As you undoubtedly noticed, we had the remains of a weak frontal system move over the area today and it will continue to move inland overnight. As it does, it will continue to weaken and behind the front, a weak ridge of high pressure will start to build along the coastal waters producing an onshore flow. Since the frontal system is weak and the high building along the coast is weak, the timing of these events is not well-defined.
The satellite picture and the Sea/Tac Doppler Radar give us a nice view of the current situation.
April 18 500MB
April 18 Surface Analysis
April 19 500MB
April 19 Surface Forecast
April 20 500MB
April 20 Surface Forecast
April 21 Surface Forecast
The surface charts for today, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday show a consistent progression of these systems. The general rule is that the first day the ridge builds will be the best day for breeze and that matches what we are seeing with the pressure gradient being tighter tomorrow and into tomorrow night and then starting to ease Saturday.
The good news for West Vancouver YC’s Southern Straits Race is that most of the racing will take place on the west side of the Straits where the northwesterly will fill first, be the strongest, and last the longest. The lighter air will be in the starting area while the onshore flow continues to build in the Straits. You should probably start logging the barometric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction at Sentry Shoal, Sisters(34 knots of SE at 1400hrs), Halibut Bank and Sand Heads to get a feel for how fast things are changing.
The starting area should see 5-10 knots of westerly. This
will hold until about midday when you should expect the wind to build to 10-15
knots of west-northwesterly as you beat across the Straits. Think about
hoisting your first headsail in the port groove so you can do a quicker tack
change as the wind builds.
It’s mid to late afternoon where the models diverge as far
as wind velocity goes. One model has the wind building to 15-25 knots while the
GFS model has it holding at 10-15 knots until midnight when it will build to
15-20 with higher gusts closer to Vancouver Island. This should hold until
about midnight when the gradient should ease and the wind begins to drop. As
the gradient does ease, expect lighter air the closer you get to the finish as
the onshore flow will begin to conflict with the downslope drainage
northeasterly coming down the mountains.
For the Long Course, it looks like the TP 52’s will make it
around in about 19 hours finishing around 0500 hours. On the Medium Course, the
Beneteau 40.7’s should be finishing about the same time. My apologies to the
Short Course boats, I just don’t have any of your polars.
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)
Tiana Mohebi is an ambitious student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and as a project she chose to profile a fellow student doing this summer’s Van Isle 360. Tiana got in touch with sailish for some journalistic commentary, and I was happy to oblige. Anything to further promote sailing and an event as great and unique as the Van Isle….
Lousy picture of the new Monkee.
Tania along with Nikita Nayak profiled William Blouin-Comeau who is sailing on none other than the new Cheekee Monkee catamaran. Here is the website they created: https://nikitanayak319.wixsite.com/mysite.
It was fun weighing in on the subject, and Tiana did a great job of conveying some of the appeal of both the race and adventure sailing in her presentation. It’s particularly suitable for your non-sailing or casual friends who ask “why do it?” You can listen to the program here.
The front page of their website.
Best of luck to William Blouin-Comeau. More importantly, good luck to Tiana. She’s clearly one to watch. And we need to get her out on a boat!
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 Carol Pearl Blakely Rock Benefit Race is usually a great excuse for the casual racer to have a low-key race to Blakely Rock and back to Shilshole. It draws a lot of boats out of the woodwork for racing that isn’t considered too serious. This year it was more than that.
Ed.Note: At the end of this post is a great tack-by-tack description by winner Ben Braden, plus some thoughts on dropping out. Well worth reading!
With morning winds in the 30s and gusting into the 30s, Saturday was not the best day for casual racers. Fortunately, many decided on discretion being the better part of valor and chose to stay at the dock or head home when it seemed too much. As Bruce Hedrick said in his brief Friday, “‘The question was “How do you define heavy weather?’ The answer is that you define what heavy weather is and that is the point where you and your crew are no longer comfortable sailing in the existing conditions and there exists the possibility of hurting someone or doing damage to the vessel.”
104 boats were registered and 39 completed the course.
It was actually very interesting to watch the boats setting up before the start. The racers had their small jibs up, but many soon realized a reef in the main was also called for. That’s not something we see a lot of on Puget Sound. Boats with furling got to find out just what their headsail looked like rolled up partway.
As the classes headed out from under the lee of West Point into the teeth of the southerly, VHF channel 72 seemed an endless stream of “This is the yacht So-And-So, retiring” followed by acknowledgement by the race committee.
It was a hard beat up to Blakely Rock. Most boats held port tack to the west side of the Sound before tacking to starboard. One boat that didn’t was Ben and Jennifer Braden’s Moore 24 More Uff Da. They chose to play the east side of the Sound and it worked out great for them, launching them ultimately to first overall. Of course the conditions were Moore 24 perfect for the run back to Shilshole. Second overall was Alex Simanis and Poke & Destroy with third going to Mark Brink and Tonic.
The wind lightened up at times, but there were still some gusts to deal with as bulk of the fleet was finishing. There were a few roundups and white knuckles, but apparently no major damage. Dan Randolph aboard Nefarious reportedly “found the rock, and was glad it wasn’t a whale.” Last year he was severely injured when his boat hit a whale while motoring.
This year the race benefited MY SAIL, an organization dedicated to promote muiltihull sailing for the “next generation of enthusiasts.
Congratulations are in order for all involved, particularly for the skippers who played it safe. Results here.
