Well-known and highly experienced Seattle racer (and skipper of the J/125 Hamachi) got a literal taste of Lake Michigan during the recently concluded Chicago to Mackinac race. The fleet was blasted by severe storms, so much so that the elapsed record was shattered by the Andrews 80 Maverick. Here is a video of interviews with the skippers of the Callisto and Madcap, skippers of the boat Dougherty fell off and was rescued by respectively, and Dougherty himself. These are very interesting interviews as they show how today’s MOB equipment and procedures facilitated a quick and successful rescue at night.
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.
Our friends at Sail Sand Point remain committed to getting people of all walks of life on the water. This is a chance to provide some support, have a good meal and share the evening with fellow sailors. If you’re unfamiliar with Sail Sand Point, check it out.
From Seth Muir, Executive Director, Sail Sand Point:
Sail Sand Point, Seattle’s community nonprofit sailing center on Lake Washington, serves over 15,000 people each year with their sailing programs. On Thursday, July 25th from 530-9pm we are hosting their annual summer fundraising dinner on the gorgeous porch of the Magnuson Cafe and Brewery to raise funds for their youth sailing programs. This year we are honoring WA State Rep Gerry Pollet with their Community Impact Award as well. Tickets are available HERE and they come with live music, dinner and local beer/wine and ciders, as well as access to exciting auction, raffle items and a chance to raise a paddle for kids’ sailing. Or if you’re interested in making a donation ‘in lieu of attending’, that can be done through their secure website here. Come Party on the Porch for youth sailing!
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.
The Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle has always had the mission of getting people on the water. Again this year , next Saturday, it is providing free boating on Lake Union. See below for details. Kudos to the CWB. KH
You are invited to The Center for Wooden Boats on Sunday April 28th from 10-4PM to where we will be holding our third annual Free Boating Day! At last year’s Free Boating Day we were able to provide 580 people with free boating experiences.
What To Expect:
Free Boat Rentals: Enjoy complimentary 1-hour rentals of all human-powered boats, including peapods, rowboats, and canoes.
Free Sailboat Checkouts: Sailors who have their sailing check out cards with us will take advantage of our free sailboat checkouts
Public Sail: Free Boating Day will be our first Public Sail of the year! We will provide skippered boat rides on historic wooden boats. Sign up is on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to head outside of the Wagner Education Center early to secure your spot. Public Sail happens the last Sunday of every month from April-October.
Youth and Family Activities: Keep the little ones entertained with a variety of free activities, including toy boat building, knot tying, woodshop demonstrations, and the chance to try a tool. Plus, Pond Boat demonstrations courtesy of the Pacific Northwest Model Yacht Club!
Museum Access: Explore the rich maritime history of the Pacific Northwest with free access to our museum, featuring our new BIPOC art showcase exhibit, Marine Mosaic!
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.
Many of you will remember that time in COVID when races were being cancelled and others trying to take root as alternatives? One of them, the Salish 200, has taken root with Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle. The press release below explains the event. A couple of things to note – if you want to do half the course, sure thing! Also, double-handed boats will be scored in their own class in addition to overall. Sounds like fun to me. Watch for further information in an upcoming issue of 48 North.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle (CYC) is excited to announce that it is adding a signature distance race to its 2024 racing calendar. CYC has agreed to become the Organizing Authority for the Salish 200, a 204-mile distance sailboat race starting in Port Townsend.
The Salish 200 began in 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic when sailing as we knew it was put on hold. Local sailors Shawn Dougherty and Jason Andrews, of the J/125Hamachi, cooked up the idea to host a low-key, fun, local adventure race. The idea was simple, two-100-mile courses around the Salish Sea that create a figure eight around the San Juan Islands and Vashon Island, do one or do both! But this wasn’t a “sanctioned event” – it was a seat-of-your-pants-affair where the racers were the race organizers and start committee, and everyone self-reported their finish time.
This race quickly gained popularity amongst the top Seattle-area teams and has now outgrown its roots as a “pick-up game of sailboat racing.” Now CYC is excited to bring the Salish 200 race to their calendar, where it will use its expertise and resources to host the race as an official event and hopefully as a new namesake in the Pacific Northwest racing scene.
Jason Andrews from Team Hamachi said: “We are super excited by this development and for what it will bring for PNW racing. Further, by being sanctioned, it will now count as a qualifying race towards larger offshore events such as Transpac or the PacCup.”
