Please meet the team of Callum Ruch and Nicole Otton! They started sailing together at the Midwinters East Regatta in Miami, Florida in February 2024. They decided to take a chance on themselves and go to the Midwinters WestnRegatta in Long Beach California, which was the qualifying regatta for Youth Worlds 2024. They were so pleased with their result of being the Top Canadian Boat, placing 8th out of 27, which did qualify them to be considered for the Canadian Youth Worlds Team, going to Lake Garda, Italy in July 2024.
Skipper Callum is 17 years old and began racing dinghies when he was 9, in the Opti class. Sailing for him is about more than just the competition, it is trying to harness the weather, an uncontrollable factor, into sport in the best way possible. He is a different person on the water, the racing starts and his mind locks in! Sailing brings him to life! Callum moved to the skipper role in a 29er late in the Fall in 2021 and has attended regattas here in Canada, the US and also in the UK for Open Worlds last year.
Crew Nicole is 15 years old and began sailing in the C420 class and in 2023, she moved to the 29er class. She couldn’t be happier and loves sailing because it is a very unique sport, where you have to be physically strong and mentally sharp in order to make quick decisions on the race course. She also loves it because it is never boring, there is always something to improve on, and it has a wonderful community.
This year they will be sailing out of the Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club(ABYC) in Toronto, ON.