Judging by the photos and reports coming in, the Pumpkin Bowl was much more about the kids and adults having a glorious good time than nail biting racing. A quick scan of the numbers tell a nearly 1-1 ratio of young competitors to adult supporters (volunteers, coaches) We at Sailish.com got to play a minor role with Bruce drumming up a pre-regatta weather report. The title sponsors were Harken and Pro-Tech Yacht Services.
Basically, it was the kind of youth regatta that can act as a template for the growing youth scene here in the PNW. To use that well worn phrase from Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come.” Yes, it’s a lot of work. But if you want your kids with spray in their faces instead of screens, this is the best way to do it.
On the racing side, the unstoppable Dieter Creitz from Seattle won the 55-boat Opti fleet with four out of six race wins. Maura Dewey won the 35-boat Laser Radial fleet winning five of seven races. There were also two 420 fleets, a 29er fleet, Laser 4.7s and and RS Feva fleet. Laser District 6 held its District Champs which allowed a few adults to sneak on the course. Results.
We have two reports, first from Opti Mom Jill Avery and then from the Mount Baker Rowing & Sailing Center (Seattle) coach Kaitlyn van Nostrand. Photos from various sources including Alyson Sydor and Doug Wardrop.
The Pumpkin Bowl Regatta held at the West Vancouver Yacht Club this past weekend is the largest on the BC Sailing circuit. The club hosted 165 boats, and over 200 competitors aged 7-20 from 2 provinces and 2 states. 54 dinghy and double-handed races were run on 4 courses in Howe Sound and boat classes included Optis, Lasers, Radials, 4.7’s, 420s, 29ers and Fevas. The Regatta was made possible by the dedication of over 130 volunteers (of which over 80 were on the water) and RCM/SAR 1 out of Horseshoe Bay watched over the action all weekend long. Much fun was had as witches handed out candy and painted faces of the youngest sailors, prizes were awarded and the athletes rigged their boats while getting inspired by a dedicated regatta playlist developed by West Vancouver’s own North Shore Sailing Team. –Jill Avery
Click a photo to enlarge.
Pumpkin Bowl was our first regatta as a team in Canada and my first time coaching an event in BC. I was left nothing short of inspired. Arriving late on Friday night, we unloaded an Opti in one of the neatly set up rows and dropped off our coach boat at the neighboring Thunderbird Marina. Saturday morning, we were welcomed with open arms by regatta volunteers and beautiful sunny weather. WVYC runs the regatta like a well oiled machine! A information table, volunteers at the hoist, a packet for coaches. This year we brought three Opti sailors, who had two exceptional days of sailing by a professional race committee and mark set boats that worked so hard in the conditions. This event is larger than any youth regatta in Seattle! We had an amazing experience and can’t wait to bring more sailors back next year. Thank you to WVYC! –Kaitlyn van Nostrand
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
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Thanks for the heads-up. It’s actually sailish.com, not sailfish.com!