The Salish 200 race is scheduled for June 21st – 23rd. Boats start at 7pm on Friday June 21st in Port Townsend and can either go North around San Juan County or South around Vashon as they make their figure eight for the 200-mile race. Boats finish in Port Townsend by 7pm time limit on Sunday June 23rd.
Registration for the Salish 200 race will open May 1st and is open to monohull and multihull boats with an ORC or PHRF rating.
A new CYC perpetual trophy that pays homage to the Coast Salish People of which the waters sailed and the event itself is named after, will be introduced for this race.
Visit www.salish200.com for more information about the race and for the links to register.
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.
Let’s just call it 50 knots of breeze. Anecdotally, reports came in of 50 knots of windspeed. Some said 48. On the water it seemed every bit of 50.
The Possession Point Race, the second of CYC’s Center Sound Series, was sailed Saturday in Puget Sound. Nearly half the fleet opted to stay at the dock, many having read Bruce’s forecast. The call was for breeze, but even Bruce couldn’t foresee the 50-knot blast that caused carnage for the later finishers.
The race started predictably enough. Boats were able to set spinnakers and hold them for most, if not all, of the run to Possession Point. The east lane paid off, and it was a fairly orderly rounding as boats turned up into the teeth of the southerly, which by then was steadily blowing in the 20+ knot range. The larger, faster boats charged upwind on a flood current and into some big seas. Many boats played the east shore until they saw those hitting the Bainbridge side gaining.
The following photos were taken at the start by Jan Anderson. See the rest here.
Mystic AceIt was crowded at the boat for PHRF 5.
Crews on the rails could see the squalls coming. It was clear there was going to be a dousing. Indeed it came, along with a bit of hail. There was the expected gusts to start with, but then it became clear something had upset Mother Nature. She packed the squalls with 30, 40 and ultimately 50-knots gusts. By the time the worst of it hit, the fastest of the boats had finished. There was a distinct line of demarcation when the biggest wind hit – boats behind that line were scattered with ripped sails, crews on the foredeck holding downed headsails while hoping it would soon be over. Some boats were trying to motor under bare poles. Some limped the finish after the worst of it passed. And the J/109 Eclipse broke her mast.
These photos were taken by Adam Yurret from the race committee boat at the finish. Thanks, Adam! More here.
Al Hughes skippered the lone J/105 on the course.One Life finished with one sail.Aurora’s rail stacked.Carnage.
There were no reports of serious personal injuries, though just about everybody went home sore and cold and wet. Foul weather gear can only do so much.
Aboard Derek DeCouteau’s 1971 Ranger 33 Aurora, we had an excellent helmsman and afterguard, a new-to-the boat #3 and lots of rail meat. It was a good day.
As always – if you have some stories or photos from the race you’d like to share, send ’em.
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.
It must be said that the sailing and racing seems to have come up a notch in the Pacific Northwest in 2023. There’s a little more participation and a little more anticipation in the air before races. There are plenty of season champions and boats of the year out there, and I’d love to cover them all. Or at least a bunch. But time being in short supply, here are my STAPYs for 2023.
I’ve invited others to name their favorites, and now I’m inviting all the readers to chime in. Surely you can think of someone deserving of a Totally Arbitrary award. Remember, as a STAPY it doesn’t have to be a race winner or an expedition cruiser type. It could (and should) be someone who supports the sport or their fellow mariners, sets an example or provides inspiration.
Justin and Christina Wolff
The Wolffs have put an amazing program for the Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300 Red Ruby they own with Jonathan McKee. Perhaps their most jaw-dropping achievement was finishing second OVERALL in the 600+ mile Rolex Middle Sea Race. The first place boat? The 93’ fully crewed Wally Bullitt. The time difference? 24, count ’em 24, seconds. Here’s a little video of the couple after the finish:
In what seems to be an irreversible trend, doublehanded racing is gaining momentum. McKee and Peter Isler won the ORC doublehanded championships in Barcelona, Spain. Maybe Red Ruby will help as a springboard to the already growing doublehanded racing community in the PNW.
Adam, Daniela, Gunner (8) and Teddy (4) Lawrence
Easy Day under spinnaker for the first time.
You probably haven’t heard of Adam Lawrence. I certainly hadn’t when he inquired about my Swiftsure Yachts listing, the Swan 46 Freya. The cruising world was new to him. But true to his US Navy background, he approached it methodically and thoroughly. Adam recognized Freya’s solid construction and appreciated the pilothouse that Swan Fans wrinkled their noses at. That unique feature, Adam knew, would be a great place for his boys.
