Sailing: CORK

In August of each year, sailors of all ages come from countries around the world to join one of international yacht racing's premier events: CORK- the Canadian Olympic-training Regatta, Kingston. CORK is a special opportunity for participants, organizers and sponsors to enjoy all that is best about the sport of sailing. CORK was started over a quarter century ago by a group of Canadian Olympic sailors who recognized that the City of Kingston, Canada, had ideal sailing conditions and a central North American location. It was (and is) the perfect venue for an annual world class sailing event. The first CORK regatta was a small multi-class sailing event held on the waters off Kingston in August of 1969. Today CORK has grown into a two-week long event, hosting over 20 classes and drawing more that 1,000 sailboats, more than 2,000 competitors and coaches from many countries as well as over 10,000 tourists and site-seers. The CORK venue spans the City of Kingston, from its headquarters at Portsmouth Olympic Harbor (the site of the 1976 Olympic Sailing events), across Richardson Beach (located along the city's waterfront), to the MacDonald Confederation Basin (near Kingston's vital downtown core). Cork’s Racing takes place on six courses which extend from the St. Lawrence River well out into Lake Ontario and cover a geographic area of over twenty square miles.