In a couple hours (at noon) the intrepid R2AK adventurers will be starting from Victoria for Ketchikan. They might have it slow going at the start, but a northwesterly should develop later in the day for the sailors to take advantage of. And while there’s a certain amount of competition for the $10K first prize, and of course the steak knives second prize, this remains more of an adventure than a race for most of the fleet.
We’ll be following Andy Cross and Team Wild Card, a Santa Cruz 27. I’ve done part of the course with Andy already on the Van Isle 360 aboard Double Take. You can find Andy’s posts on Threesheets Northwest, but when he gets out of range of a good Internet connection he’ll be texting some reports out, which I’ll post on sailish along with a few words about how the race is going. And when there’s a Threesheets post – I’ll post parts of it here, and deliver a bit more info on the team, which basically took form on D Dock at Shilshole.
Also Bruce Hedrick is going to be watching the weather. Check out his latests “Briefs” here and here. He’s looking at doing an update for tomorrow.
Again, good luck to all the adventurers, and once again to Jake Beattie and his crew for coming up with this race and keeping it going!
Here’s part of Andy’s Threesheets post about The Proving Ground leg:
The first rays of sunshine trickle through the fleet.
Tucked into the port pipe-berth on Wild Card, our team’s spritely Santa Cruz 27, I woke quickly to the sound of seagulls saying good morning while cruising over Victoria harbor. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at my watch for the time: 6 a.m.
Six hours to go time.
After a couple lay days, we’re finally about to shove off and get this great big 750-mile adventure to Alaska rolling again. I’m ready. Our team is ready. From cruising the docks, checking out other boats and meeting the teams, it seems like lots of other competitors are, too. And if the smiles and laughter from last evenings impromptu happy hour were any indication, people are definitely having fun.
Right now the wind is supposed to be light at the high noon start time (weather brief here), which might suit paddlers and pedals until the sailors can hook into a breeze. Fortunately, as the day wears on and the fleet heads around the bottom corner of Vancouver Island, we’ll have a favorable current to do it on. From there it’s going to be anyone’s ballgame.
UPDATE, June, 15: The fourth incarnation of the Race to Alaska got underway yesterday on Port Townsend Bay and conditions did not disappoint.
A gorgeous sunrise greeted racers right after the start.
When the gun went off at 5 a.m., all manner of craft were on or near the line in a sort of dance that can only happen during this race. Standup paddleboards, kayaks, sailboats, row boats and home-built pedal boats jockeyed for position as a modest southerly wind and ebbing current coaxed racers out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
For Team Wild Card, our start left a lot to be desired. A lot. I botched it. Fortunately, our team stayed cool and once out into the Strait we used the now westerly breeze to rocket northwest with focus. Our capable Santa Cruz 27 skipped over a building sea state that never fully soaked the boat, and we finished in 5-and-a-half hours in 11th place. It was one of those sails that you want to bottle, brand and sell — it was that good.
Team Wild Card sending it across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. (And yes, we put a trapeze on an SC27).
Meanwhile, other teams were crushing it too. Team PT Watercraft finished first with Team Sail Like a Girl coming in second and Team Strait to the Pool Room ringing the bell shortly there after.
As of noon today, some folks are still working their way towards Victoria’s inner harbor. Here’s an update from Race Boss Daniel Evans: “Mulig is trying to cross the straits but being swept West. Tri-Harder left out of Sequim Bay today and is expected to finish Stage 1. Fly Baby Fly after suffering mechanical issues late last night was towed into Oak Bay by C-Tow Marine Assist. Dock Rat completed Stage 1 after being anchored in the harbor. WaterWorld Impending has pulled out after losing a prop but is hoping to sail over to Victoria for the fun of it on Saturday. Way to make lemonade, WaterWorld.”
The race to Ketchikan kicks off again Sunday at noon — tracker is here!
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.
Dieter Creitz is at it again, putting PNW youth sailing in the limelight. This time down in San Francisco Bay where the St. Francis YC is putting on a heavy weather regatta, the slalom portion of which just concluded. Format details are a little unclear, but it looks like 35 boats started in groups of four or five, and after each heat the top 2-3 boats moved to the next round. Dieter (can we call him “our” Dieter?) made it all the way through to finish 3rd overall. Here’s a gallery of photos, a video of what I believe is the final race and then the results sheet.
Here’s a video from the St. Francis Facebook Page:
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.
