Sarah Douglas to lead a 10-strong Canadian team at ILCA 6 and 7 European Championships

Sarah Douglas the top Canadian at the 2022 ILCA 6 Women's World Championships © Sail Canada

Ten sailors will represent Canada at the 2022 EurILCA Senior European Championships, to be held November 16-21 in Hyères, France, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Sarah Douglas from Toronto.

Douglas will compete in the ILCA 6 class along with Sail Canada Development Squad member Maura Dewey from Victoria, B.C.

"I'm back in Hyères, France, to compete at the European Championships," said Sarah Douglas, who took 5th place last April at the French Olympic Week competition held in Hyères. "It's the final regatta of the year after a very long season which began in April. I'm hoping to finish off the season on a high note.

"After this, I'll be taking the remainder of the year off to rest and reflect so I can come back and start the new year fresh."

On the men's side in the ILCA 7 competition, Canada will be represented by eight sailors, including Sail Canada Development Squad members Ryan Anderson from Halifax, N.S., James Juhasz from Oakville, ON, Fillah Karim from Vancouver, Luke Ruitenberg from St. Margarets Bay, N.S., and Forrest Wachholz from Innisfil, ON, as well as Norman Struthers from Toronto, Ben Flower from Tobermory, ON, and Daniel Connors from Bedford, N.S.

"In 2022, we have had an unusual year with a very early peak coming with the World Championships back in May, and then not all that much racing since that point," pointed out Fillah Karim, who was the top Canadian at the 2022 ILCA 7 Men's World Championship in May with a 43rd-place finish.

"I was supposed to race at the 2023 World Championships test event back in September, but that event ended up being cancelled due to the extreme conditions. This upcoming European Championship in Hyères is going to be an especially exciting event because it will be an opportunity to test all of the progress that has been made since May."

"The last regatta I sailed in Hyères in the springtime was also my career best performance, so I'm looking to build on that momentum here," added Karim, who took the 28th spot at the French Olympic Week competition in April.

Sail Canada's website: www.sailing.ca