Moore Fun on Uff Da
By Ben Braden
We stayed high off the start, went from near the boat end and stayed high. When it looked like I was going to get outside of West Point I tacked up towards a point halfway between the point and green marker then tacked back to port for the slog across. There was great positive current by staying high and near the point’s pressure point on the current,. And I don’t like sailing into Murden Cove. We came across at the south end of Murden cove near the pilings and then the standard westerly shift kicked in. Tonic tacked back just after Yeomalt Point after a starboard tack header and I held on just a little too long and ended up lifted back up 20 degrees so I didn’t want to tack – Tonic made out on that one and easily pulled ahead of us. One more tack into the red nun and then it was starboard tack all the way to the Rock. We were sixth around and the second spinnaker up behind Tonic, Mark Brink’s boat. Jim Marda was so far off ahead in Eye Candy we could barely see him. The wind was honking till we got the Rock – seemed to be hitting 30ish at times but we didn’t know exactly as we only have depth and a compass. Went on the fact we were twisting the sails a little for speed and there was streaking on the water as our guides on windspeed. When we rounded, the winds dropped to 12ish, just barely capping. Once we got past our disappointment about the light downwind we settled into enjoying the sun and beautiful day it had become. I stayed as low as I felt comfortable downwind, a little above Tonic’s line and we both plugged along down the Sound until about a mile or so from West Point when the next breeze came through and we moved weight back and were off on a plane through the no flying sails boats. We were zooming but the wind was super squirrelly – my helm was extremely active to keep the boat on a plane and under the spinnaker.
I can’t tell you how fast we were going in normal sailors terms (previously mentioned depth/compass only) but in Tertiary Moore Dementia Syndrome (ed. note.: well worth reading) terms we were at the two crew wahooing and another giggling speed with four big smiles zooming. The bow spray was back around the mast with the boat flat but not full on bow down planing. We caught Tonic at the mark, and I want to say that Tonic did a very impressive take down on their spinnaker with just 3 aboard. Tonic rounded just in front of us with the Gay Morris’s Thomas 35 Francy just behind for the short beat to the finish in the strong breeze. Both the bigger boats pulled away from us to weather so I think we ended up finishing 4th across the line and definitely 2nd spinnaker boat behind Tonic. It was great racing against Brink again, miss him in the old Lady Bug and notably absent was Nate’s Olson 25. My quick look at the results show me 38% of the boats finished the race and I’ve seen a number of comments online asking why so many boats dropped out as well as conversations after the race. I must say that I was very impressed with the decisions by my fellow skippers to continue the race and just as impressed with those that chose to head in or not leave the dock. I did not hear about too many issues and/or calls for assistance and that tells me the skippers that decided their boats or crew were not up to sailing in gale conditions made the difficult but correct decision and those that stayed out and finished correctly had their boats and crews ability in mind. That to me is proper seamanship in our sailing lifestyle. I commend and defend those decisions to head back to port, I understand how hard that decision can be. My boat and crew have sailed in similar conditions a number of times recently; our Nationals regatta last summer was sailed in 30 to 40 knots, so I knew we were up to the challenge. Had I a different crew with less experience my decision to stay on the course may have been different. Nate Creitz congratulated us online saying something in the order of congratulations, it isn’t your first and won’t be your last. My wife Jennifer, being the civil engineer she is, wanted the truth and looked at the past results. I thought we had won the overall once before this, she found a third. Interestingly though, two of them were quick races – 2.5 hours on the course – obviously another windy race day like Saturday. The other, the first time we won this race overall was 5.25 hours on course. Interesting.
The spinnaker is drying in the basement and the dehumidifier has filled and been emptied once and I’m sure in need of another dump – everything is back in order.
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 is one of our
favorite events all year and it is eerily similar to last year with lots of
doom and gloom forecasts. The question, as always, is when will these fronts
actually impact the race area and that is a very good question.
Doppler at Langley Hill
Today’s surface analysis shows a complex, flattened, series of low-pressure systems ranging from 974MB to 977MB. This front is what we will experience today. The front for tomorrow is attached to a 992MB low directly south of the aforementioned system. The 992MB system is very fast moving and will not weaken until it begins to interact with our coastal buffer zone sometime tomorrow morning. This will put the front over the race area in the late morning to mid-afternoon.
The current Doppler at Langley Hill clearly shows a more intense frontal system headed our way this afternoon and matches up nicely with the satellite picture. We have generally light southeasterly flow over the area now and this will increase as the system approaches starting late this afternoon and into the evening. The barometer is clearly dropping and that is also reflected with the readings from Destruction Island on the coast, where there is 30+knots of wind and the barometer is still dropping so the front is not there yet.
April 5 500MB
April 5 Surface Analysis
April 6 Surface Forecast
April 7 500MB
April 7 Surface Forecast
The first start is
at 1100 hours and there should be about 12-18 knots of pre-frontal
southeasterly. The strongest pre-frontal breeze will be in the eastern part of
Straits and up into the San Juan Islands With the passage of the front now
looking like to be about midday to early afternoon, expect a brief drop in the
breeze as it backs to the south-southwest. As the breeze settles into a more
southwesterly direction, this is when we should see the strongest breeze of the
day. Then as the front moves further away from the Salish Sea the breeze over
the center Sound will slowly drop as the gradient eases. This is a reverse
start so the battle on the upwind leg will be to keep your air clear. Tides
will not be much of a factor.
Tidal Currents at
West Point
0712 .4 knots Ebb
1018 Slack
1524 1.06 knots Flood
1812 Slack
Remember that since
we will have had some rain, the ebb in the morning will probably last longer,
delaying slack water by as much as an hour.
Wind Vs. current at Destruction Island
So you will want to get a clear air start and then hold starboard tack to the breakwater and then work your way up under West Point as there will still be some wind-generated surface current against you. At West Point head across the Sound on port tack. Go all the way to the Bainbridge Island shore to again get out of what current there is. There should be a slight knock as you get to Bainbridge so sail well into it before you tack to starboard and work your way up to the Rock.