I’m very pleased to announce that my good friends at Swiftsure Yachts are my first corporate sponsors. They see the value in what sailish.com is trying to do for the PNW sailing scene and have ponied up a monthly sponsorship. If truth be told, Brad Baker and Ryan Helling have already provided plenty of support in their writing contributions and tales of derring-do, from navigating the mighty catamaran Fujin to racing the Tri-Island cruiser-racer class.
Pete McGonagle
The least I can do is tell you a little about them. They deal both in new boats (Allures, Garcia, Hallberg Rassy, Outbound, Outremer) and high quality brokerage boats. Brad has cruised the Pacific for two years with his family, Pete McGonagle has cruised his own boat in the Caribbean for two years and Ryan Helling lives aboard his own boat Velella which he both cruises and races. They are joined by PJ Baker, Bob Schoonmaker, Judy Nasmith, Andy Schwenk, John Sanford and Andy Cross in various spots around the Northwest. They’re all extraordinary sailors with real offshore miles under their keels, and I can say firsthand that I’ve learned a tremendous amount sailing some of those miles with them.
Brad Baker
One important facet of these sailors is that they’re both excellent cruisers and top-flight racers.
I know the folks at Swiftsure to be focused on making the boat buying experience a really good one for each of their clients, both in the moment and (importantly) throughout subsequent years.
Their real offshore experience has helped launch many world cruises and more than a few race wins. Just click the Swiftsure Yachts logo if you ever want to get in touch.
Ryan Helling
And while this is not an ad per se, I gotta say they’ve got a seriously cool Farr 50 cruiser for sale. Check it out.
If your sailing-oriented company wants to sponsor sailish.com, please go to my Patreon page and sign up, or email me directly.
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 Northwest Maritime Center’s new Seventy48 Race was a big hit. Over 100 boats competed! The first finisher paddled the course in less than 10 hours, finishing at around 3 Tuesday morning. Most of the coverage is on the Seventy48 Facebook page including lots of videos. Here’s one video I stole that just has to make everyone smile. The team is 8Oars. Congratulations to all who competed.
Don’t forget, R2AK starts tomorrow at around dawn and the famous Pre-Race Ruckus is tonight in Port Townsend. And if you missed it before, see the R2AK promo video here. It’s beyond funny.
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 Italians came, saw and conquered over the last few days in the Melges 24 Worlds held in Victoria. You might be forgiven for not realizing this was going on – quite a few 24s were parked unmoving around on trailers around Puget Sound. But for those who made it to the rarefied field of largely professional crews, the light air regatta ended on a windy note which made for some great photos. Alyosha Strum-Palerm, who seems to race about 9 days per week, was aboard 12HappyThoughts, which finished 9th overall out of 41 boats. Alyosha was kind enough to provide this report.
The Melges 24 Worlds Aboard 12HappyThoughts
By Alyosha Strum-Palerm
Alyosha Strum-Palerm driving while Stephanie Schwenk trims.
Longtime 505 and M24 sailor, Mats Elfs, first contacted me sometime in early April. He asked whether I wanted to join him, Gavin Brackett, Nick Andrewes and owner Dave Brede on the first CYC Wednesday night race of the season aboard USA 675, 12 Happy Thoughts. I said yes, and had my very first sail on a Melges 24 in a classic cold, rainy and light air Seattle southerly. Over the next few months we sailed as much as possible given all of our complex sailing schedules and prior commitments. Gavin and I were preparing for Hawaii crossings in the summer, and Mats is preparing for 505 PCC’s in Bellingham as well as 505 Worlds down in Fremantle Australia this coming December.
With that being said, we got in a few good regattas as a team (winning both) and felt good about our light-medium air boatspeed and boat-handling. What we hadn’t gotten was the opportunity to sail the boat as a group in more than 15 knots of breeze, something that luckily was not a factor at the Worlds. So there we were at the Worlds, Brede on the helm, Elfs doing tactics and jib trim, me as the spinnaker trimmer, Brackett as the floater and strategist and Andrewes as the forward hand. Somewhat blasphemously, we collectively wished for a light and shifty regatta where we could best utilize all of our extensive dinghy experience and general comfort with sailing in wildly unstable and variable conditions. Much to our delight (and many others’ horror) the 2018 worlds were primarily sailed in 6-12 knots of breeze, with races 9 and 10 being the only exceptions. Quietly, some of us on the boat had made a goal of finishing in the top ten. An ambitious goal when you looked at the depth and quality of the fleet. From Olympian Richard Clarke on one of the MiKEY boats, to 2013 World Champion Brian Porter and the Full Throttle team, to Alan Field’s WTF with Steve Hunt calling tactics, to the Italian entry Altea, and perennial contenders Monsoon and War Canoe. Finishing anywhere near any of these tried and tested teams would be considered a victory for us as very new team in the M24 at our first Worlds together.
