FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 13, 2015

Vancouver’s Eric Holden and O Canada announce participation in WVYC Southern Straits Race:
April 2-5, 2015

West Vancouver, British Columbia –

As it has for almost half a century, the Easter weekend will see one of the largest events for Pacific Northwest sailing. More than 700 sailors aboard more than 100 boats are expected to compete in the West Vancouver Yacht Club’s Annual Southern Straits Yacht Race, which will test their sailing skills in an overnight distance race around the Georgia Strait.

Now in its 47th year and offering four different course length options, Southern Straits provides a weekend of sailing to suit every experience. This challenging event is a qualifying race for the 2015 VanIsle 360 (around Vancouver Island) and the 2016 Vic-Maui International Yacht Race.

This year “Straits” is thrilled to welcome 2014 Rolex Sailor of the Year Eric Holden to the Start Line as Canadian Ocean Racing (COR) begins their Launch Tour of O Canada (formally Spirit of Canada) from the West to East Coast of Canada. The culmination of the Launch Tour will be at Toronto’s Pan Am Games in July 2015, after which COR will begin Canada’s IMOCA Open 60 challenge with the Transat Jacques Vabre in November 2015. Ultimately, Canadian Ocean Racing will be supporting Holden in his first Vendée Globe campaign for the 2016 race. Holden’s entry into the Vendée Globe will make him only the third Canadian to compete in the world-renowned race.

Canadian Ocean Racing was founded by Eric Holden (Vancouver, 35) and Morgen Watson (Calgary, 25) to promote the sport of offshore sailing and to develop Canada’s premier offshore racing programme. COR is not just a racing team, but a programme to offer aspiring sailors access, opportunity and mentorship in the highly competitive Open 60 class racing.

The 47th Annual Southern Straits Race begins at 10:30am on Friday, April 3rd 2015. Everyone is welcome to view the start of the Race from Dundarave Pier in West Vancouver.

For more information, please visit www.southernstraits.ca and www.canadianoceanracing.com

For More Southern Straits Race Information Contact:
Sonia Telford
Race CHair
West Vancouver Yacht Club
(604) 921-7575
[email protected]

For More COR Information Contact:
Meg Reilly
PR & Partnerships Manager
[email protected]
www.canadianoceanracing.com
@oceanracers