Category: News

It’s September and that means time to start nominating athletes, volunteers, race officials, and others for our annual awards.
Our awards ceremony will take place on Friday, November 20 at the Atlantica Hotel in Halifax  and we have opened up nominations for our awards! Some awards will also be presented at our annual sailing conference on October 31.
Nominations are due no later than Friday, September 30 and cover the period from October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026.
To see a complete list of award categories with past award winners go here.
The nomination form can be found on-line here

Congratulations Antonia and Georgia Lewin-LaFrance of Chester who won the gold medal in the 49erFX class at the first Grand Slam regatta of the season, the Princess Sofia Trophy, which ended on Saturday, April 5 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Read the fully story on the Sail Canada website here!

The Sail Canada Offshore Personal Survival Course (formerly known as World Sailing Survival at Sea), will be offered in Halifax April 3 & 4 from 8:30 – 5 pm each day.

All the details can be found in the poster

The Sail Nova Scotia Board of Directors is now receiving nominations for positions on its Board of Directors.

The Sail Nova Scotia Board is a governing board and has the fiduciary responsibility to act honestly; act in good faith; be loyal; exercise authority within the parameters of the position; disclose conflict of interest; avoid breach of confidence; and hold in strict confidence all transactions and business affairs of transactions affecting Sail Nova Scotia and its members.

If you are interested in learning more please review the 2026 Board Nomination Package, found on this page, which has all the information and a link top a Nomination Form.

Thank you for your interest.

We would like to receive nominations by November 30, 2025.

On Friday, November 14th, Sail Nova Scotia held its 5th Annual Evening of Excellence & Fundraising where we awarded our 2025 awards.

Congratulations to all the winners!


Sailors of the Year: Georgia & Antonia Lewin-LaFrance, RNSYS & Chester Yacht Club
Female Sailor of the Year: Savannah Taylor, Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club
Male Sailor of the Year: Tim Woodford, Bras d’Or Yacht Club
Hal Davies Offshore Sailor of the Year: Andrew Childs
Youth Sailors of the Year: Reilly Nakatsu, RNSYS, & Claire Daley, St. Margaret Sailing Club
Volunteer of the Year: Kerstin Gilkerson, Indian Point Yacht Club
Regattas of the Year: Truman “Trap” Stright Regatta, Pictou Yacht Club & Opti Masters Cup – Armdale Yacht Club
WOW! Women on Water Award: Angela Chisholm & Joanne Seviour
Team of the Year: Canada Games 2025 Sailing Team
Coach of the Year: Madeline Singer, St. Margaret Sailing Club
President’s Award: Tara Macaulay & Agustin Ferrario, Foil4All
Instructor of the Year: Noah Villafane, Hubbards Sailing Club
Legacy Fund Award: Sullivan Nakatsu, RNSYS
Race Official of the Year: Evan Oulahen, Bedford Basin Yacht Club
Paul Tingley Perseverance Award: Judy Lugar, St. Margaret Sailing Club

We’re excited to announce that we have released our schedule and opened registration for our Annual Sailing & Boating Conference set for Saturday, November 1 at Citadel High School in Halifax. Last year more than 80 people attended the Conference and the reviews were all very positive.

We have some fantastic sessions planned this year; funding programs for clubs and programs, Foiling, Common Legal Issues, and much more. The full schedule is posted below.

The fee to attend is $40 and includes lunch. Thank you SONA Pay for sponsoring lunch!

Current instructors and coaches can register free by contacting Sophia.

If your club wants to purchase a few registrations, just send us an e-mail.

Individuals can register here https://sailnovascotia.checklick.com/

See you November 1!

Join us and fellow sailors and boaters as we celebrate some fantastic on-water achievements, volunteers, programs, and more at our annual awards celebration! This year, the event takes place Friday, November 14 at 6pm at the Atlantica Hotel in Halifax. Tickets always sell out, so get yours early.

There will be a silent auction, raffle, athlete fundraising, and much more. A pretty good after-party too!
See you on the 14th.

Tickets and all the details here.

What a year 2025 has been!
So many fantastic results on the water, regattas organized across the province, and support from volunteers. Now it’s time to recognize the best!
Sail Nova Scotia is receiving award nominations thru the end of day September 30 for all of our awards.
Nominations must be submitted using the form linked here.
Nominations must be for activities between October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025.
Awards will be presented November 14, 2025.