ISLE TIPS GALLEY PROS NEW BOATS YACHT RACE HOW TO INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR. The Ultimate Adventure JAMES BARBER IN THE RUM YACHT

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1 JAMES BARBER IN THE GALLEY ASK THE PROS NEW BOATS BOATING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA VAN Cadillac ISLE 360 YACHT RACE The Ultimate Adventure 20 TIPS HOW TO INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR + RUM YACHT RUNNERS OF THE NORTHWEST PART TWO RUM ROW MEXICO FROM THE ARTIST S EYE

2 A I N T I N G P September 2007 $6.95 SOUND P I D ER D E S O L A T I O N S PM R October 2006 www A N CH O RA G E CRUISE THE E M O T E A I R F O R C R

3 GROUP E THE BY DALE MILLER the 2007 cadillac van isle 360 international YacHt Race DeLiveRs all the thrills, chills and spills that MaKe it One OF the PReMieR West coast Racing events OF YACHT RACES

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5 a crew member on Icon watches the sunset during the offshore leg from Winter Harbour to Ucluelet. DAVE HEATH PHOTO inset top: author Dale Miller was on the foredeck of Kinetic III for three of the outside legs. inset Bottom: skipper David Wilson takes it easy at the helm of Merlin. DAVE HEATH PHOTO Pacific Yachting September

6 T he word typical hardly fits when describing a two-week race around Vancouver Island, but when typical includes moonlit spinnaker runs along rugged coastlines, abundant wildlife, and the camaraderie of the people and communities up and down the coast, it s hard to complain. The 2007 Cadillac Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race provided all that its reputation promises, showcasing nearly everything the West Coast has to offer throughout the 580-mile, 10-leg event. One of the most beautiful races in North America also commands respect as one of the longest and most grueling, with hazards and obstacles to challenge even the saltiest of racers. With an unprecedented 42 boats entered in the sixth running of the race, the biennial event is only growing in popularity. UP the inside Passage The first leg of the race left Nanaimo Harbour on June 15 with a 21-mile jaunt up to French Creek. The winds were light and fickle, making for very close finishes, even between boats in different classes. The Perry 65 Icon took line honours for the leg, which is something her crew would get used to over the next two weeks, eventually managing to beat even the race committee to one of the finishes. The variety of conditions on the inside legs was astonishing, with 30-knot winds fading to dead calm, bright sun giving way to pouring rain, and back again. Navigators were challenged to find beneficial currents and play back eddies. Constantly changing conditions tried hardworking crews by demanding frequent sail changes and smooth transitions. On some of the legs, crews reported changing through their entire sail inventories. For many boats, the hairiest of the inside legs was Leg Five from Hardwicke Island to Telegraph Cove. The day started out with a light southeast breeze, but as crews make last minute preparations and say their goodbyes at the race s rainy start in nanaimo. it clocked around to the south and built, the boats got what was to be one of the race s only high-speed downhill rides. The two Mumm 30s Kinetic III and Spiny Norman who finished a very close 5th and 6th overall, respectively, in Division 2 gave the fleet a show by attaching themselves to the wakes of the bigger boats like pilot fish. This was particularly striking as they surfed behind the Davidson 40 Mad Max, with her shark-mouth grin emblazoned on her bows. At the pub afterwards, speed claims approaching 20 knots were thrown around, but in reality, nobody really looked. At only 30 feet, the Mumms behave like dinghies, and given the right conditions strong following winds these little guys are proven giant killers, catching waves and surfing at speeds well beyond their handicap. Unfortunately, the winds left as quickly as they came, and combined with an increasing adverse current, Spiny Norman was flushed from the finish and forced to come around for another try. In PHRF MaRgie MiLLeR 58 September

7 navy cadet crewmembers restock the essentials aboard the HMcs Oriole in telegraph cove for one of the race s many parties. Dave HeatH (2X) racing where the legs are timed and scored according to each boat s handicap, this can get painful for the crews. Luck, both good and bad, certainly played a part in the race. But as the legs progressed, it became clear which boats had done their homework and which were just guessing. Winning tactics With four Division 3 wins in the first six legs, the Aphrodite 101 Tryst was one of the boats that had her tactics all figured out. We re always paying attention, said Tryst s Laurie Devore on the discipline all hands on deck as Mad Max leaves Winter Harbour on her way to Ucluelet and a first place overall in Division 2. Capricorno s ace bowman Mark McKim prepares for yet another sail change off the lumpy northwest coast of van isle. Pacific Yachting September

