Yet again there is another historical tie to the Canada Summer Games on now in  Niagara-on-the-Lake. The sailing competitions are happening this week out of the NOTL Sailing Club. Austrian-born boatbuilder George Hinterhoeller enjoyed designing and building small sailboats in his backyard during his spare time. In partnership with Gordon Brinsmead, in 1959 Hinterhoeller Ltd. was created. George’s work on Y Flyers jumpstarted the business with 42 commissioned after his Y Flyer won the Canadian championship. The company prospered with the production of the Shark-class sailboat, pictured here. The Shark, now famous around the world, was originally built of wood but with the advent of fibreglass, this sailboat became affordable and helped change the culture of sailing in NOTL. It was built specifically for Lake Ontario and was considered a family boat that was still capable of racing. Now, anyone could enjoy sailing. With Hinterhoeller’s influence sailing became one of the most popular pastimes in our community and the NOTL Sailing Club was formed in 1964. Hinterhoeller was the club’s first commodore.