I’m worried that racers are not going to know what to do with this forecast. There will be wind ( 4-14-knots), probably for the entire leg, it won’t be light,ok it might be a little light for the start and the first couple of hours but after that and more importantly, it will be from astern. In other words, you will finally get to fly those large, round, dangerous, colored sails. Pretty much all the way to Port Hardy where you may need a headsail to beat down to the finish inside of Hardy Bay.
The reason for all this optimism is the low with attached front approaching Vancouver Island. The wind has already gone around to the south-southeast at the East Dellwood and West Sea Otter Buoys and the barometer continues to fall at those locations. As the front goes through about midday tomorrow, the wind will clock from the SSE to SSW to closer you get to Port Hardy.
4 June Surface Analysis 
5 Jun 0800 EC HR 
5 june 1100 
5 June 1400 
5 June 1700 
5 June 2000 
5 June Surface Forecast 
7 June Surface Forecast
The satellite pic shows that there isn’t much to this front so it will move right along and after I’m sure what will be a welcome layday in Port Hardy, the onshore flow will build which should give you a nice beat out to Cape Scott followed by a nice reach down to Winter Harbor. Keep your fingers crossed.
As far as tactics go on this leg, it will pay to sail the shortest possible course. Keep Pearse, Cormorant, and Haddington Island to starboard. For your final approach to the entrance of Port Hardy, keep Masterman Islands to starboard. Yes, you can sail through there, just keep track of all the rocks that are in there.
Enjoy the day, have a great sail and be safe.
Bruce has raced and cruised the Pacific Northwest his entire life. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Washington in Biological Oceanography and learned meteorology “to keep from getting kicked around on the race course.” Bruce spent nearly two decades as Associate Publisher for Northwest Yachting Magazine, retiring in mid-2015, and was the chairman of the board of trustees for the Northwest Marine Trade Association in 2014. (photo of Bruce driving Playstation is a bit dated, but cool)