It’s also possible
that if the front is delayed after interacting with the coast that we may have
a very east-southeasterly breeze that will allow you to make the mark on one
long port tack.
You’ll probably do a
port pole set however as you get past all the rocks headed north get set up to
gybe and get aimed at West Point. At West Point, the wind may shift slightly to
the SSE and become puffy as the wind starts to come out of the Ship Canal. Get
set-up to do your drop early and start negotiating with the boats around you
for buoy room at Meadow Point. As you sail
past the finish line be sure to sight it and figure out which end is favored.
Perfect sail handling at this mark will pay big dividends. You’ll need to tack
out from the beach fairly quickly so make sure that is all part of your
rounding plan. You should tack back to starboard once you can make the beach
between the bathhouse and the north end of the breakwater. There will be a
knock as you get in close to the beach. Tack when you can lay the favored end.
If it’s the buoy end put a little in the bank because the current from the Ship
Canal will set you out.
The satellite view
I also had a great
question this week once it looked like it might be breezy and we could be in
for some heavy weather. The question was “How do you define heavy weather?” The
answer is that you define what heavy
weather is and that is the point where you and your crew are no longer
comfortable sailing in the existing conditions and there exists the possibility
of hurting someone or doing damage to the vessel. So for tomorrow, we will all
be in life jackets and safety harnesses and if it’s cranking, we may just stay
at the dock. Nothing wrong with that!
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)
It’s been clear for a while that dear old Oak Harbor, home of Whidbey Island Race Week (WIRW), would have to be relieved of hosting duty. The shoaling harbor and lack of a working hoist are putting a kibosh on a 37-year old event. But in my opinion, it was time to make the change for other reasons as well.
I’ll let the press release reprinted below speak for itself. The new venue is Point Roberts, a US enclave located on the southern tip of the otherwise Canadian peninsula where Tswassen, BC. is located. It has a deep harbor, good racing areas and an enthusiastic host. The location is relatively close to Vancouver, BC but further away from Seattle.
Race Week is not alone in its challenges. Big boat race weeks have been disappearing around the country (along with lots of buoy racing) and they’re all facing different, but similar, challenges. I’m guessing anyone who’d done a WIRW has good, if sometimes hazy, memories. A host of energetic sailors and sponsors have kept it going, even with declining numbers.
Sailboat racing is changing, and Schelleen Rathkopf is determined that Race Week should change along with it. She’s made plenty of changes in the last three years making it more family and cruiser friendly while maintaining the competitive aspects.
Some of Jan Anderson’s photos from last year’s Whidbey Island Race Week.
There are a few reasons I think this is a good move. First and foremost, sometimes change (especially after 37 years) is good just for change’s sake. I’m not sure what the racing conditions are there, but the toilet bowl current of Penn Cove had been figured out long ago. The cruiser courses could be quite interesting. I love the idea of it being more accessible to Canadians. I figure a good contingent of serious Canadian racers and partyers might draw more Seattle boats. While I don’t know much about Point Roberts (yet), Schelleen’s research indicates they’ll be eager for sailors to show up.
Oak Harbor was a jumping off time for racers wanting to take the family cruise to the San Juans and Gulf Islands.. Point Roberts is a stone’s throw from the Gulf Islands, not far from Vancouver and Howe Sound and a long day’s delivery from Desolation Sound. It’s a much better jumping off point. My hope is that cruisers use the new venue as an excuse to race (in the cruising class) and that racers use it as an excuse to start the family cruise heading north.
For those wondering what other venues were in the running, it was basically between Point Roberts and Port Townsend. Rathkopf explains why Point Roberts got the nod: “There were two main reasons. To host the event in Port Townsend would have required us to move the event to late June or early September. I didn’t want to move the event out of July. Another factor is that we would only have 70 slips at Point Hudson Marina at a rate of $1.30/ft. Overflow would go to Boat Haven Marina on the other side of town, splitting up the fleets. I like that in Point Roberts, all boats are in a marina together in one big compound vs splitting everyone up ($0.75/ft).”
Of course questions remain: How many Seattle boats are up for the long delivery and return? Will the border crossings be too much of pain? Will the conditions live up to the billing? The issue of what rating systems to use remain unsettled. (that old ridiculous NW vs BC PHRF thing). At least there’s ORC for the big boats and ORC Club to fall back on) Questions aside, this is an exciting, surprising move.
SEATTLE, Washington, March 28, 2019 – Whidbey Island Race Week LLC is pleased to announce Point Roberts, Washington as the new venue for Race Week beginning in the year 2020. The event will be called Point Roberts Race Week and the 2020 dates will be July 13-17, 2020. Point Roberts Race Week will be a 5-day race event, Monday through Friday which allows for the weekends before and after for boat deliveries.
“Point Roberts has everything we need to host a world class destination regatta,” says Schelleen Rathkopf, Event Producer and longtime Whidbey Island Race Week Race participant. “It has an exceptional race area for both big boats and dinghies, a deep-water full-service marina and a comfortable Pacific Northwest summertime vibe. It’s the perfect venue for Race Week’s new home.”
The vision is to create the largest sailboat racing event on the west coast of North America that includes sailors from the USA and Canada. In addition to big boat and dinghy racing, race organizers also want to tie in a US Sailing National Championship as well as a youth event which the size of the venue supports. Plans have already commenced to have Point Roberts Race Week included in VARC (Vancouver Area Racing Circuit) Society in an effort to build participation from Canada.
