Canadian sailors deliver an 'arresting' performance at Pan Am Games

Erin Rafuse wanted nothing more than an arresting performance at the Pan Am Games. While it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Halifax native, she’s likely copped some new fans for her attitude.

A rough few days on the water hasn’t prompted an upbeat Canadian athletic duo to go overboard. In fact, Rafuse, who handles skipper duties, and Danielle Boyd, the crewman on the 49er FX, have managed to keep their heads above water throughout their women’s sailing competition.

A recent entry on the Team Rafuse/Boyd Facebook page, accompanied by a laugh-inducing photo, brought some levity to their situation.

Well... It's been a tough one so far. We are 3 days into Pan Ams having had only 6 races, most being in light winds. We are struggling to get off the start line and having a hard time fighting back in our 6 boat fleet. There are 3 more days of racing and a final day of medal races. We still have lots of sailing to go and lots of opportunity to catch up! If we don’t start winning races, the police are going to have to take us in. maybe a night in jail will set us straight.

The pair managed to avoid time behind bars, but did get a sweet picture, Toronto police officer and handcuffs included.

“It was actually my coach, Mark Asquith, who came up with the idea,” said Rafuse. “It was a tough day, so we found a way to add some humour into it. The police have been very friendly, so we thought we’d ask, and he was game.”

It has been a rough go for Rafuse and Boyd at a Pan Am Games where Canada has gone on a medal tear in the opening week of competition. Yet, despite the lack of desired results on a personal level, waving the white flag is not an option.“The ultimate goal is to be in Rio,” said Rafuse of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. “But, we’re going to continue to go out and compete hard here. We are looking at it race by race, working to get the outcome we want. That said, it’s been challenging for us here at the Pan Ams.”

Fortunately, ahem, the wind hasn’t gone out of their sails.

“For us, the ideal weather conditions would be sunny, wavy and 12 knots (of wind),” noted Rafuse. “Things haven’t gone as we’ve hoped, and there’s pressure being in front of your home country. But, that said, negative attention gets you nowhere.”

There is, however, one positive piece of news Rafuse can celebrate.

In her bio on the Sail Canada website, under the question, “What does the average day in the life of Erin include?” the first response is, “Waking up as late as possible.”

Admittedly, the 26-year-old is not a morning person. In fact, there was a period of time where she required the use of five alarm clocks to help get her out of bed. Those days are over.

“I’m down to just two now,” she proudly noted.

A small victory, yes. But one a proud Canadian athlete has every right to boast about. No word, though, on whether a Facebook photo is in the works.