2011 Shark World Championship coming to Montreal

Picture: Euro champs as seen on Shark website currently.

Montreal sailing will witness some exceptional sailing with the Shark World Championship coming to Montreal in 2011. The Shark World's is typically 50+ boats with a large number of very high calibre talent competing for the podium. The regatta has been awarded to the Beaconsfield Yacht Club who will host the full week of racing June 11th - June 17th, 2011.

The Shark Class is probably the largest one design racing keelboat association in the central Canada region of Quebec and Ontario. Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, and the greater Toronta area have large fleets. It is an international class with "Classic Yacht" recognition from ISAF. With over a dozen regattas to choose from, mostly in Ontario, within an easy day's drive, an annual Shark OD regatta in Montreal, and a lot of Sharks in the local racing scene, this is one of the core classes of Montreal sailing. Montreal Shark sailors like the crews with Jin Frati and Paul Baehr are pretty busy road warriors through the summer season.

The 2009 World Championship will be held in Niagara on the Lake (the home of the first Shark 24) and the 2010 world championship will be held on Lake Constance, Switzerland.

This summer should be a good year of preparation and good racing as sailors get their game on for the big racing to come. One of the advantages of the Shark is that sailors who want high competition can get in for a more economical investment than other many one design keelboats. I wouldn't be surprised to see the curent Shark fleet grow as the 2011 World Championship approaches.