“This venue will allow Race Week to grow to its fullest potential. There’s enough space to run multiple interesting and fun race circles for buoy and distance races for One Design and PHRF fleets of all sizes. The marina can handle the influx of 200+ boats, including the Transpac 52s – even at a negative tide.”
For the first year, there will be 3 race circles in 2020, each with their own US Sailing certified PRO and race committee: big boats, dinghies and a cruising class for those who want to enjoy the event with one casual distance race per day. Awards will include daily and overall awards for the top 3 finishers in each class. Additionally, Point Roberts Race Week will continue the Whidbey Island Race Week tradition with two perpetual awards that include the Philip Wise Sportsmanship Award for the crew that exhibits exemplary sportsmanship and the Molly Kool Cup Award that recognizes the overall achievement of a female skipper.
Point Roberts, Washington is a beautiful seaside community that is just 4.9 square miles and overlooks the Strait of Georgia north of the San Juan Islands and south of Tsawwassen and Ladner, British Columbia. It offers a protected 920 slip marina that sits on 155 acres and can easily accommodate an influx of sailboats of all sizes and their tenders for a week every summer in July. The marina also has a 3,000-pound small boat dinghy lift in addition to a 35-ton travel lift, a full-service chandlery and mechanic shop. There is gas, diesel, propane and water available at the marina in addition to RV and tent camping, laundry and shower facilities. There is also a US customs agent on site to assist with racers coming to Point Roberts Race Week from British Columbia or other provinces in Canada.
“Point Roberts is a perfect fit for Race Week with some of the finest sailing and cruising in the Pacific Northwest,” shares Theresa Coe, General Manager of the Point Roberts Marina. “Our location, open water immediately adjacent to the harbor entrance and fantastic spectator viewing locations make this venue great for the racers as well as families and sport enthusiasts alike.”
The Point Roberts Marina includes Breakwaters Bar and Grill, a full-service restaurant and bar that is fully equipped to handle 500-600 people for indoor/outdoor post-race parties on site. There is a grocery store nearby, and the marina is secure, pet friendly and has ample parking for trailers and cars.
There are 1300 full time residents in Point Roberts and in the summertime, this number doubles due in large part to the number of vacation and 2nd homes located there. Referred to as “Vancouver’s Weekend Playground” by Seabright Farms, the largest developer of new custom cottages built on lots along the south beach shores, Point Roberts caters to those interested in getting away from it all for R & R and memorable outdoor activities and experiences.
Point Roberts sits in a zone known for little rainfall, lots of sun and consistent breeze. This climate combined with the miles of public beaches, the gorgeous natural surroundings, and the marina services, makes it the perfect destination for racers and cruisers alike. Additionally, Point Roberts is home to Bald Eagle Golf Course, an 18-hole course and has many walking, running and hiking trails within walking distance to the marina. “We look forward to the influx of new visitors, boaters and sailors that will discover our seaside community where you can, bicycle, camp, hike, golf and play freely,” says Theresa Coe. “We love for people to discover our hidden gem.”
Getting to Point Roberts
By Car: Point Roberts is located in Washington state, but to get there by car from the US requires 2 border crossings in Blaine and then again in Tsawwassen. Driving Distances to Point Roberts: From Vancouver International Airport: 20 miles From Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia (BC): 24 miles From Blaine, Washington: 25 miles Bellingham, Washington: 49 miles From Seattle: 150 miles By Air: There is a grass landing airport in Point Roberts that offers service by San Juan Airlines. By Sea: 48 degrees 58’ 23.91” N, 123 degrees 03’ 52.20” W / NOAA Chart 18241. As Point Roberts is located in Washington state, there are no border crossing requirements for those travelling from the US waterways. Nautical miles to Point Roberts travelling at 7.0 knots From Anacortes: 35.6 NM / 5:05 hours From Bellingham: 31.5 NM / 4:30 hours From Blaine: 12.7 NM / 1:49 hours From Deer Harbor, Orcas Island: 23.8 NM / 3:24 hours From Everett (via Deception Pass): 76.4 NM / 10:55 hours From Galiano Island: 22.7 NM / 3:15 hours From Nanaimo, Vancouver Island: 38.8 NM / 5:33 hours From Oak Harbor: 58.1 NM / 8:18 hours From Port Townsend: 56.5 NM / 8:04 hours From Seattle (Shilshole via Deception Pass): 91.4 NM / 13:03 hours From Sidney (via Active Pass): 26.8 NM / 3:50 hours From Vancouver: 32.6 NM / 4:39 hours From Victoria (via Boundary Passage): 46.2 NM / 6:36 hours From White Rock: 11.8 NM / 1:41 hours.
Point Roberts is an undiscovered gem that will be well worth the delivery to get there. Recognizing that border crossings might be challenging for some crew, and the venue may require a two-day boat delivery for some Seattle boats, there are plans in the works to address these concerns. Point Roberts Race Week will arrange for a water taxi to transfer walk on crew from Blaine Harbor Marina in Washington to Point Roberts Marina in Washington. This crossing through Semiahmoo and Boundary Bay is 12.7 NM, and will take approximately 20-30 minutes.
In addition, Point Roberts Race Week will be hosting a rendezvous party in Anacortes for boats doing a two-day delivery from the Seattle area on each of the Saturday nights before/after Point Roberts Race Week. “My hope is that Seattle area boats get the party started early and share in the camaraderie of the delivery,” Rathkopf adds. The delivery from Seattle’s Shilshole Bay Marina is 91 nautical miles and for boats travelling at 7 knots, it will take approximately 13 hours. “The route is scenic and the distance doable when it’s split up over two days,” Rathkopf adds. “An alternative is Point Roberts Marina has a 3,000 pound dinghy lift and a 35-ton travel lift for boats preferring to trailer to the event.”
