Kingston, October 9, 2024 – Sail Canada announced today that the Femina Cup has won Sail Canada’s Recreation Event of the Year Award for 2023.
The Recreation Event Award recognizes a club, an organization, an individual or a group, which is Canadian-based and affiliated with Sail Canada, that has contributed to the promotion of recreational sailing in Canada.
In order to be eligible for the award, clubs or associations must be members in good standing with Sail Canada.
Nominations were evaluated based on a time period ranging from January 1 to December 31, 2023.
Every year since 2014, the Femina Cup has brought together women with a passion for sailing in an event where they not only compete on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, but where they will also be in an environment that propels female leadership as well as the values of determination, team spirit, endurance, achievement and self-esteem.
The 2023 edition, which was held from July 6 to 9, brought together 175 women between the ages of 15 and 68 on 35 sailboats. The event also included some 50 volunteers who also ran the Femina Cup race, the FEMINA Challenge, the Femina Relève youth program, as well as the FEMINA Ocean Challenge, which included an entirely female crew that subsequently took part in the 2024 Transat Québec-Saint-Malo event. Training sessions were also organized, including a virtual conference with offshore sailing athletes Marie Tabarly and Justine Mettraux.
This is the second time the regatta has earned this award, having also received it in 2019.
“I am particularly proud of this recognition, which celebrates the commitment, audacity and passion that drive the Coupe Femina in promoting women’s sailing, women’s place in sport and female leadership,” said the president of the Femina Cup organizing committee, Michelle Cantin. “On behalf of the entire Femina Cup family, thank you!
From the nomination form: “The Femina Cup is more than just a regatta. It’s an experience that embodies accomplishment, surpassing oneself and solidarity. It’s also a meeting of dedicated men and women, working together for its success. The Femina Cup embodies resilience, perseverance and female leadership. As for the FEMINA Relève youth program, it deserves special recognition for its role in introducing girls to sailing and teaching them essential values for overcoming challenges.”
Additional information on the Recreation Event of the Year Award is available at https://www.sailing.ca/recreation-event-award-past-winners/.
About Sail Canada
Established in 1931, Sail Canada is the national governing body for the sport of sailing in the country. Sail Canada is a leading international sailing nation, proud of its world class athletes, lifelong participants and inclusive culture. The organization and its members are committed to excellence by developing and training its leaders, athletes, sailors, instructors, coaches and officials. With the valued support from our partners, the Provincial Sailing Associations and our member clubs, schools, organizations and stakeholders, sailing is promoted in all its forms. By setting standards and delivering programs from home pond to podium for Canadians of all ages and abilities, from dinghies to keelboats, cruising to navigation, windsurfing to powerboating and accessible sailing, Sail Canada sets sail for all, sail to win and sail for life.
A sport in the Olympic program since the first Games in 1896, except in 1904, the pursuit of success in these Games is what fuels the focus of Sail Canada as Canadian athletes have so far achieved nine Olympic and five Paralympic medals.