Days 1 and 2: Light breeze graced the opening two days of the regatta, with race organizers only able to complete two races. It was a classic PNW convergence with the westerly in western Straits fighting a south easterly in the east entrance to the Straits. It made for tight and tricky racing, with current being a deciding factor in whether you were gaining or losing. WTF had an impressive win in the first race after being OCS, while the Italians showed an impressive light air upwind mode than no one was seemingly able to replicate, leading them to victory in race two. We were content with a 15th and 11th even after making some key errors while racing (double tacking at a windward mark due to current is slow). Regardless, it was a nice and consistent way to start an extremely competitive regatta.
Day 3: After a discombobulated race three where we finished 16th and never felt in phase upwind, we finally found some excellent light air pace and good clean starts that led us to a 3rd and 7th place in races four and five. We were over the moon, and likewise was the Italian boat Altea who scored an impressive 5,1,1. Altea was our dock neighbor and we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to tune up against them almost every morning. Helping them out with a simple boom repair certainly had its perks!
Day 4: Although we could never again replicate our day three form, we had made a collective jump as a team in terms of our upwind boat speed and ability to get off the line. We had a couple killer starts on day 4 that lead us to some high placings around the weather mark. This only heightened our collective excitement about this group’s potential, especially considering many of the crew’s relative inexperience in the M24 (this being my third regatta ever in the boat). We kept high number off the board and stayed in the low to mid teens for much of the remainder of the regatta.
Click to enlarge photos.
12HappyThoughts
12HappyThoughts
12HappyThoughts
12HappyThoughts
Day 5: Finally a day that was on the brochure, 3 races were completed in a ripper of a breeze from 14-22 knots and we finally got to uncork some of the speed potential of the Melges. Never quite finding a quick upwind mode, we resorted to grinding down boats on the downwind legs (something we had come to excel at) and in the regatta’s final race we managed to pass 15 boats over two downwind legs to finish 23rd in race 10, after having what can only be labeled as a tragic start. Personally, our sail back into Victoria Harbor was one tinged with regret. Thinking that we had slipped out of the top 10 with that final race. But much to our relief, and in some ways surprise, we finished 9th overall.
My biggest takeaway from the 2018 Worlds was not the end result, but rather the experience of sailing at such a high level with four other people who have all become such a tight knit group. Achieving a collective goal was made all the more sweet while sailing with one of the best groups I have had the pleasure of being a part of, I am both humbled and grateful to have been given the opportunity to sail with this competitive, funky, and fun loving group of guys. Stay tuned for more exploits from team 12 Happy Thoughts, this adventure may be just getting started.
PS. Huge shoutout to Steve Corcoran for being our awesome coach and cheerleader all weekend. Your support was invaluable to us and you always managed to give us some perspective on our each and every result. Steve, you rock.
Thanks, Alyosha.
I asked how the Italians were as neighbors and Alyosha reported they were “chill and very open to us.” That’s one of the best things about sailing big international regattas, one never knows who you’ll raft up next to. Alyosha’s Pacific Cup ride is Freja. We’ll keep an eye on them as we will the other PNW entries.
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.
Schelleen Rathkopf is facing quite a challenge. When she and then-husband Charley purchased Whidbey Island Race Week, aka The Adult Summer Camp, the event had struggled through different owners and managers, hanging on as an event but with extinction always seemingly just one dropped sponsor away. When you think of it, kudos to all those who have taken WIRW on and kept it alive. Most other race weeks around the nation have met their demise.
And then there’s Oak Harbor. Despite the history, the Oak Harbor Marina has allowed their hoist to fall into disrepair and has failed to dredge the channels, and apparently has no plans to solve either problem.
Not one to shy away from a challenge or make bold move, this year Schelleen’s made the bold move to shorten WIRW to four days over a weekend. She’s added a cruising class with less crew work-intensive courses. And in recent years she’s added a kid’s camp. And, brace yourselves, there’s a real possibility the event could move away from Oak Harbor. To her great credit, Schelleen is putting it all out in front of the PNW sailing community so we can discuss and help. But let me get out of the way and let her tell all:
Sailish: What are the changes for this year? What classes taking shape?
