CANMORE – A master of navigating vast blue oceans, Canmore skipper Matt Stokes is being honoured for swiftly and efficiently cutting through the Atlantic Ocean during a classic multi-day race.
Stokes won the 2022 Hal Davies Nova Scotia Offshore Sailor of the Year award after the captain and his crew aboard the Blue Jay finished the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race as the fastest Canucks.
“The race couldn’t have gone any better,” said Stokes. “I do it for adventure and the challenge of it. It is quite an honour to receive this award … Nova Scotia has a seafaring tradition, especially offshore, so it feels nice.”
A native of Nova Scotia, Stokes and approximately 220 other crews set sail on June 17 in the largest and oldest ocean race in North America that goes 1,020 kilometres from Rhode Island, USA, to the tropical island of Bermuda.
The Blue Jay, competing in Class 15, spent more than 80 hours on the bumpy and windy Atlantic and arrived in Bermuda on June 20 in third place. Less than 15 minutes separated first and third in the tight competition.
“The class win was there for us and just in the last couple miles we just ended up on the wrong side of the wind shift,” Stokes said.
For the race, the skipper put together an experienced crew of former national team sailors consisting of Andrew Childs, Peter Sargeant, Craig Noakes, James Luther, Kevin MacDonald, Todd Rutter, and Hugh Goodday.
Blue Jay was manned around the clock in four-hour shifts between four people as they sailed southeast to warmer conditions. Although, at times, all eight members were needed on deck to keep the 43-foot vessel on course and to prevent tragedy.
Stokes reported eight-foot high waves crashing down and a forceful 20 knots of wind (37 km/h) pushing sailors about once the Blue Jay entered the Gulf Stream, a strong current where safety and strategy are emphasized by all racers.
“Some boats found the conditions to be really challenging – we had really strong winds – but the crew I sailed with, we have a lot of experience in heavier conditions and we loved it. So it kind of played into our hands,” said Stokes.
During the race, a sailor of another boat fell overboard in strong winds and died. He was later identified as Colin Golder of New Providence, N.J., the captain of the yacht Morgan of Marietta, a 42-foot sloop.
Stokes said the tragedy occurred about 12 hours behind the Blue Jay, noting it is a rare occurrence.
Despite a looming presence of danger, this type of race is a passion for life-long sailor Stokes. It’s the same kind of passion/risk balance many in the Bow Valley undertake when mountaineering in avalanche country, for example.
The Blue Jay crew will also nominate their skip for the Sail Canada National Offshore Sailor of the Year award, which will be announced in early 2023.
“Part of these awards is promoting Canadian sailing on the world stage and that’s what we’ve done with this boat,” said Stokes.
