After last weekend (Swiftsure) I’m sure we were looking for a bit of a break. It did take a little longer to recover from that beat in 20-30 knots and some boats just decided to drop out because they were leaving for the Van Isle 360 and didn’t want to risk any damage. The most amazing story and the award for exemplary seamanship has to go to the Riptide 35 Terramoto, skippered by Bill Weinstein and sailed by some of the best sailors in the Pacific NW. They dismasted about five miles from the finish, assessed the situation, and simply decided to tidy things up and sail the rest of the way to the finish. The dismasting barely slowed them down as they were first to finish on the Cape Flattery Race and corrected out to first in class and first overall by 44 minutes over the second-place boat. Outstanding!
Our pattern for the last week will finally ease the breeze in the Straits for the start of R2AK. Before that, we will continue to have an onshore flow which will bring afternoon gales to the Strait of JdF. Today’s surface analysis and sat pic continue to show a ridge of high pressure over the coastal and offshore waters with a weak trough of low pressure over eastern Washington. Same story as last week. The interesting part is in the 500MB Charts which show a weak upper-level low in the eastern Gulf of Alaska which is keeping the jet stream coming ashore mid-Vancouver Island. It will also bring the remains of a cold front ashore Saturday afternoon. This will not adversely affect our weather however it will bring a slight increase in the onshore flow down the Straits. Not great news for the Van Isle, Saratoga Sprint, and Blake Island Racers.
The wind will be light in the morning with some breeze filling down the Sound around midday and then building into the evening. For the start of Van Isle, it is just going to be light with some breeze filling down the Strait of Georgia by mid-afternoon, and then going light again by early evening.
For the Seventy48 folks starting tonight, there may be 10-15 knots of northerly however that will ease to 10 knots or less by 2100 hrs and stay that way until midday Saturday.
The group that will benefit the most from a slight change in the weather will be the R2AK folks who will start in about 10 knots of westerly only to have the breeze become light and variable about ½ way to Victoria. By mid-afternoon, a westerly will fill down the Straits and then slowly build into the evening.
Overall, it will be a great weekend to be on the water, just use the sunblock and stay safe. Have a great one!
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)