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After 4 days of racing and extreme good fun in Martin 16's, Mobility Cup 2001, Canada's International Regatta for Sailors with a Disability, finished where it began-in brilliant sunshine on the hard at the Canadian Forces Sailing Association in Esquimalt, B.C.

After splitting the 60 sailors of all levels of disability into gold and silver fleets on Wednesday, each fleet sailed another six races to determine who got to take home the hardware.

Defending Mobility Cup champion, John McRoberts, of Victoria, B.C. won the last race in the gold fleet, but fell just short of taking the title again from Danny McCoy of Toronto, who is taking home the Mobility Cup for the fourth time. John and Danny are both members of the Canadian Sailing Team and Danny was Canada's representative in the 2.4mR class at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. Third place went to John Russ-Duggan of Newport Beach, California, a former World Disabled Sailing Champion in the Sonar class, and fourth to Victoria's David Cook, Canada's silver medalist in the Sonar class at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games.

Racing for the Coupe Dallaire in the silver fleet was also tight. Dale Keith of Calgary, Alberta took the series after a preliminary round that featured more than his share of OCS results. Close behind him was Chris Loscerbo of Chemainus, B.C., one of the top quadriplegic competitors racing with the sip and puff system, followed immediately by Ken Bartel of Vancouver, B.C., a former Mobility Cup champion.

The Sam Sullivan trophy for the top competitor sailing with sip and B1puff technology went to Steven Fletcher of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who was enjoying his first Mobility Cup and finished 25th in the gold fleet.

Mark Evju of Santa Rosa, California took home the Bruce Gardiner Memorial Award for the sailor who best exemplified the sportsmanship and spirit inherent in the annual Mobility Cup Regatta. The award remembers Bruce Gardiner, who was a long time friend and sponsor of Mobility Cup and DSA before he passed away after a short bout with cancer 2 years ago.

It is not possible to run Mobility Cup without the support and dedication of a staggering supply of volunteers, sponsors and programs, and, in the continuing tradition of Mobility Cup, it is again not possible to say enough about the organization and support enjoyed by Mobility Cup 2001.

Financial sponsorship from Bell Mobility and a grand list of others; boat transportation from across North America courtesy of CN; unmeasurable support from the Canadian Forces Base-Esquimalt, the Canadian Forces Sailing Association-Esquimalt, Disabled Sailing Associations across North America, Recreation Integration Victoria; countless volunteer hours, both leading up to and during the event. On top of that the race committee, protest committee and results work were exemplary, and the shore and social organization could not have been better.