2022 LATE SUMMER TRAINING BLOCK

I have just completed the first of two blocks of training with the entire Canadian ILCA 7 Team and new coach in Halifax. This was a great opportunity to fold back in with the rest of my Canadian teammates. I am excited to be working with Andrew and appreciate what he brings to this group, including his growth mindset, technical knowledge, and recent racing experience. The relationship between athlete and coach is an important one, and I'm pleased to be working with someone who brings so much and has such a strong commitment to the group's success.

If you'd like to get to know Andrew you can read the interview he did with Sail Canada here.

2021 CORK OLYMPIC CLASSES REGATTA & SAIL CANADA SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

CORK is back to normal after a year off!

From August 14 - 17, CORK Olympic Classes Regatta (OCR) took place with the ILCA 6 (Radials), ILCA 7 (Lasers), and Kiteboards. With the 49ers and 49erFXs competing the following week. We had four days of scheduled racing, with ten races to be sailed. Like the first day at Canadians, the first day of OCR brought a good breeze and three races, another big day fitness-wise. The following three days were lighter, and we did not get any racing in on day three because of no wind.

I didn’t have my best showing, getting penalized with multiple flags by the jury for pumping infractions, including one upwind. A career first for me! I ended up a disappointing 3rd overall.

Congratulations to Luke Ruitenberg (1st) -center and Forrest Waccholz (2nd) - right.

I flew to Europe the day after and am excited to join my new coach as I begin to prepare for the European and World Championships. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of the volunteers at CORK for putting on a great event as usual and to Andy Roy for coaching us.

THANK YOU!

RESULTS

2021 ILCA CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AT CORK

It was great to be sailing on home waters, and in classic Kingston conditions.

The Canadian Laser Class Championships took place this year over the July 31 - Aug. 2 long weekend. The first day of the regatta was a big one that brought a solid 15-knot gradient breeze built on by the classic Kingston thermal to a low 20-knot range from the southwest. This made for some fantastic racing and a hard day fitness-wise.

The following two days brought shifty and puffy conditions from the northeast on Sunday and north on Monday. These challenging conditions gave both myself and the race committee a difficult time, especially on Sunday. Unfortunately, I had a poor day on Sunday, which led to a second-place finish overall, 0.5 points off of first. Congratulations to Ryan Anderson on a consistent and well-sailed regatta. It was great to be on the water with 122 other sailors in Canada again and have my parents back on the water to see me race. Thanks for the photos Mum! 

Left to right: Andy Roy (ILCA World Council North America Chair), Forrest Wachholz (3rd), Ryan Anderson (1st), Liam Bruce (2nd)

RESULTS
PHOTOS

2020 SAIL CANADA FALL TRAINING CAMPS - COMOX, BC

Mild(er) weather and strong winds - ideal late fall training here in Comox, BC Canada!
PHOTO CREDIT: Coach Ken Dool

I'm writing to you all from Comox, British Columbia, where I'm currently training with Canadian Sailing Development Squad. With mild(er) weather and strong winds out on the Strait of Georgia, training here has been a blast. We've received excellent training so far with Sail Canada National Performance Coach Ken Dool. It's a long distance out to the Strait from our base at 19 Wing Comox’s HMCS Quadra and staying warm while sitting on the towline out has been crucial. Once out there, though, the huge waves (affectionately named “big greenies” by our coach) and good breeze have made it worth our while. These conditions are a rarity in Canada, and it's exciting to have found them in a place where we can comfortably sail into the late fall. I heard back home, there has already been a dusting of snow.

Wave practice!
PHOTO CREDIT: Coach Ken Dool

Training has been going very well, with some significant improvements coming in the waves with consistent practice. While the certainty of international racing taking place anywhere in the near future is slowly getting murkier, I look forward to testing the progress I’ve made towards my goals whenever we get to race again. My fitness is still improving nicely both on and off the water. The focus has been on sailing this past 3 weeks - with 5 days out of 7 on the water. Additionally I have been in the community centre gym here 2 days a week plus out for a bike ride another 2 days. Next week is a planned 'down' or easier week.

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The local scenery around Comox & Courtenay is pretty stunning.
PHOTO CREDITS: photo on R taken from water - Ken Dool, otherwise my photos.

