Aylmer Marina
---Provincial regatta races through Ottawa River
On October 2 and 3, 94 sailors from the region and beyond convened at the Aylmer Marina to compete in an annual provincial regatta on the Ottawa River called the Festivoile.
Organized by the Centre de Voile Grande-Rivière (CVGR) in partnership with Voile Québec with support from the city of Gatineau, the annual provincial competition served as a qualification round for the upcoming Canada Games taking place next August in Niagara, Ont. Stating that the event has been taking place on and off for more than 40 years, and at the Aylmer Marina for the last decade, CVGR Director and Head Coach Hugo Morin told the Aylmer Bulletin that he was thrilled to receive a record number of participants for the competition.
Featuring a variety of events for three different sailing classes – Laser (competitive masculine and Canada Games qualifier), Radial/4.7 (widest category featuring top three U-16 and U-19 female participants), and optimistic (7 to 15-year-old recreational category) – during both days, the competition saw each participant partake in seven different races over a two-lap sausage shaped loop on the Ottawa River.
Noting that the event is largely dedicated to the youth and to highlight local athletes, Morin stated that most participants were aged between 8 and 21, with one 35-year-old sailor participating as well. Morin also highlighted CVGR team sailors Liam Gill (third place in the optimist blue category) and Michael Bouchard-Green (first place in the Radial U-16 category) for their impressive performances. Reminding that the Festivoile and the Canada Games got postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19, Morin explained that the events are very beneficial for the development of young athletes from the province and important for promoting the sport of sailing to the population.
“Competitions play an important role,” Morin said, noting that he’s been with the CVGR for nine years and has been sailing for 17 years. “It gives a purpose to our season, and people in the community see the possibility of having competitions across Quebec.”
“A competition is like the culmination of everything, he added, also thanking CVGR assistant-director Marine Poirier-Defoy for helping make the event possible. “It’s an initiation of kids. It’s kids who develop, who learn how to sail, and who develop a passion, and follow that into competition and get to perform in front of their parents and in front of their family in Gatineau. I find it very gratifying for them … it’s always very fun and very motivating for the kids.”
As the fifth and final competition of the season, he clarified that the Festivoile is one of numerous competitions in a province-wide circuit called the Quebec Circuit intended for athletes to qualify for the Canada Games.
Drawing the best local athletes and people from across the province and Ontario to visit the region, socialize, and participate in the races, Morin said the Festivoile is the CVGR’s most significant annual sailing competition. “It’s great because everyone is friendly,” Morin said, also emphasizing the need to popularize the sport for young girls. “But on the water, it gets very competitive … sailing takes a lot of resilience and organization. The kids worked hard last weekend because the conditions weren’t easy since it rained all weekend. They were cold but they pushed themselves all the way. It will make them very resilient people in life and it’s very pertinent for their development in that regard. My dream is to see them running events in the future when I’m longer there and continue the tradition of sharing passion with passion.” He added that the newly-built Robert-Middlemiss Pavilon at the Marina has also been crucially positive for the CVGR’s activities and to help revitalize Parc des Cèdres during the pandemic. “I’m very proud to say that we are making full use of this building,” Moring said, stating that the sailing season goes from April to November.