From overhauling the plumbing to renaming the Swan Easy Day, Adam and his team set an example I will point cruiser wannabes to for years to come.
Here’s the first of what I hope will be many videos.
Dan Falk
Dan Falk
Dan won the RS Aero Worlds (9 rig) in Sardinia this year. It’s the second year in a row he’s done it. (Last year was on the Columbia River Gorge) He did it while sick and dehydrated, overcoming those issues plus a collision that knocked him out of a race.
That’s only one reason for the STAPY. He remains the mainstay of the Seattle RS Aero fleet, which is premier RS Aero fleet in North America. It also must make the rest of the world sit up (again) and wonder just what it is about the salmon we eat that makes the pointy end of the Seattle dinghy fleets so tough. During CYC’s PSSC Awards dinner, he bent over backward to applaud his training partner Keith Hammer for a well-earned victory. Dan is the kind of sailor that drives this sport. He sails hard, gives back and looks out for his fellow competitors.
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.
From the past, we have learned to expect almost anything on Round the County and this year will be no different. We have a fast-moving front going through tonight with a post-frontal situation setting up for tomorrow which will bring a strong onshore flow down the Strait of JdF. This will carry up into the race course with the possibility of some fast sailing tomorrow with the only on-the-wind work being a hard beat from Patos to Turn Pt. Sunday will be much different.
Tides can be a factor however this year they are minimal.
Saturday 11/11
Rosario Strait Turn Pt
0842 Slack 0936 Slack
1148 Max Fld 1.36 knts 1224 Max Fld 1.84 knts
1406 Slack 1542 Slack
1918 Max Ebb 2.27 knts 1818 Max Ebb 1.66 knts
Sunday 11/12
Haro Strait Rosario Strait
0830 Max Ebb .47 knts 0830 Max Ebb 1.05
1012 Slack 1124 Slack
1336 Max Fld 1.0 knts 1342 Max Fld .78 knts
1600 Slack 1548 Slack
2030 Max Ebb 3.4 knts
Today’s surface analysis chart shows an impressive low-pressure system (973MB) in the Gulf of Alaska with an attached frontal system. The warm front is moving through now with the cold front to follow early tomorrow morning with plenty of rain and wind. The 24-hour Surface Chart also shows the next fast-moving front coming towards us. Notice today’s 500MB Chart which is very zonal, flowing straight across the Pacific and coming ashore in Central Oregon. This will allow more storms and cooler temps into the Salish Sea this coming week.
For tomorrow the highest winds will be just after midnight and then ease slightly as we get closer to starting. The flow over the race course will be consistently SW with some local variations. As always, the smart thing to do will be to have the jack lines rigged and everyone in PFD’s and safety harnesses before the start. The reason being that while conditions in the starting area will be mild (10-15 knts) after Lawrence Pt the wind will build to SW 20-30 knts. Think about changing to a smaller kite and getting everybody stacked on the aft rail. Remember, always depower the boat from the back to the bow. Main, vang, then kite. Also, having whatever headsail you’re going to use from Patos to the finish, up under the kite will help you keep the bow down and get the boat back on its feet faster after a crash.
0900 SW 20-30 knts Lawrence to Patos
1000 SW 20-25 knts Lawrence to Patos, Patos to Turn Pt (TP).
1100 SW 15-25 knts Patos to Turn Pt, Turn Pt to Finish
1200 Same
1300 Same except that the wind will shift to the WSW the closer you get to Stuart Island. Water will tend to flatter closer to the Island and you’ll be out of the flood tide.
1400 SW 15-30 knts Patos to TP and TP to the Finish.
1500 SW 20-35 knts Patos to TP and TP to the Finish.
1600 WSW 20-30 knts same
1700 WSW 15-25 knts same
1800 WSW 15-20 knts same
Sunday will be quite different as the first day after frontal passage (Saturday) always brings the strongest breeze. The onshore flow will weaken and we will start to see the effects of another frontal system on Sunday morning. This will bring SE breeze to the area however as this front stalls off the coast, the SE will ease and become more of a drainage easterly-northeasterly coming down out of the Fraser River Valley. It will be this transition that will be the challenge on Sunday. By late Sunday afternoon, a stronger pre-frontal SE breeze will build over the area.