Accommodations There are hundreds of VRBO and Airbnb offerings in Point Roberts for crews looking for house shares. Plus, RV and tent camping will be available at the Point Roberts Marina and also at Lighthouse Park Campground, a full-service campground near the marina that will be reserved annually for Point Roberts Race Week participants. There are also several comfortable hotels nearby in Tsawwassen.
Local Hospitality and Local Knowledge Both Theresa Coe and longtime Whidbey Island Race Week racer (and the Overall Winner at Whidbey Island Race Week in 2018), David Jackson, (Dash 34, MadDash) have lived and raced in Point Roberts for many years and were instrumental in the reconnaissance to bring Race Week to Point Roberts. On the quality of the racing area, David explains, “The winds are unobstructed and the tides are predictable. For the longer races, nearby islands can be used as marks while some courses may go to the east of the point into Boundary Bay, or to the West in the Strait of Georgia. Expect a great variety of race areas and course lengths.” Concerning local racing tips, he adds, “The races will all start just 5 to 10 minutes from the marina. For the short courses, we’ll race close to low bank shores and spectators will love it because the boats get super close to shore. The water at Lighthouse park is deep right to shore so get close but the cliffs at Lilly Point can funnel and/or slow the wind, so stay clear.”
As longtime Point Roberts residents, Coe and Jackson also encapsulates the support that racers can expect to receive from the entire community. “You will not only have the support of the Point Roberts Marina,” David says. “But you will have everyone in the Point Roberts community making racers feel at home.” Coe adds, “Point Roberts is a unique small close knit, quiet and rustic community where an event like this brings new excitement and a chance where the community can shine with our hospitality and friendliness.”
History 2019 marks the 37th year that Race Week has called Whidbey Island home. It was brought to life by Northwest Yachting magazine back in the early 80s and the traditions continued with Bob Ross and Stan Stanley, followed by Gary Stuntz and then Schelleen and Charley Rathkopf and now Schelleen Rathkopf. Whidbey Island Race Week has enjoyed many years of hospitality, support and engagement in the City of Oak Harbor. But the marina’s only lift has been broken for 2 years and the plans to address a solution won’t begin until the year 2024. Additionally, the channel into the marina is in desperate need of dredging to accommodate larger boats that would like to attend Race Week but cannot due to their risks of running aground. In order to provide the best event experience on the west coast, attract boats from the US and Canada, expand our offerings to the region’s growing fleets, the event needs to be in a deep-water, full-service marina and unfortunately, that is not in Oak Harbor. The Oak Harbor Marina is owned by a tenant association (not the City of Oak Harbor) and the costs for the needed repairs and dredging is too cost prohibitive. Whidbey Island Race Week will celebrate its final event in Oak Harbor, Washington July 24-27, 2019.
New Name
Whidbey Island Race Week will be rebranded as Point Roberts Race Week and additional information will be available on the new event website, PointRobertsRaceWeek.com that will launch July, 28, 2019. Registration for Point Roberts Race Week will open January 1, 2020.
Contacts Schelleen Rathkopf / Event Producer & Owner / Whidbey Island Race Week / Point Roberts Race Week 2400 NW 80th Street #130 / Seattle WA 98117 / (206) 384-5254 / Schelleen@PointRobertsRaceWeek.com www.WhidbeyIslandRaceWeek.com / www.PortRobertsRaceWeek.com (Launch date July 28, 2019)
Schelleen Rathkopf is a Seattle native and grew up in a power boat family. She taught sailing at Malibu Club in Canada, a popular youth summer camp near Canada’s Princess Louisa Inlet during her summers in college. A graduate from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, Schelleen majored in Art History and then pursued a career in marketing and promotions in Seattle area media houses including KING TV and Seattle Magazine for over 20 years. Schelleen served as the Sponsors Coordinator for the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition on Mount Everest in 1999, where she worked on sponsor procurement and fulfillment on Mt. Everest. Schelleen has raced on a variety of boats including J24s, SJ24s, C & C 32, Olson 30, Cookson 12M, and a Star. She also owned and skippered her own boat, Isaura, a San Juan 28 for several years. From early 2000, Schelleen’s interests turned towards race management as this was a way to be involved with racing while raising two small children. For 16 years, Schelleen served on race committee as the scorekeeper and timekeeper at Corinthian Yacht Club in Seattle and also at Whidbey Island Race Week, prior to taking over ownership of Race Week in 2015. In addition to her work on Race Week, Schelleen is a certified professional organizer through NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals) and in 2017, created her own home organization business, Stuffbusters of Puget Sound. She lives in the Ballard/Crown Hill neighborhood in Seattle with her two children. Theresa Coe / General Manager / Point Roberts Marina / 713 Simundson Drive / Point Roberts WA 98281 (360) 945-2255 / tcoe@pointrobertsmarina.com / www.pointrobertsmarina.com
Theresa Coe, General Manager of the Point Roberts Marina, has been a resident of Point Roberts since 2008. She brings extensive management experience, a diverse background and a passion for boating to her position. She has worked in air traffic control in both Canada and the US, is a licensed PADI Dive Master and has been a volunteer member with the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary SAR team operating out of Point Roberts. She has a plethora of boating experience in both sail and power and bought her first boat at age 16 in Florida, where she taught herself how to sail. Theresa has raced lasers, catarmarans, and a 50’ Beneteau out of Davis Island Yacht Club in Florida and later raced a 31’ Evetts in the Pacific Northwest with the Deep Cove Yacht Club and Point Roberts Yacht Club. Currently, she enjoys boating on DevOcean, her Bayliner 38 that she keeps at the Point Roberts Marina.
