Saturday afternoon. While O Canada just participated in the exhibition class for the race, it was a great milestone for the team and program after a long month working hard on her refit. Watch the livestream footage from race start here.