Schelleen Rathkopf
Obviously the big change up this year is the shift from a 5-day regatta that runs Mon-Fri to a 4-day regatta that runs Thurs-Sun. For years, people have suggested that a shift would help skippers find crew so people would have to take fewer days off work. We’ll see if this shift works to build the boat count. It is interesting to note that when we look at all the competitors at Race Week for the years 2016 and 2017, the shift has attracted 16 new boats who are brand new to Race Week. The other change is that we added a casual cruising class to the mix in an effort to attract sailors who just want to come up and have a casual distance race each day. As the event has a 35-year history of buoy racing in Penn Cove, attracting the cruising classes out there will take some time. But, we currently have three boats signed up for this new class: Pearl Jem (Jeanneau 42DS) Pangaea (Baltic 39) and Vela Volta (Bav 35 Match). Of course we’d like to see 6-10 boats in this new class. Additionally, we added a new overall trophy to this year’s mix: the Molly Kool Cup, a perpetual trophy to recognize an outstanding female skipper.
Classes taking shape: Last year we had 13 J105s and 8 Melges 24s but so far this year 6 J105s and 2 Melges 24s are registered. The word on the street is that some skippers are not pleased with the 4 day shift Thurs-Sun due to delivery challenges (despite early delivery options being offered the weekend before WIRW this year). Also, many Melges 24s are racing Worlds and then headed to San Francisco so WIRW not part of their program. We have some efforts at play in the J80 fleet and hoping to get at least 5-6 boats this year. Our PHRF registrations are shaping up as well with the addition of 16 brand new boats.
Penn Cove is an absolutely stunning place to sail but we’re facing some very real challenges to grow the event in this venue which may necessitate a venue change in the future. The hoist at the Oak Harbor Marina is no longer functional (and there are not plans to fix this) and the channel into the Oak Harbor Marina can be very shallow at the negative tides that hit in July. These two challenges prevent us from appealing to those boats on trailers and also to the big boats who need more water to move about safely. We’re committed to staying put in Oak Harbor through 2019, but are seriously considering a new venue starting in 2020 that can deliver on what is necessary for us to include more sailors in the Pacific NW and provide a wonderful summertime destination that the entire family can enjoy.
Sailish: What are the lessons learned in the last couple years?
The last couple of years have been tough. It’s no surpise that Charley and I were divorced in 2016. And when we agreed to take WIRW on, our partnership was very strong as he brings the rock solid race management experience to the table and I brought event marketing and promotions experience to the table. With me taking on the business as sole producer following the divorce, I’ve had alot to learn. Thankfully, Charley and I have a fine working relationship and he continues to be the event PRO and is part of the Advisory Board for WIRW.
Other things I’ve learned:
-Fleets want to have their own events. Despite WIRW offering up an amazing infrastructure and race management model, many fleets still want to conduct their own Regionals, Nationals or NA Championships. We’re continuing the efforts to talk about this as it can save so much time and $ if fleets used Race Week as a turn-key approach to their own events.
-People want a fun, destination in the summertime! Don’t necessarily need expensive regional bands (tho we have these again in 2018, including the Paperboys out of BC) but they want a fun party where they can chill out and have fun after racing.
-Racers are also looking for something new and fun. The events that are growing are interesting and fun. Buoy racing is great, but it would be nice to expand our offerings at Race Week to include some fun and interesting distance races vs. windward/leeward races.
Ultimately I’d like to see 4 race areas at WIRW: dinghies, big boats, youth sailing and a fun casual cruiser class.
Bodacious in 2017, all photos by Jan Anderson.
Mike Goldfarb’s War Canoe had a stellar 2016 week.
No explanation necessary. Race Week. 2016
Great action when the wind was up in 2016.
The J/105s had a big fleet and close racing. – 2016
Slick and Here and Now rekindled their rivalry. -2016
Sailish: What are your thoughts about race weeks generally? Why does Charleston succeed?
Participation is down nationally (internationally). It’s an expensive, time consuming sport. And there is a huge learning curve required to be successful (for those wanting to be on the podium). There are more demands on people’s time than ever. My gut tells me that people still want to sail, but possibly not at the same level of intensity. And I think as a whole, the sport targets a very specific demographic and people age out of that demographic, start families, and priorities change. I also think that boats are super expensive and require seasoned crew and “keeping up with the Joneses” when it comes to boats is daunting for many and frustration happens when the same boats win over and over and over again. There’s been alot of debate around ORC, PHRF and handicap scoring systems as we all try and make things as easy and accessible and fair for racers in a sport that is full of rules and regulations governed by the RRS that already can make things fairly complicated and intimidating for the new racers to break in.
