Sunday saw the first sailboat race of the season in Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club’s annual April Furlined Series.
Levi Harper’s Shark-class boat, Rampant, finished the Niagara River course in 36 minutes 38 seconds, outpacing his seven rivals.
Harper claimed first place ahead of Richard Hinterhoeller’s Runaway (39:22) and James Gardner’s Frost Bite (39:31).
Jens Gemmrich’s Blue Yonder trailed at 49:22, the lone Aloha 28-class boat in a fleet of Shark-class boats designed by the world-renowned late NOTL shipbuilder, George Hinterhoeller.
Concerns about Canada-U.S. relations were raised during the series, as for most races, the Sailing Club conducts use markers in U.S. waters near Lake Ontario’s entrance, near Old Fort Niagara.
“This is a different year. So we just have to make sure that everything is fine when we anchor over in the U.S. waters,” said club administrator Barb Wells.
“We’re not sure what they’re going to do this year.”
Race officer Doug Bullock confirmed there has been ongoing co-ordination with American counterparts during these tensions and noted no formal challenges.
“We’ve been talking through the winter and no one’s too worried. Everybody thinks they’ll be racing as usual,” said Bullock.
Bullock called the event “a great way to start the season” despite light participation compared to typical 25-30 boat turnouts. Bullock volunteers at the Sailing Club to address the race committee’s staffing shortages.
Sunday’s one-hour race employed a windward-leeward course near Navy Hall, testing sailors in 9 C temperatures with light northwest winds.
The Shark-class boat designed by Hinterhoeller, father of second-place finisher Richard, has remained central to NOTL’s sailing culture since its 1959 debut.
Results and fundraiser details for upcoming races are available at niagaraonthelakesailingclub.com.