David Jackson / (360) 945-0450 / david.a.jackson@snapon.com David Jackson has lived and raced in Point Roberts for 19 years and has a long history of sailboat racing since he was a young boy. He sailed sabot prams, lasers, fireballs and tornados before landing on his favorite big boat, Mad Dash – a Dash 34. Mad Dash has been in David’s family since 1984 when his parents and his sister (who were all on Olympic sailing teams) wanted a boat that the entire family could race and cruise on. His parents have since retired from racing, but David and his kids have continued the family tradition and have enjoyed a lot of success on the podium. As a longtime Whidbey Island Race Week racer (and the Overall Winner at Whidbey Island Race Week in 2018), David has also participated in club races, J24 Worlds and Vic-Maui. Links Point Roberts Marina https://www.pointrobertsmarina.com/ Point Roberts Yacht Club http://pointrobertsyachtclub.com/ Point Roberts Now https://pointrobertsnow.com/ Lighthouse Marina Park Campground / RV Park http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/1956/Lighthouse-Marine-Park Blaine Border Crossing http://www.blainechamber.com/border-crossing-info/ Point Roberts Border Crossing https://pointrobertsnow.com/border-crossing-information/ Breakwaters Bar & Grill (Post race party venue at Point Roberts Marina) https://www.breakwatersbargrill.com/ Westwind Marine at Point Roberts Marina http://www.westwindmarine.net/ Bald Eagle Golf Club https://baldeaglegc.com/ Seabright Farms http://seabrightfarmcottages.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.
This photo by Arden Rathkopf pretty much tells the Three Tree tale. Arden is the 13-year-old son of proud father and CYC PRO Charley Rathkopf. Proud mom of course is Schelleen Rathkopf, owner of Whidbey Island Race Week.
The Center Sound Series was due a drifter, and the Three Tree Point race delivered. After a long delay, enough zephyrs came from the south to start the fleet of Saturday’s racers on a 6.something mile course.
A slow motion race ensued as the fleet did the usual tuck under the West Point beach and made its painful way around West Point, then off to Duwamish Head. It certainly wasn’t the rousing conditions most were hoping for to wrap up the series. Results here,.
Sonic Boom Hang
Sonic looking great at the start.
How to heel a TP 52
Most notable perhaps was Sonic‘s relatively slow motion grounding at West Point. After positively nailing the start and leading the IRC class to the beach, skipper Marek Omilian and the team took the port tack lift while clearing the lighthouse, taking Glory up with them in the process. “We got lulled into complacency by seeing all the boats around us safely clearing the bar. However, none of those boats draw 10.5’,” skipper Omelian reports. Glory headed down, taking Sonic‘s transom, just in time as Sonic hit bottom. Sonic was stuck as the fleet made its south way ever so slowly. Despite efforts including the crew perched on the end of the boom and trying to hoist a spinnaker, Sonic was stuck.
Stuck, that is, until photographer Jan Anderson and her “boat boy” Skip helped pull them off. This is yet another reminder of how Janpix helps out the racing scene around here (and how important it is to support her photography). Three Tree pix here. Apparently we need them out there for more than photographs.
Mark Omelian’s Sonic is not just a racer, it’s a charity fundraiser. Note the banner they displayed pre-start. Ormelian explains:
We are using Sonic TP52 as the platform to raise money for various programs in the Pacific Northwest through The Ocean Foundation (TOF). When you text OCEAN or SONIC to 91999 you get a text back with the invitation to contribute directly to TOF. Individual donations, along with corporate funds we are in the process of raising will benefit specific programs we are in the process of identifying. Fred Felleman (Port of Seattle Commissioner) and Peter Schrappen (NMTA) are advising us on the program selection. We are very passionate about the following three areas:
Marine Education – we identified Youth Maritime Collaborative as the beneficiary program. I am attending their event at Seattle Maritime Center today to learn more about their needs. Besides money donation, we plan to create an internship position.
Marine Safety – TBD
Marine Environment – TBD
We are always looking for input, so if you and your readers have any suggestions please let us know.
When the zephyrs cleared, Charlie Macaulay’s Absolutely won the race overall and class 8, which incidentally had seven of the first eight boats overall. More Jubilee won the three-boat tiebreaker among the J/105s, Sachem hung in well enough to win class 7 overall and Glory easily won the ORC class overall. Dos finished her class off with another bullet. In class 6, Don Leighton’s Tahlequah won the race and the series as class leader Elusive dropped to fifth for the race. Onboard was our intrepid weather guru Bruce Hedrick, who provided the following no-blow by no-blow race dissection:
Tahlequah’s Tale
By Bruce Hedrick from onboard Tahlequah
Well, it was a beautiful day on the water even though with just a .5MB pressure difference between Bellingham and Portland, we didn’t think there would even be a race. So we drifted around for a while and about 1110 we started to see a dark line extending to the west from West Point. The Race Committee also saw it and set a line and then hoisted the “S” flag with what we thought was a pretty optimistic course. Considering the time, tidal situation, and the forecast for less than existing wind it was going to be a stretch to even get back to F the first time.
Bruce Hedrick geared and waving pre-start.
I thought we had a pretty good start considering that we got tangled up with a J-120 who thought they were starting with us. After several of us yelled at him, he finally sailed off at about 30 seconds to go, leaving us one boat down from the heavily favored committee boat end. Darkside, the Shock 35, has been steadily improving this series and won the start however it wasn’t long until by going higher and faster we got into the lead. The series leader, the C&C 115 Elusive, went conservative at the start and was well to leeward of us and unable to point high, sagged off and was first into the outfall from the Ship Canal which set them back and slowed them down. We got into the shallows south of the Ship Canal and rather than tacking on anyone decided the best tactic was to sail our own race and find a clear lane to get up to the West Point Buoy.