This “keeping up with the Joneses” thing is really interesting as we look at OD fleets that come/go. I can still remember the days when the Olson 30 fleet in Seattle was the largest fleet racing! And then there was the Nationals hosted here and almost overnight, the fleet just went away. It was replaced by the next, sexier boat. What happened to the Farr 30s? J80s are growing steady here but not nearly as quickly as in other cities. J24s are solid (though they seem to prefer lake sailing) The current sweethearts seem to be the J105 fleet, as it’s a great boat for the PNW and there is a tight community of boat owners who know and respect each other. The fleets that seem to succeed for the long haul are those who recognize that iron sharpens iron and they’ve formed a cohesive community that encourages each other to get out and go racing.
Events that are succeeding are those that offer a fun destination experience for racers looking for something new and perhaps even some untraditional courses that shakes up the competition and gives more skippers a chance of winning.
Sailish: Why have Key West and the Seattle NOOD regatta failed?
I think Key West went away because of proximity for racers was time/cost prohibitive. NOOD? My understanding that it went away (in Seattle) because of WA state liquor laws – not that the OD participation wasn’t there. The costs to produce a regatta are super high – costs that many don’t even think about: staging, tenting, registration software, website development, special event permits, special event insurance, regatta insurance, security, fencing, liquor, permits, portable toilets and handwashing stations, race committee assets, awards, staffing, security. It takes alot to produce and event sponsorship $ is getting harder and harder to get (especially when boat numbers are under 100 boats). No one who produces Race Week events are making any money. And it takes alot of work throughout the year to get it done. Working with local jurisdictions can also add to some of these challenges and in the case of Key West, there was definitely some politics at play that made producing the event cost prohibitive in the end.
Given the history of this event in the PNW, we’re doing everything we can to continue to offer up a great event that appeals to the longtimers (who build their summer plans around WIRW) and at the same time draw in new players to the sport. With our reputation for superior race committee and race management work, combined with excellent post party events, we want to see more fleets using WIRW’s established infrastructure to conduct their own regional or NA Championships in future years. And ultimately, we’d love to offer a dinghy and a big boat race experience and I’ve always wanted to add a youth sailing component.
Final Kurt Words
Few events have the history of WIRW. From the IOR days ’til now, the Adult Summer Camp has entertained thousands. Trophies have been won, rum consumed and children conceived (yes, fact). And really, Penn Cove is a great place to race in summer. But 3/day buoy racing and bacchanalian excess have both lost a lot of their appeal, and the organizers and sailors haven’t nailed down exactly what to put in their place.
With the announcement that WIRW was going to a 4-day weekend format, there was the expected groans from the hard core racers. And while Schelleen’s efforts to make the event more family and kid-friendly have succeeded, they haven’t yet convinced enough sailing families out there to produce a big fleet.
That all said, if my family was into racing (it isn’t – yet) I’d set aside time to do WIRW this year in the cruising class. I’d carry the cruising gear onboard and head for the San Juans immediately after. –KH
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.
As I was watching the Swiftsure Race on a monitor from the feeling-left-out comfort of my desk chair, one thing kept leaping out at me. Among all those little boat icons littering the Strait of Juan de Fuca was an inordinate number of three-hulled icons. Of course there was Dragonfly, predictably making mincemeat of the monohulls on the Cape Flattery course. But she wasn’t the only one. Then there was an entire fleet doing the Juan de Fuca course, and they were going really fast. After getting over the fact they took up so much monitor real estate, I thought I better look into this. I put out the word to the PNW multihull faithful and some answers bounced around via email, which I’ve edited and included here.
I asked my Seattle contact Vincent DePillis what was going on and he reported “I think the additional turnout is due to John Green and Tim Knight energetically promoting the Clallam Bay race as a memorial for Ian Farrier. The shorter course attracts a lot of skippers who are not fond of flying the spinnaker at night, in log-infested waters. (Ed. Note, I guess it’s not something we leadbottomers going 6 knots don’t think about as much.) With Clallam Bay, you can at least tell yourself that you will get through race pass in the light.”
In short, the multihullers decided to roll up their sleeves and encourage skippers to get out there. A vibrant multihull fleet is a great thing, and by the sounds of it the sleeves will remain rolled up. Race organizers take note! Here’s the report from the Canadian multihullers who did the sleeve-rolling.
For more information on PNW multihull racing, check out the Northwest Multihull Association or the Vancouver Island Multihull Group.