On our two days off per week, I've taken the opportunity to explore the surrounding area both by bike and on foot. I have to admit that I haven't previously spent any time on our west coast, but my first experience has been a stunning one. Not only is this a beautiful part of our country, but the community has welcomed our sailing group with open arms and has been exceedingly kind. I can't say enough how grateful I am to everyone who has helped make this possible.

Heading upwind with fellow team mate and B.C. local Fillah Karim. Wind and waves have been great - and the mountain backdrop is nothing to complain about!
PHOTO CREDIT: Coach Ken Dool

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2019 CORK OCR / SAIL CANADA SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Getting a good start. In the center of the photo here - 215019.

I finished up the summer regatta season with a 9th place finish at CORK OCR / Sail Canada Senior Championships. I was ecstatic to be sailing back in Canada on fresh water and in reasonable temperatures. A trying 4 days saw all sorts of conditions from light to heavy winds. While I was disappointed with my finish due to my inconsistency in results I managed to have another regatta with consistently strong starts. While unsatisfied I recognize my improvement from 12th place last year and have identified more areas for improvement on my journey to the top.

I am really grateful for the support from everyone to pursue my lofty goals, especially my parents who were on the water watching and mum managed to get some great photos as always!

Keeping good company upwind. Just to leeward of me in this shot is fellow Canadian Sailing Development Squad teammate and winner of the regatta Luke Ruitenberg (214514).

Next up I’m staying in Kingston while I prepare for U21 Worlds this fall.

2019 CORK OCR RESULTS
PHOTOS

CORK OCR

I competed in my first Sail Canada Senior Championships from August 18 - 21 in the laser class. From a performance perspective I was unhappy with how I finished - 12th place overall. I opened the regatta with a 10, 4, 13, 1 on the first day leaving me in 4th place so my drop from there was tough. On the other hand I had a great regatta from a focus standpoint. I felt that I was on my game for the whole regatta even though the results don’t reflect that.

A line squall came through on the final day and when the visibility dropped the Race Committee sent us in. It was a quick if wet reach back to the harbour.  (#206038)

I’m looking forward to getting back to school this fall and putting in a strong training block before the winter regatta season. The next key event for me will be Lauderdale Yacht Club OCR in January 2019 which is the selection event for Canada’s spot at the Pan Am Games.

2018 CORK OCR RESULTS
EVENT PHOTOS

2018 LILAC REGATTA

Laser fleet start

Chilling at the coach boat with OST Coach Chris Cowan.

Another local regatta is in the books! Royal Hamilton Yacht Club was our host for the Lilac Regatta.  After no racing on Saturday due to no wind, we sailed five races in marginal hiking to light wind on Sunday. Racing was extremely close, and consistency was the name of the game. I managed to secure the win after finishing in the top 4 every race. I stayed focused on my starts and upwind technique, and this placed me consistently in a good place at the first windward and allowed me to stay in the game every race. Racing in such a small fleet has its own unique challenges but I consider it good practice for the future when I look forward to racing in some medal races.

Honoured to share the Haida Cup Award with fellow Ontario Sailing Teammate Clara Gravely.

2018 LILAC REGATTA RESULTS
REGATTA PHOTOS

2018 ICE BREAKER REGATTA

The local regatta season kicked off on the May long weekend with the Ice Breaker Regatta at Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club. We sailed for two days on Humber Bay in varying conditions. The first day brought plenty of wind from the east at around 12-17 knots and waves. I focused on my downwinds and starts in more breeze. I was happy with how I executed these and sailed very well. I sat in 2nd out of a fleet of 12 after the first day.

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The second day brought fluctuating wind strength and direction from the north-west. These unsettled conditions lead to exciting racing with such a small fleet. I fell to 4th place and one point off the podium after a difficult second day. Big thanks to everyone who braved the cold to make this regatta happen. And my mom (Elle Bruce) who was out and took some great photos!

2018 ICE BREAKER RESULTS
REGATTA PHOTOS
 

2017 LILAC REGATTA

For the second weekend in a row I raced a regatta in laser standard. This time it was at RHYC in Hamilton for the Lilac Regatta. Hamilton Harbour brought medium to light winds and on the second day, dense fog. It made for some interesting racing!

LIAM BRUCE - 2017 LILAC REGATTA from Elle Bruce on Vimeo.

Off the start and heading upwind - hopefully towards the mark.

Going into the final race I was in a 3-way tie on points for first place but a 4th saw me finish in 3rd out of 12. My consistent results showed that I can keep up with the top group and I look forward to training with them in the fall. 

