Thick wildfire smoke prompts cancellation of Gimli sailing competition 

Thick wildfire smoke hanging over Manitoba has prompted the cancellation of the Sail West regional championships in Gimli. 

“You want to keep them safe to sail another day. We’ve made a prudent and wise and defendable quite frankly decision to cancel,” said Eric Turner, co-chair of the 2025 Sail West competition and president of Sail Manitoba. 

The four-day event was scheduled to run from July 17-20, with 40 competitors taking part in the competition over the weekend at the Gimli Yacht Club.

“I have no qualms whatsoever about the decision we’ve made today, because it’s the right one,” said Turner. 

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued warnings Sunday morning for a large swath of the province, including Winnipeg and Brandon in the south, the Interlake and Thompson in the north. 

Winnipeg’s air quality health index remained in the “very high risk” 10+ level all weekend. The warnings advise people to limit their time outside and reschedule any outdoor activities due to the poor air quality.

Turner said the decision to cancel was made Sunday morning with the help of two doctors on site who were associated with sailors who were racing. The smoke was so thick in Gimli it looked like a fog hanging over the water, he said, and what he thought was gravel dust was actually a coating of ash on his car Sunday morning.  

He said the volunteers and participants range from teens to seniors.

“It would be extremely unhealthy and unwise to go out there, because we have people who are immunocompromised,” he said. 

“When the medical people said ‘we think we should cancel,’ I said two words: ‘do it.'”

Turner said they’re providing N95 masks to people as they try to minimize their time outside. All awards will be based on the four races that happened on Saturday — the first of two race days, following two training days. 

“Instead of doing the awards out on the deck where they’re normally done, we’re going to do them inside in the dining hall,” he said. 

“We’re trying to make the best of a bad situation, but it’s extremely important that we made a prudent decision that’s for the benefit of all. And of course people are disappointed, but they understand.”

The poor air quality forced the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association to move 12 recreational playoff matches indoors after the championship had already kicked off mid-morning Saturday.

The Fringe Festival remained open on Saturday, with organizers providing masks to volunteers.

Turner said this will lead to changes going forward.

“We now need to have a policy on air quality. Some sports do, some don’t. We should be developing a guideline so we have a basis on which to decide,” he said. 

“We try to keep people safe, it’s safety first.”

He added the Sail West competition typically happens every three years. 

“We’re going to be back to sail another day, so we’ll see you next time.”