John Green, Sauterelle, Farrier Trimaran
I am still licking my wounds and getting Sauterelle cleaned up for summer cruising, but yes, the new course to Clallam Bay is what did the trick, and remembering Ian Farrier (ed. Note: Farrier died in December) added to it all. We had 10 Farrier tris here, and they performed very well. I have to give full credit to Tim Knight for thinking of it all. I have been doing this a long time and kind of got stuck in a box of “it has always been this way” until Tim suggested change.
We had had the very short inshore course, but in 2017, not one multi registered, and in 2016, only one did. A race committee cannot support that, but with Clallam Bay, there is a chance to get home before dark and as you said, see where you are going.
I think what adds to it, and not blowing my own horn here, is the sense of camaraderie that exists within our group and the Friday gathering at the yacht club. I actually had a waiting list as we were full. There were 3 more Farrier boats that had wanted to come and had signed up for dinner, but personal and health issues caused them to drop out. This race is suitable for the smaller tris as well so maybe next year some of the F24s and more F27s will be tempted. Probably will need a bigger dining room!
I like to think of Swiftsure more as an event over 3 days than merely as a race.
Tim Knight, Slice of Life
The turnout was a concentrated effort by myself and John. I’m the behind the scenes guy and John is the guy on the phone, sending emails and generally being the best Farrier/multihull ambassador there is.
After we created the Callam Bay Race to celebrate Ian’s life and contribution to multihulls and sailing we got some blowback from some long time competitors, they thought it was underhanded and unfair to them, we explained that times change, we no longer go to the Bank, and we went from a high turnout back in the day of 20+ boats to only 5 last year. After their feedback our solution was to create two races keep the Neah Bay and carry on with the Clallam Bay race.
The rational behind the race was just as Vincent stated, avoid the wind dropping at Neah Bay and then spend the night dodging freighters and logs, sometimes at high speed. We also felt it would be fair to have the rest of the multihull fleet have a shot at getting back before last call. As our skippers and crew are aging and everyone’s expectations are changing, most folks are looking for the adventure, but comfort and fun are paramount, so the shorter race addresses this reality. In future years when the wind isn’t so good the race benefits will be really appreciated…
The rest is history. John resurrected his legendary dinner that started back when Ian Farrier agreed to come to Victoria, and if my memory is right John arranged the first multihull dinner in his honor. This year we maxed out at over 65 sailors and family and what a great dinner it was. Multihull sailors are so smart, we are the only fleet that dines together and takes advantage of RVYC’s Dining area, great food and some good deals on beer!
There still is some feelings harbored by the Neah Bay Boats, they started referring to the Clallam Bay event as the “Clown” Bay race and other derogatory terms, as a person who has tirelessly worked and spent thousands of $’s and endless hours to support and grow multihull and sailing in the NW I am a bit befuddled by this attitude especially since the Idea John and I had was such a success! It would be great if those folks could get past what ever negative feelings they have and use that energy to increase the Neah Bay Fleet for next year, as will John and I for both races.
On another note I started the NW Multihull Championship many years ago, back in 2004(?), I created it as Cow Bay was a great venue, and we were starting to attract a big fleet with a good portion coming from the US, so it seemed like a logical step to take to try and encourage more boats to get together for a really fun weekend of sailing.
Back in those days my sail loft bought a lot of advertising I used that to leverage Pacific Yachting, 48 Degrees North and Northwest Yachting to all promote Cow Bay and the NW Multihull Championships.
The one change we will make to this years event is to go back to PHRF NW’s basic philosophy of TOD instead of TOT. We have reviewed who wins at Cow Bay and as it is very balanced between all sizes of Multi’s we will stick with the one Fleet format, as in all racing you want to do better sail better!
One review needed is if a boat’s rating was generated with a crew of 3-4 then the boat should race with that number or have a rating review…
Lets keep this momentum going and get a great turnout at Cow Bay…
Dragon. All photos by Jan Anderson. Click any to enlarge.
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.
As the chockablock spring racing season winds down in the Northwest, lots of other racing is lining up.
J/Fest June 23, 24
J/Fest is back, and the folk at Sail Northwest are excited to have folks sign up. Here’s Sail Northwest’s intro:
Sail Northwest, your northwest J/Boat dealer, invites you to join us for the comeback of the original J/FEST. For 26 years, we produced some of the best racing and after race socializing available on the planet. This is a two-day regatta (with a Friday night PHRF fun race) is open to all J/Boats owners and crew. Starts will be provided for ONE DESIGN, PHRF AND CRUISING classes. The on the water activities are hosted by Sail Northwest and CYC Seattle. Shoreside activities will be in the Courtyard west of the main building on Friday night and at the CYC Seattle Shilshole clubhouse Saturday and Sunday.