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2017 LILAC REGATTA RESULTS

REGATTA PHOTOS

2017 ICEBREAKER REGATTA

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Icebreakers Regatta was held this year at TSCC on the weekend of May 20-21. Despite high water levels the organizing officials pushed ahead with the event. Local systems brought 2 days of medium to high winds in the 15 knot range out of the east. I raced this event in the laser standard to test myself against those I will be racing against from the fall onward. I placed a respectable 7th place out of 14 with consistent results in the top ten. My best finish was 3rd in the final race. I look forward to competing at this event next year.

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2017 ICEBREAKER REGATTA RESULTS

REGATTA PHOTOS

2016 CANADIAN YOUTH WORLDS TEAM TRAINING CAMP

Photo Credit: Unknown

In October I was invited to join the 2016 Canadian Youth Team for a training camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  As an alternate for the 2016 Youth Worlds Team this was a great opportunity to both train with and race against the team at the RNSYS Fall Youth Regatta. The camp took place across 5 days made up of 3 training days and 2 regatta days. During this time we received great coaching from the likes of Lisa Ross and Ken Dool.

Photo Credit: Unknown

This was my first time going to Nova Scotia and I was surprised by how cold it was. Luckily I brought all of my cold weather sailing gear (including Rooster's Pro AquaFleece Top and SuperTherm LongJohn) and thankfully it kept me nice and warm. During the course of the 5 days the conditions were mostly medium to high winds and shifty as the predominant wind direction is offshore. Having limited experience sailing in tidal locations, it was interesting to see how much the tide comes in and out each day as the launch ramp would become significantly longer. This was a great experience as I'm sure there will be more events in similar conditions on the east coast in the future like Sail Canada Youth Nationals in 2017.

Photo Credit: Unknown

A huge thanks to Agustin Ferrario for organizing the event, charters and billeting, to my host family and all at RNSYS who made us feel so welcome. I look forward to having the opportunity to sail there again soon.

2016 RNSYS FALL DINGHY REGATTA RESULTS

2016 FALL CORK

On the weekend following the Ontario Sailing Combine I participated in the annual Fall CORK event at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour in Kingston. This year there were 57 boats competing in the Laser Radial fleet.

Though sunny, the weather this year was unfavourable for sailing with extremely light and shifty winds. The race committee managed to get 3 races off in the difficult conditions. Unfortunately racing was called off on the first day just as the wind reached steady conditions after a general recall.

Light and shifty wind conditions at Fall CORK regatta frustrated the race committee and sailors alike. As seen here when the wind completely died in the middle of a starting sequence.

Light and shifty wind conditions at Fall CORK regatta frustrated the race committee and sailors alike. As seen here when the wind completely died in the middle of a starting sequence.

I fell victim to inconsistency and poor results leading to a finish of 4th place. I would like to thank the race committee and everyone involved with the event for doing their best given the frustrating conditions and I hope for better racing next year.

2016 FALL CORK RESULTS

ONTARIO SAILING COMBINE 2016

In September I participated in the Ontario Sailing Combine. This 2-day event is held each year prior to Fall CORK in Kingston, Ontario. Across the two days coaches are evaluating you on your fitness, sailing ability, and character for possible selection to one of the Ontario teams.

On the morning of the first day there is a fitness circuit that all athletes do. It consists of push ups, pull ups, flexibility, plank, and measurements. The measurements taken include height, weight, and BMI. After this all athletes participate in the beep test. I am proud to say almost all of my fitness scores improved over last year.

The rest of the evaluation comes on the water. There are two on-water sessions, one in the afternoon on the Thursday and one on Friday. This is a good pre regatta tune-up and an opportunity to display your skills. Additionally we were treated to a great talk from Ken Dool; Canadian Sailing Team Head Coach and High Performance Director on what being an athlete is about.  Having only just returned from coaching our Canadian Olympic Sailing Team in Rio, his perspective was invaluable and thoughts were inspiring.

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I enjoyed this year's combine and was able to retain my place on OST Elite Radial Team. I would like to thank Ontario Sailing and all of the coaches for running a great event.

ONTARIO SAILING TEAM MEMBERS 2016/17

2016 CORNISH HENS REGATTA

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The annual Cornish Hen Regatta was hosted this year over the September 10-11 weekend at RHYC. This regatta often draws a small but competitive fleet of local racers, and is named after the prize given to competitors who podium.  

