Regatta Pins

As the snow falls at Sturgeon Point and the snow mobiles race, I am having thoughts of blue waters, a stiff breeze and white sails.

2007 Mid Ontario Laser Regatta

Courtesy of SLSC

Back a hundred years, the winners of the regattas received flags and small enamel pins.  These tiny little pins would have been worn on collars and ties as a reminder of sailing prowess or given to their sweethearts.  Some are very tiny and I suspect that many of them, over the years, fell into floor cracks or fell behind furniture and were lost.  Luckily the Phipps family had a lovely collection they have shared.

The earliest was 1906...

There were two sweet little frogs fom 1907...

In 1911, the style changed...

These pins were all issued by The Lindsay Canoe Club and likely the 1911 version was ordered at the same time as these pins with Lindsay written on them...

The last pin is from 1915 and is a tie pin.

All of these would have been won sailing in sailing canoes, and most likely by Thomas Stewart (seen below in his sailing canoe) who was a member of the Lindsay Canoe Club.

All of which brought back to mind a song my mother sang...

Out on the blue lake

Where summer breezes blow

Our boats go sailing into sunset glow

Beneath the shoreline

To realms of dreams we go

Out to the centre of the lake where breezes blow.

Out on the lake is a wide open space

And its there that we dream as we sail.

Only 128 days until the 24th of May Weekend!