2005 Canadian Windsurfing Championships

 Hosted by Rendezvous Aventure

Magdalen Islands, Quebec. 

August 27th - Septembre 3rd 2005

            Martin Van Geenhoven repeated his 1997 and 2000 Men`s Canadian Champion windsurfing victory by winning the best overall in three disciplines: sweeping the Freestyle and Slalom and placing 2nd in Formula after compatriot Alain Bolduc. Martin, a professional freestyle artist, was joined on the awards podium by North Vancouver`s Nikola Girke, winner of the Women`s title – her fifth title since 1999 – in a narrow victory over the petite Québécoise Dominique Vallée, who narrowly won women`s Formula but was edged out in Slalom and high-wind Freestyle action.  Martin Van Geenhoven as mentioned won the W.C. Artistic Championship once again, his fourth victory in this discipline since 1999.

            Final results appear below. Some 22 raced in Formula, over 40 in Slalom and 30 in Freestyle. Unlike most regattas, the days before racing were not epic. Sunday August 28 brought us warm South-west 15-knot winds building to 20 before dropping off to 10, providing arriving competitors and a crowd of vacationing windsurfers alike with nice mellow conditions to warm up and stretch those planing muscles, before event registration at the archipelago`s newest microbrewery, l`Abri de la Tempête (the tasty storm-shelter pub.) 

            Monday August 29 brought 10-12 knots powering three gentle Formula races on the stunning ocean Baie de Pleasance (the last was cancelled due to being too gentle.) It was a great shakeout series for both Race Committee headed by Irene McNeill, and the racers anxious to try out their biggest sails and test their shift- and gust-seeking skills. The next day Tuesday August 30 was the real test day for Formula: south winds 12 to 18 knots powered 6 great races on la Baie after an early start, with a small crowd on the wide sandy beach taking in the exciting action to the windward mark in the morning, then the finish line in the afternoon. Very fast action too, with races more like 14-minute double-loop sprints!

            Wednesday was a lay day, 8 knots teasing sailors and competitors alike; most going touring, exploring the Islands` endless dunes and long-lost wrecks, hiking the miniature hilly forests and salving their souls looking out at the fathomless blue sea and picturesque paysage – green meadows studded with multicolored homes perched on  cliffs and shores.     

            Wham! Thursday September 1 saw the effects of Hurricane Katrina arrive, devastating for the southern US but warm and liberating on Les Iles – starting off at 22 knots gusting 30 and building to 26 gusting 35 with chop and small waves on la Baie! Event manager Eric Girard, a pro at exploiting this stuff, set up a double-elimination Freestyle competition of 18 heats for Gold and Silver sailors. Many of the 4-minute heats started off with multiple loops followed by high jumps, ``Spocks`` and all manner of maneuvers, not to mention spectacular wipeouts – each of which sent cheers and groans from the 60 spectators lining the beach.  

            The three expert judges studied the moves of 6 then 4 competitors in each heat as they progressed to the finals with the best of the crop putting on a great display. Irene McNeill`s family crew of two daughters on the flags and husband Neil at the whistle toiled non-stop for almost 3 hours as sailors pulled out all the tricks they knew and invented a few more. This had to be one of the very best ``Canadians`` freestyle sessions ever.

            Friday September 2 gave us a respite, with two low-wind Slalom races in SW 10 to 15 knots (the discipline minimum being 11 knots) back on the lagoon. The Silver (amateur) fleet successfully made the most of the conditions in two heats, each one a 15-minute mini-marathon ``Classic`` format. Another Gold fleet 15-minute heat was protested due to three sailors not being able to finish the race (it was later re-instated as the other 15 racers protested that they had managed to finish on a plane.)         

By Saturday September 3 the wind had shifted to the West at a solid 15 to 20 knots all day producing 3 fully powered Gold fleet Slalom races of 15 minutes each (with top finishers carving more than 70 gybes to win!)  Quite a sight with a dozen hungry sailors blazing down the long Figure-8 course, back and forth continuously – another great innovation from Race Chairman Eric Girard.

This high-octane slalom action ended the racing for the 2005 ``Canadians.``  A happy fleet gathered the same night for the Gold trophies and cash awards, including a rich handout of high-quality booms, masts and accessories to a dozen top Silver amateurs as well. Thanks goes to major event sponsors from the governments of Canada and Quebec, les Caisses populaires Desjardins, the ferry lines C.T.M.A., Telbec and Tourisme Iles-de-la-Madeleine as well as prizes from Sailworks, Da Kine, Chinook, Neil Pryde, Thule, Windsport, Voile Direct Libre, 30 Noeuds, Trident, Tim Hortons, Rip Curl and many other local and international non-sport contributors.

The Awards ceremony heard praise for RC Chair Irene McNeill and family, and for senior CYA judge Mel Preston and judge Helen Howard-Lock. Event Manager Marc Boucher welcomed sailors from across Canada back next year to La Coupe des Iles and another ``Canadians`` in a few years – this brilliant idea being echoed by Windsurfing Canada official John Darling who extolled the event`s unique wind and weather conditions and its remarkable and in-depth organization, one of the most impressive in windsurfing in North America (Rendezvous Aventure is going on to host a world kiting event in the next week and finally an ocean kayaking event during the second week of September).

Partial Results

            OVERALL CANADIAN CHAMPION MAN (best overall in 3 disciplines): Martin Van Geenhoven

            OVERALL CANADIAN CHAMPION WOMAN (best overall in 3 disciplines): Nikola Girke

            OVERALL SILVER CHAMPION (best overall in 3 disciplines): Guillaume Pichon

Formula Gold

Men: 1) Alain Bolduc 2) Martin Van Geenhoven, 3) Anil Rajani, 4) Mike Hayes, 5) Ian Matthews

Women: 1)       Dominique Vallée, 2) Nikola Girke

            Formula Silver

            Men:  1) Kuba Soltysiak, 2) Guillaume Pichon, 3) Jacques Van Geenhoven

            Women: 1) Andrée Gauthier

            Slalom Gold

            Men:  1)Martin Van Geenhoven, 2) Anil Rajani, 3) Eric Troostheide, 4) Alain Bolduc, 5) Michael Hayes

            Women: 1) Nikola Girke, 2) Dominique Vallée

            Slalom Silver

            Men:  1)Michel Rioux, 2) Eric Boisvert, 3) Kuba Soltysiak;

            Masters:  1) Normand Peterson, 2) Jean Gagnon, 3) Denis Roy;

            Grand-Masters: 1) Jacques Van Geenhoven, 2) Eddy Duchesneau, 3) Marc Monroe;

            Women: 1) Andrée Gauthier, 2) Nicole Girard, 3) Helene Cavalli

            Youth:  1) Phil Soltysiak, 2) Vincent Tremblay, 3) Gabriel Tremblay

            FREESTYLE Gold

            Men: 1) Martin Van Geenhoven, 2) Eric Troostheide, 3) Patrick Bergeron, 4) Anil Rajani, 5) Louis-Philippe Généreux

            Women:  1) Nikola Girke, 2) Dominique Vallée 

Freestyle Silver

Men:  1) Luc Prescott, 2) Eric Boisvert

Women:  1) Hélène Cavalli, 2) Nicole Girard

Youth:  1) Vincent Tremblay, 2) Guillaume Pichon, 3) Gabriel Tremblay