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This year I chose to sail in full rig for a fun and more competitive experience. I ended up coming 2nd in the regatta after 5 races. I had finishes of 3, 6, 2, 4, 1 leaving me with 10 points after the drop. The conditions were excellent on the first day with 20 knots from the south west but the race committee sent us in after 1 race with concerns about the safety of some of the younger sailors. The second day brought light and shifty conditions that are common in Hamilton Harbour.

Sailing in the full rig was an interesting and fulfilling experience that will help me when I move into the class full time for 2018.

2016 CORNISH HENS REGATTA RESULTS

CORK - SAIL CANADA YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

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My summer culminated with the CORK International - Sail Canada Youth Championship Regatta at the end of August in Kingston Ontario. This regatta held significant importance for me as it was the qualifier for the ISAF / Youth World Sailing 2016 Championships to be held in New Zealand this December.  The winner would be offered the spot to represent Canada.  My main goal while I sail the laser radial (before I move on to the Olympic Class Laser Standard boat) is to attend an ISAF/World Sailing Youth Championship before I age out. Which means I only have two left.  Qualifying this time out was a small stretch but entirely doable and I trained hard all summer with this goal in mind.  Sadly I fell just slightly short.  After 12 races in total in a fleet of 148 I finished up 4th overall and 3rd Canadian.  A huge improvement on my previous years finishes but two places out of the opportunity to represent Canada at the Worlds this year .

The conditions in Kingston for this regatta were unusual.  I had spent almost 6 weeks in Kingston training 5 days per week with the Ontario Sailing Elite team but none of that would prepare me for what nature served up.  Usually during the summer Kingston will get a thermal almost every day. This wind will be around 12-15 knots and from the south-west or just to the right of the island. There was not a single one of these types of days during the regatta. This year the wind was light to medium for every race except one. That one race was the final race of qualifiers and a squall  came through with fog, rain, and 25 knot winds.

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Race 6 - rounding the leeward mark just after the squall had passed.

My best race of the regatta came on the first race on the second day of qualifiers. In that race I was one of the only people to notice a massive wind shift favouring the pin end of the start line at about 1 minute left to go. I sailed to that end of the line, had a clean start and crossed in front of the fleet by a significant amount. I led the entire race and won by over a minute. It was an exhilarating feeling.  I am really proud of this result and would like to believe this is a sign of things to come.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sailingshot.ca

Unfortunately this regatta also had it’s share of disappointing races. Some poor starts, bad luck, and sometimes poor decisions led to results that weren't my best. Over the entire regatta I was fairly consistent with race finishes of 5, 5, 4, 1, 8, 2, 11, 4, OCS, 11, 3, 10. The regatta came down to the wire with fellow Ontario Sailing team mate Matti Muru, Quebec sailor Justin Vittecoq and I all tied in points for first place.

Had the regatta finished after 11 races I would have won. At one point it seemed unlikely that the race committee would manage to get a 12th race started before the time limit for the final day ran out, but with less than 5 minutes left on the clock they started us. Unfortunately in that final race I was unable to keep ahead of Justin and Matti and in the end I finished 3rd Canadian and 4th overall.  Although this was disappointing I’m really proud of my effort and how I put myself in the position to win.

Many thanks to all who worked so hard organize and run this event. Special thanks to my coach Chris Hewson, to Sarah Douglas and to the rest of my team for being the best of training partners.  Finally congratulations to Justin, Matti, Campbell Patton (Bermuda) and Alex - my fellow competitors on the podium this year.  Good competition makes great sailing - my thanks.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sailingshot.ca via @CORKKingston Twitter feed

RESULTS CORK INTERNATIONAL - SAIL CANADA YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

LILAC REGATTA 2016

Lilac regatta took place recently on May 28-29 weekend. Twenty two competitors competed in the laser radial class. On Saturday 4 races were completed in light wind and extremely shifty conditions. I scraped out of the day with finishes of 8, 5, 1 and 5 placing me in 3rd at the end of the first day. Sunday brought steadier breeze and colder temperatures with wind reaching 12 knots. I was delighted with how I sailed on the second day, winning all 3 races and leading the one that was called off by significant margins. Sunday's results moved me into first place overall as the regatta finished up.  Hamilton harbour being a smaller body of water creates conditions that are difficult to master and is it's an interesting place to sail, I look forward to facing the challenge again soon.

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LILAC FESTIVAL REGATTA 2016 RESULTS