8 in typical Flattery fashion, baconwrapped scallops were on the menu for the incorrigible Johnny (at left) and the rest of the crew. in overnight racing, racers need to take their rest where they can get it. Flattery s bowman naps in his self-made forepeak cave. that brought them to second place overall in Division 3. Someone s always sitting in the middle of the boat with binoculars looking for wind. We re a slower boat so we can use the boats ahead of us to see what s happening. The key to winning a point-to-point race like the Van Isle 360 is placing your boat in the right place at the right time, catching the wind as it builds or taking advantage of the back eddies and current rivers through the different passes and waterways. While keeping a watchful eye out can go a long way in choosing a route, local knowledge and previous Van Isle experience often prove to be a winning combination. With five Van Isle 360s in his log book and a cohesive and well-prepared team, skipper Micah Van der Hiede and Mad Max raced their way to a very popular first place overall in the competitive Division 2. Max scored her first win on the leg into Port Hardy and secured first place overall with a follow-up win on Leg 7 into Winter Harbour. Leg 7 is the first offshore leg down the outside of the island, and indeed one of the most notorious because it features both Cape Scott and the Brooks Peninsula. For many in the race really, anyone who s made the voyage rounding Cape Scott, Solander Island and the Brooks Peninsula on the northern frontier of Vancouver Island is a humbling experience. Hurricane-force winds and wild the B.c. salmon Farmers association hosts over 400 sailors for a barbecue salmon feast at the Marine Harvest fish farm on Hardwicke island. seas are not uncommon in this area, and the sense of isolation in the rugged terrain is a constant companion. Sitting on the rail as the boat rounds up with 25 knots on the nose is not an ideal time for contemplation, but it s hard to keep the mind from pondering what life was like for the first lighthouse keepers to man this tiny blemish of humanity at the tip of Cape Scott. At least until the first cry of Tacking! scares away the daydream. into the WiLD The Port Hardy to Cape Scott leg was a blast with the steady breeze, said David Wilson, skipper of the Division 2 C&C 115 Merlin, who placed a very respectable 8th in her first Van Isle top and LeFt: Dave HeatH; BOttOM RigHt: greg WesteRLUnD 60 September

9 360. For us, some lumpy water made for good boat-speed over the lighter boats that tended to bounce around a lot more than us. Seeing sharks and sunfish 25 miles offshore in that gorgeous blue water was definitely an unexpected bonus. While the isolation makes for poor people watching, the wildlife of the north and west coast of Vancouver Island is unlike anything most Van Isle participants had ever seen. There were otters and grey whales in Goletas Channel, pods of dolphins playing in bow wakes and sea birds swimming under keels. At nearly 20 miles off the coast, where the water started getting a bit warmer, many boats reported seeing whales slapping their fins, presumably to ward off the sharks that prowled close to the racers. DOWn the OUtsiDe The stage from Port Hardy to Winter Harbour was also the first overnight leg of the race, adding yet another degree of complexity. During the day, all that was needed was a pair of binoculars to spot the competition and any changes in the wind, which could be seen from miles away. As night set in, tired eyes found it hard to focus on the sails or look out for kelp. While some boats got lucky, many were forced to stop their boats and sail backwards to remove the speed-sucking kelp from their keels. The last few minutes before the sun finally set were best spent taking mental note of where the competition was on the horizon and where they might be going, because big changes can happen in the dark and it s hard to tell who s who from running lights in the distance. Races are won and lost overnight, explained Kinetic III s skipper David Sutcliffe who led his team to a Division 2 win in the 138-mile leg from Winter Harbour to Ucluelet. You need to stay in the wind, don t go crazy, keep track of your competitors and survive until morning. That s not to say that nighttime on the ocean is a dark and gloomy affair. The overnight ride from Victoria to Nanaimo treated racers to a steady 10 to 12-knot breeze, clear skies, a full moon, and Venus and Saturn on the western horizon. The light above was reflected in the water below, and streams of phosphorescence burst aft as the boats cut through the water. Sutcliffe has done a lot of overnight offshore racing in his life, but to him, the final night of the 2007 Van Isle 360 rates up there with the very best. the FinaL Leg was especially sweet for the skipper and crew of the Olson 40 Red Heather, who broke an intermediate shroud during Leg 7. Unlike some of the earlier stages, no riggers ventured the logging road to Winter Harbour, so Red Heather was left with few options. Determined to sail the last leg of the race, three of the crew motored back around the top of the island, down the Inside Passage and through the Gulf Islands to Sidney, where the rigging was finally repaired. Leg 9 from Ucluelet to Victoria was abandoned through lack of wind, so missing only legs 7 and 8, Red Heather was back in it for the tricky navigation of Leg 10. The leg between Victoria and Nanaimo is perhaps the hardest of all since the boats must choose between sailing through the Gulf Islands and Porlier Pass, gambling with the currents in Dodd Nar- top: the 65' Icon dwarfs the two Mumm 30s Kinetic III and Spiny Norman in Winter Harbour. Left: the cadillac Dealers of B.c. provided PY with this fully outfitted escalade as a race-chase headquarters. rows or risking the extra 30 miles to go on the outside through the Strait of Georgia. Nobody knows which route is the winner until the finish line. After all of our efforts to get around this island, we were well repayed with a great reach through the Gulf Islands, said John Gugins, skipper of Red Heather, who finished 8th in Leg 10. We really wanted to be on board for the last leg. T hat sense of belonging and the need to finish this long and demanding race is something shared between all participants of the Van Isle 360. But it s not just the participants that feel how special this race really is; the residents of each of the communities involved are as much a part of the event as the boats, the sailors and the wind. We don t have a lot of groupies in this sport, but when you get to these little towns like Comox and Ucluelet, they re cheering, recalled Kinetic III s Greg Westerlund with a smile. You go into a store and they know what you re doing, and they think it s pretty cool that you came to their town. For more information, results and photos, visit and www. vanisle360.com. FROM top: greg WesteRLUnD; PeteR ROBsOn 62 September

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