Here’s the website where you’ll find the notice of race and entry form.
Round Orcas June 23
If you don’t have a J/Boat, or just want to try a new and different course, check this out from the folks in the San Juans. Note that there will be several different divisions including a paddleboard/kayak division. This one sounds like a lot of fun for folks who’d rather go around an island than buoys!
Orcas Island Yacht Club is pleased to invite you to participate in the first annual race around Orcas Island. Held on the longest Saturday of the year, the race presents intriguing navigational challenges set against the splendid scenic beauty and tall, forested bluffs of the largest island in the San Juans. We look forward to you joining us!
The start is between a red flag on Orcas Landing and the flag pole on Shaw Island.
We are planning on a fully crewed division, a double-handed division, and a self-propelled paddleboard/kayak division.
Buchan Star Clinic This Saturday
Local sailors Derek DeCouteau and Jaimie Stewart working upwind. Local photo by Jan Anderson.
This Saturday is the Buchan Star clinic. In addition to all the Star aficionados out there, Laser and RS Aero sailors are invited to sit in as well. If you’ve never heard experts talk about setting up and sailing a Star, I’d recommend this as definitely worth the time. Of course much of it will be unique to the Star, but it will be great insight into perhaps the most sophisticated and challenging boat on the water. Here’s a brief description by Star sailor Dave Watt.
Our agenda is as follows: We’ll be gathering next Saturday morning at about 10:00 A.M. in the dry storage area with Carl Buchan discussing and reviewing boat set-ups, followed by Carl speaking at about 11:00 A.M. about boat handling drills. We’ll then go out onto the water for boat handling drills during Saturday afternoon, followed by a de-brief on-shore lead by Carl during the late afternoon and early evening. We’ll resume next Sunday morning at 10:00 A.M. with a short land briefing, followed by short races on the water, and concluding with a post-racing de-brief on-shore by Carl. For more information contact Foss Miller at foss@pacific-research.com.
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.
Is there anything better than weeknight racing in summer? We’ve shown those great drone videos of Tacoma weeknight racing already. Here’s another look, this time at the Annapolis Yacht Club scene. It’s impressive. Four PHRF divisions plus Alberg 30s, Farr 30s, Herreshoff 12.5s, Etchells, Harbor 20s (21 boats!) plus a whole host of J-classes, J/80, J/30, J/105 and J/35. Check out this video from AYC, fun to watch even if it is out there on the other coast. Then make sure you get out there this summer in one of our own great weeknight series!
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.
This picture of Glory and Smoke courtesy of Patrick Doran’s Facebook page. Nigel Barron, who was aboard Crossfire, took the shot. According to Barron, Crossfire was “first to the wind hole” and had to watch as the TP 42s put several miles on her. The decision was made to drop out and get the boat ready for the Downtown Sailing Series (racing sails to remove etc) Watch for the big white boat there!
It’s clear from the Blake Island Race, Seattle Yacht Club’s Tri-Island finale, that summer sailing conditions are definitely upon us. As light air and moderate breezes trade places, first from one direction and then another, and the currents complicate matters, crews are kept guessing. Bruce Hedrick explained what would happen before it happened here. The results (click here) tell much of the story. Take particular note of how many classes had three-way ties for the series, including ORC 1, Class 2, Class 5 and J/105s.
We have two reports from last Saturday’s race, first from Andy Mack, skipper of the J/122 Grace. Mack and team played the shifts as well as they could be, finishing first overall in the PHRF for the race and the series despite a DNS in the Vashon Island Race. Mack does a great job of explaining the winning moves.
Then we have a report from Jim Marta, skipper of the Farr 395 Eye Candy, which won all three Tri-Island races overall in the ORC division. As he’s raced under every handicapping system, I also asked him to share his thoughts on ORC handicapping.
Andy Mack, Grace
Our fleet started on time in ta 6-10 knot southerly, and onboard was our “light air” crew of Dan Falk, Wendy Robards, my wife Jaimie Mack, Kent Sisk and me.
After tacking up under West Point for relief from the ebb tide and we neared the tip of West Point it became very clear the ORC fleet that had started 5 minutes before us were headed straight across, running out of wind and drifting north. A few boats ahead of us had tacked at the point to sail what was left of a SW breeze dropping to 2 – 3 knots. The goal was to keep the boat moving and hope a new breeze filled in. As we progressed south, the breeze progressively swung to the north and continued to drop. We went from a cracked off jib reach to a kite, keeping the foot out of the water as it sagged in the lulls.