In terms of who was where at this point, Darkside had gone a little further into the beach and closed up with us. The J-35 Solution and the other C&C 115 Fortuna had stayed out but gotten into the ebb coming around West Point and that set them back but since there was about two more knots of wind on the outside they didn’t lose much. Elusive had fallen well back and was starting to get tacked on by other boats which certainly didn’t help them. Rather than tacking back into the beach north of West Point, we stayed about three boat lengths off to keep our air clear and just try to get out to the West Point Buoy. It quickly became apparent that a major restart was developing at the WP Buoy and when boats tacked at the mark they pretty well parked up in the ebb. This was creating a picket fence effect so we just kept going out on port tack and kept our air clear as a nice port tack lift came through. The boats that did tack to starboard and could get back towards Magnolia did OK for a while but the stronger ebb along that shore slowed them down and then as the breeze backed from the SSE to ESE it lightened up in there as well.
We stayed out and watched as the big boats led by Glory came around behind us and then held port tack, going generally our direction. We also had sailed to leeward of Madrona and that put us in some good company in clear air. The other interesting feature at West Point that really helped the big boats was the fact that there was about 3 more knots of wind about 15-20 meters off the water. The big boats with square-top mains just kept moving. Crossfire was behind coming around the buoy but when they changed to the drifter and got a nice puff, they powered nicely into a lead they would never relinquish.
At this point, we were still on port tack just off of Four Mile Rock with the wind at about 100°M making about 1.3 knots over the bottom thinking that it was going to be a long day just to get to Duwamish Head. The wind continued to hold at about 3-4 knots but then began to clock around. The boats that had gone in under Magnolia, like Dos, parked up and gradually dropped astern. Darkside had rounded the buoy well too leeward and astern of us but, as Schock 35s generally do in 1-4 knots of wind, gradually went to leeward of us and got into the lead. Well behind was Solution, Fortuna, and Elusive generally sailing lower and slower. However, as we have painfully learned over the last couple of years you can’t put the C&C 115’s far enough behind on the upwind legs to hold them off when they put up the kites and get rolling downwind. Amazing what a carbon boat with more waterline, a lot more sail area can do going downwind. Especially so in this series as we had watched Elusive come from well astern, sail through our lee and then through Sachem’s lee to take the lead in the previous race.
As the breeze continued to clock around to the SW it was just a question of when to tack towards Duwamish. There was more breeze to the west and if you tacked too early you would get back into the light stuff. So we waited until we could tack and be about 20 degrees low of Duwamish. We had also seen the RC boat come around West Point and head towards Elliott Bay Marina. We were thinking, those dogs are going to get lunch at Maggie’s Bluff and then go back to finish us off Shilshole but no, they continued on up to Duwamish Head. Now it was a one tack drag race to the finish.
Darkside had held on to port longer than we had, so as the breeze continued to clock we had a slightly better angle to the finish. After we tacked we also immediately set up a barber hauler to move the jib lead out and forward and once we went to that, we were able to slowly sail away from Darkside and get back into the lead. We also started to get the crew ready for a spinnaker set as the newer boats around us went to their Code 0’s and really started to move nicely in conditions perfect for those specialty sails. Darkside was still to weather of us by about three boat lengths and just couldn’t stand to see us continue to boat speed away from them so they set a standard kite. We were ready to counter however the wind was still too far forward for our .6 to work so we just focused on constantly trimming for speed and moving the crew around below decks for the perfect angle of heel.Darkside had a little problem getting their kite to fill which slowed them down and forced them to sail lower. We used that as an opportunity to come up underneath them and put them directly astern of us by about three boat lengths. They then had to fall off even more which allowed us to boatspeed away from them and into another battle for clear air with two faster boats, an FT-10 and a Farr 395, coming in from astern. All the while, Dos had set a chute and went flying through our lee to get well ahead of us, again.
We managed to hold off the faster boats and finish just astern ofDos. Now it was a matter of seeing where the rest of our fleet finished after Darkside took a well-deserved second place. Solution had moved into third place with Fortuna next who was looking great flying a Code 0 and steadily moving away from series leader Elusive.
In the series, we had two seconds and a first for a series total of five points, with Elusive taking the silver with two firsts and a fifth for a total of seven, and taking the bronze was Darkside with a point total of nine.
Kudos to the Race Committee for getting it done in very difficult conditions.
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 first week of spring was certainly interesting with my brother in LA calling to complain that Seattle was 10 degrees warmer than LA. We also had three days of consecutive high temp records and we are now over 2” behind for rainfall year to date. This will all change starting this afternoon as a cold front moves over the area. Take a look at the satellite picture and the Langley Hill Doppler Radar and you’ll notice a very nice correlation between these two and where the front is located as of 1300 hours today.
March 22 500MB
March 22 Surface Analysis
March 23 Surface Forecast
March 24 500MB
March 24 Surface Forecast
March 25 Surface Forecast
March 26 Surface Forecast
Usually, frontal activity at this point on the day before a race is a good thing, not so much today. As you can see from the surface charts, the low to which this cold front is attached is relatively weak(997MB), not very stable and will become weaker (1003MB) over the next 24 hours as it is dragged off to the northwest and degraded by the coastal buffer zone. This will create a problem for tomorrow as there will be some wind from the south in the morning however as the day drags on it will become lighter and lighter as the pressure gradient expands over the Salish Sea.