Sunday
0800 SE-ESE 15-25 knts Start to Davidson Rk
0900 Same
1000 Same however breeze will start to ease the closer you get to Davidson.
1100 SE 8-15 knts Cattle Pass to Davidson
1200 Drainage wind begins to develop.
1200 E 5-12 knts Cattle Pass to Davidson, E 4-10Davidson to Thatcher Pass
1300 NNE 4-8 knts Thatcher Pass to Finish, ENE 4-8 knts Iceberg Pt to Thatcher
1400 N-NNE 6-12 knts Davidson to Finish
1500 N-NNE 4-10 knts Thatcher to Finish
1600 E-NE 2-6 knts Dav to Finish
1700 SE 8-12 knts Dav to Thatcher, E-ENE 2-6 knts Thatch to Fin
1800 SE 11-16 knts Dav to Finish.
Have a great race, be safe, and enjoy Roche Harbor and all the great hospitality from the Orcas Island Yacht Club!
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.
Of all the notable sailing industry luminaries of the Pacific Northwest, none have had a greater influence on the world of sailing than naval architect Bob Perry. From his seminal Valiant 40 design to today’s “Carbon Cutter,” his work not only stands on its own, it has influenced cruising boat design for six decades. Over the years several aspiring designers have interned and worked with Bob and gone on to successful careers. Beyond that, his design review column in Sailing Magazine has educated and entertained since the 1970s. (Ed. Note. I had the honor of editing that column for some years) Still very much an active designer, Bob can also occasionally can be coaxed out of his “Shack” on the water to speak to groups, never failing to entertain. If you doubt that, listen to his acceptance speech, below.
Bob was just inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame. It’s a well-deserved honor. Here’s the video of his acceptance:
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.
In a world where return-on-investment is gospel, the real long term return-on-investment, supporting the communities we live in and share our passion with, is too often lost. The Seattle boatyard CSR chose to use the funds it earmarked for the 2024 Vic-Maui race for helping rebuild Maui. We at Sailish hope 2026 is a great race with lots of boats prepping at CSR!
Here’s the note from CSR’s Nigel Barron to the Vic-Maui officials:
“CSR would like to direct our funds to the LYC Rebuild Fund. Throughout the years of sponsoring or competing in the Vic Maui race we’ve always been struck by the hospitality of the people of Hawaii and our friends at LYC. A hui hou, mahalo!”
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.
The real stories behind race results are generally way more interesting that the results lines. Take the recently concluded RS Aero Worlds sailed in Sardinia July 26-30.
It would be easy to look at the results and say, “there goes Dan Falk winning another Worlds” and leave it at that. True, but there’s so much more to the story. On the first day, after sailing two solid races and competing at the front during the third race, Falk scored a DNF. It turns out that was a major collision. As he crossed in front of a boat from another class while on a run, Falk’s leech loaded, perhaps in a puff, spinning him into that other boat. A hole in the other boat was the result (Aeros are not exactly bulletproof) and Dan’s day ended.
On the evening of the second day, illness hit. Food poisoning? Other competitors shared the similar illnesses. Regardless, it was a sleepless night as Falk’s body got rid of absolutely everything not tied down in his stomach. The next day he faced a choice between being miserable in his hotel room or being miserable on the water, and he chose the latter. To make matters worst, there were lack of wind delays and the fleet spent seven hours on the water. That’s time spent about 6″ off the water, which is a long day for sailors at 100% health.
Class winners, including Dan Falk on the right.
He faced the final day in a haze. Not even fully aware of the results (he was virtually tied with Madhavan Thirumalai for the lead), he needed to win the final two races to win the regatta. Sailing in a weakened conditioned, but completely relaxed, he did just that.
That win and several other impressive performances cemented the Seattle RS Aero fleet as a powerhouse. Last year the fleet dominated the worlds, winning all three classes (differentiated by sail size) in the Columbia River Gorge Worlds. This year Keith Hammer finished third behind Falk in the “9s,” Jay Renehan was 4th in the large “7s” class, and young Dieter Creitz was second in the new “6s” class.
There was a good mix of conditions, and with air temperature in the 80s and water temperature around 70. Family members not sailing enjoyed the beaches and general aura of Sardinia.
Stepping back from the Seattle story, there are few things worth noting. RS Aero is thriving in Europe. More than 120 sailors showed up for the event. The variety of sail sizes, particularly in the lower ranges, have made the boat accessible to a wide variety of sailors. For instance, one might wonder why there were “5” and “6” classes, but those were two of the largest fleets. That also meant that juniors and smaller women could more easily compete.
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.