A few of us had managed to escape the middle of the Sound: Ace, Ocelot, Grace and Hamachi. The early boats attempting to sail across the Sound, the TP52’s and smaller boats suffered longer in less breeze. As we approached the Bainbridge shore the wind started to fill from the northwest and built, allowing the rich to get richer, especially those closest to the shore who could gain current relief and a bit more thermal velocity effect.
We gybed, heading us straight at Blakley Rock, eventually having to drop the kite and beat to clear Restoration Point and reset for the run to the south end of Blake Island. We were overhauled by the two TP52s, Absolutely, and Hamachi with Ace and Ocelot battling for position into the first gybe to round the island. Eye Candy and a Flying Tiger were in close pursuit with the rest of the fleet well behind. As we hit the halfway point, we were halfway into the time limit hoping the breeze would fill as forecasted. There was some positioning and tight fleet action around the bottom of the island, with Ocelot, Ace, Absolutely, Hamachi and Grace close behind entering into the filling NE breeze. There wasn’t much action from here other than a little positioning for clean lanes, avoiding adverse tidelines and light air holes.
Looking back on the rest of the fleet, it wasn’t pretty. The wind must have dropped off stranding the majority of the fleets behind the island. On the long tack across to Magnolia, we gained ground on Ace. After a few tacks and a tight cover, Ace split tacks with us into Magnolia, following Hamachi into the bluff while we continued offshore for what looked like better 6 – 7 knot breeze. When we tacked back to consolidate it was clear we had made a large gain by staying in more breeze, crossing Ace by a quarter mile and cutting into Hamachi and Absolutely’s lead. The final approach into the temporary West Point buoy was straightforward, with a starboard rounding in the filling northerly and straight run into the finish
We couldn’t have been happier with our result, feeling like we did the best we could have with what we were dealt. It looked much more difficult not far behind us. At least the rest of the fleet got the building breeze to get them to the finish with no worries of not making the time limit.
Jim Marta, Eye Candy
We sailed three good races. My crew is a very experienced bunch and add to the effectiveness of my boat. We did just as well in the series two years ago using the IRC system of handicapping…another system much like the ORC.
Of interest is the fact that we race in the ORC division against other ORC boats. We go with our division where their course tactics take us, not with PHRF boats and that makes the comparisons with the two fleets difficult to understand if one compares just how one fleet does with the other.
You asked about impressions ORC system. Thus far, it seems to be a decent, and currently, a much better system of rating boat speed in each type of condition or course. The system doesn’t produce boats that have unfair advantages. On Eye Candy when we sail well, we seem to do well, and if we falter too many times over the race we don’t do well. We can’t appeal the rating of a boat as all ratings come from the international body, based in London, England. Again predicted speeds based on hull, equipment and sail configurations are used.
I recommend boats that are not pleased with the PHRF system go with the ORC rating system. It has a fairness that can’t be lobbied for a “fair” advantage.
Since I’m probably close to completing my racing career and am now 82 years old I have seen a lot of changes in how we determine just how fast boats are and how we rate them. And, it looks like the future of yachting is still uncertain due to water ballast, foils, and the construction of a “freak boat” in some new types that are probably not as safe as most mono-hulls have been in the past. I’ve raced over 55 plus years using ratings as: CCA, an IOR, an IMS, an IRC, and ORC ratings of my many boats, plus I have been member of PHRF since 1966. PHRF maybe its own worst enemy in that ratings are arbitrary and can be lobbied to improve one’s favored speed potential/rating. In my experience it would seem that many/maybe most of the handicappers are not really long term racers. I’ve seen boats that were once rated in the 30+ seconds per mile using PHRF and now are rated in the 60+ seconds per mile…a half a minute per mile is a significant factor and in a Smith Island Race this can mean over 40 minutes in the race results. Have the boats gotten slower? Not that I have seen for well-skippered, crewed, maintained, and equipped boats.
A national system of PHRF would be a real step forward as boats could be rated the same if the boats are the same, nationwide. We say that our conditions are not typical of other areas. Barry Carroll, of Carroll Marine and U.S. Sailing, indicated when in Seattle, at CYC, that within a radius of 50 miles a Boston area boat might have three ratings. We all have wind, water, and often tides. What is really different from area to area?
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.