Tidal Current at
West Point
0818 .34knts Ebb
1336 Slack
1636 1.00 Flood
1918 Slack
So while we may have wind for the start, it certainly looks like we won’t be able to complete the long course as two models have the Sound pretty well glassing-off by mid-afternoon. Maybe we’ll sail a shortened course. Who knows? There will be some rain around so dress accordingly and enjoy the day.
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)
Gig Harbor YC’s Islands Race wasn’t looking to promising in the wind department, and indeed Bruce’s Brief pretty much nailed it for the day. But a little northerly did roll through Colvos passage and gave the fleet a nice current-aided push down Colvos Passage.
The course was shortened, making it 4 for 4 for South Sound races being shortened this season. There weren’t many complaints as the northerly was expected to die off. The breeze did stick around long enough to give some boats a gentle spinnaker run back south.
This marked the end of the 2018-19 South Sound Series. First overall went to Dos, Best in Fleet to Crossfire and the team of Bodacious, Redline and McSwoosh won the team trophy. Koosah won all four races in the non-flying sails class and Blue Max won the Flying Sails Commodore Class.
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 Ides of March and clearing over the Salish Sea.
The really interesting weather this week occurred over the Central US where there was a bombogenesis event. To have such an event means that you have a low-pressure system that drops 24MB in 24 hours. This low-pressure system rapidly intensified dropping 24MB in just 13 hours and brought hurricane force winds to most of the central plains along with blowing and drifting snow. The central pressure in that low dropped to 956MB. The lowest pressure we’ve seen in the central pacific so far this winter was 954MB in early December.
March 15 Surface Analysis
March 16 Surface Forecast
March 17 Surface Forecast
March 18 500MB
March 18 Surface Forecast
March 19 Surface Forecast
Unfortunately, we won’t have any where near that this weekend. It will be a lovely weekend to be on the water with temps maybe getting up into the low 60’s with the bad news being that there won’t by much wind for the Islands Race. The surface charts show the problem with a weak ridge of high-pressure setting up over central BC and extending south into the US. This will also act as a nice barrier keeping any low-pressure systems well offshore and directing them into SE Alaska. This pattern will persist into early next week with the 500MB charts showing the jet stream remaining in pretty much the same place. The good news is that this will help bring warmer temps to the Pacific NW just in time for spring!
For the Islands Race at least the current will, as usual, be
going the right way in Colvos which will help the fleet get north to the
turning mark where maybe the race will be finished. From the start you’ll want
to find the axis of the current and ride that as you drag race from hole to
hole. Then it will be a race to get to the Tides Tavern and then on to the
Yacht Club for what is always a great party.
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)
World Sailing just finished evaluating the Laser, Devoti Zero, Melges 14 and RS Aero in Valencia, Spain as part of the decision which one will be the singlehanded class used in the 2024 Olympics. Don’t know which was chosen yet.
RS Aeros and Devotis
I’ll just say up front I don’t have a lot of faith in World
Sailing or the Olympic Committee. Both bodies have seen their images tarnished
by dubious decisions in recent years. I can’t help but wonder if all this
testing is window dressing for a decision which has already been made. I don’t
have any evidence, just a hunch.
I’ll add that being chosen as an Olympic class is not the end-all. The future of any class lies more with its class association and builders than it does with World Sailing or the Olympic designation. The Laser became the go-to singlehanded boat long before Olympic designation. The Olympics didn’t make the Laser a success.
Melges 14s
And there are plenty of examples of Olympic designations that never vaulted a class’s numbers. The Tempest, Flying Dutchman, Yngling, Soling, 470, Euro, 5.5 Meter and Dragon are all fine boats with active fleets. But did the Olympics create active fleets throughout the world? The Star seems to shrug off Olympic designation as it might a nice jacket. OK to wear, OK to put on a hanger. I see more interest in the Finn class outside the Olympics than inside it, so I doubt its ouster will have much effect.
Devoti
While my point isn’t exactly, “who cares?,” I must say that for those of us ordinary folk sailing any of the four singlehanders in the running, it’s not worth getting too excited about. Chances are good that all four of those classes will live on based on their own merits. Young sailors planning on Olympic campaigns will be going to where the competition is, regardless of which boat it is. This isn’t going to affect local fleets that much.
That said, I’m following World Sailing’s sea trials with interest. From a non-sailor’s standpoint, none of these boats are going to seem remarkably different from the others. Sail a mixed fleet of Lasers and Aeros, the Lasers are going to get their asses handed to them. Watch a fleet of Aeros go at it, then a fleet of Lasers, and it’s not going to seem all that much different.
So I guess the testing was to see which boat best tests a sailor’s skill. There are lots of considerations here revolving around the size of the sailor. The Laser Radial has been immensely unpopular with many women because of the size it requires to be competitive (~150 lbs). The newer boats with squaretop sails and bendier carbon rigs naturally depower a lot easier. I still wonder how, on a breezy day, a 125 lb woman depowering is going to fare against a 150 lb. woman totally powered up. On the men’s side of things, that combination will theoretically allow a wider range of sailor sizes. Dinghies have been, are and will be weight sensitive.
For me, the most important issues are worldwide availability, durability and builder support. The Olympics have the potential to popularize sailing. Laser would be the obvious choice with these criteria, except for the builder support. The primary builder, Laser Performance, has done an atrocious job of supporting sailors with parts. Its feuds with designer Bruce Kirby and the International Laser Class Association are epic. So the Laser’s main drawback doesn’t have much to do with its speed.
The upshot is, I’m watching this all with interest, but I’m not going to get too upset no matter the result. It’s just the Olympics. The more important question is: who’s bringing the sandwiches after Sunday’s frostbite racing.
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.
