360 sailboat race

(360) 385-3628 [email protected] Our Location

• About Us + Our Mission
• COVID Safety Practices
• Antiracism & Inclusion
• Our History
• Our Board of Directors
• Our Sponsors
• H.W. McCurdy Library
• Read Our Blog
• 48° North Magazine
• Events & Class Calendar
• Get on the Water
• Summer Tours
• Stay Here at the Swan Hotel
• Wooden Boat Festival
• Race to Alaska
• Navigator Night Out
• Shipwrights’ Regatta
• Classic Mariners’ Regatta
• She Tells Sea Tales
• Marine Thrift Swap Meet
• Adult Maritime Classes
• Youth Maritime Classes & Camps
• 2024 Boatshop Workshops
• Navigation & Maritime Skills Classes
• Adult Sailing Classes
• Private Group Sailing Lessons
• Maritime High School
• Port Townsend Maritime Academy
• Gift Certificates
• Cancellation Policy
• Boatshop Rentals
• Boats for Sale
• List Your Boat for Sale
• Donate Your Boat
• Planned Giving
• Become a Member
• Become a Sponsor
• Support MHS
• Join Our Email List
• Corporate Event Rentals
• Spaces and Rates
• Preferred Service Partners
• Rental Policies
• Shop Online
• Shop Marine Thrift

Ship's Blog

Wa360 adventure race returns summer 2025.

Kelsey Brenner March 18, 2024 All Blog Posts , Announcements

Race to Alaska to Alternate on Even Years

WA360 will return next summer. WA360 is 360 miles of engineless, unsupported boat racing through the worst and most diverse water puzzles Washington State offers. The race will start and end in Port Townsend, traveling counterclockwise through the waterways of Washington within spitting distance of dozens of Pacific Northwest communities. 

WA360 debuted in 2021 with 56 teams who made the run in catamarans, trimarans, monohulls, beach cats, kayaks, SUPs, surfskis, and some weird pedal thing, all competing in one of three classes: Go Fast, Go Hard, and Human Power. The 2025 edition of the race will include a fourth class for youth participants.

Specifics of the 2025 WA360 race, including start date and route, will be announced at the Race to Alaska Blazer Party held on the Friday of Wooden Boat Festival in September in Port Townsend (and online sometime shortly thereafter).

“WA360 is always a paper airplane’s throw away from a Puget Sound community,” said Jesse Wiegel, Race Boss at the Northwest Maritime Center. “It’s an incredible platform for your wildest on-the-water dreams. WA360 provides an accessible and exciting way to level up your nautical adventure game here in our own backyard.”

Race to Alaska Starts Biennial Schedule

After the 2024 Race to Alaska , the race will assume a biennial (every-other-year) schedule, alternating with WA360. Race to Alaska will run in even years, and WA360 will run in odd years.  The 2024 race starts on Sunday, June 9, 2024; the application deadline for 2024 is April 15.

• Boats & Gear
• Instructional
• Cruising Stories
• Cruising Destinations
• Race Results
• Race Reports
• Racing Technique
• Submit a Classified Ad
• Boats for Sale
• All Classifieds
• Terms & Conditions
• Your Dashboard
• Seattle Area Racing Calendar (SARC)
• 48° North Cruising Rally
• Croatia Flotilla
• Big R2AK News and the Return of the WA360 Race
• Adventure Stories
• Race to Alaska

The bosses at R2AK high command recently announced the return of WA360 next summer and that the Race to Alaska will now run on alternate years.

WA360 (pronounced Washington Three Sixty) is 360 miles of engineless, unsupported boat racing through the best, worst, and most diverse water puzzles Washington State offers. The race will start and end in Port Townsend, traveling counterclockwise through the waterways of Washington within spitting distance of dozens of Pacific Northwest communities.

WA360 debuted in 2021 with 56 teams who made the run in catamarans, trimarans, monohulls, kayaks, SUPs, surfskis, and some weird pedal-boat thing, all competing in one of three classes: Go Fast, Go Hard, and Human Power. The 2025 edition of the race will include a fourth class for youth participants.

Specifics of the 2025 WA360 race, including start date and route, will be announced at the Race to Alaska Blazer Party held on the Friday of Wooden Boat Festival in September in Port Townsend (then revealed online sometime shortly thereafter).

“WA360 is always a paper airplane’s throw away from a Puget Sound community,” said Jesse Wiegel, Race Boss at the Northwest Maritime Center. “It’s an incredible platform for your wildest on-the-water dreams. WA360 provides an accessible and exciting way to level up your nautical adventure game here in our own backyard.”

After the 2024 Race to Alaska, the race will assume a biennial (every-other-year) schedule, alternating with WA360. Race to Alaska will run in even years, and WA360 will run in odd years. The 2024 race starts on Sunday, June 9, 2024; the application deadline for 2024 is April 15.

Here’s the announcement from race HQ at the Northwest Maritime Center:

As you know, we, the cobblers’ children of Race to Alaska, pride ourselves on delivering an experience that’s as unpredictable as Johnstone Strait winds and makes failure but a tasty appetizer to triumph.

With that spirit in mind, we’re announcing the next evolution of our beloved race:

Starting now, R2AK is shifting to a biennial rhythm. Yes, you read that right: the ultimate test of will, skill, and grit will now grace us every other year.

Let’s be clear: 2024 R2AK IS ON. ‘25 is not. 2026 R2AK is ON. ‘27 is not. Understand?

Whaaat??? Whyyyyy??!? Listen up.

Inspired by legends of scarcity like the McRib and the Disney Vault, we’re embracing the power of deprivation, desire, and suspense. Here’s why it’s better:

• Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder: Like storied quests of old, time between races will make for more excitement and anticipation as the jitters of race-detox set in. And with this brilliant and insightful adjustment to R2AK supply and demand, racer futures are trading high.
• Dream a Little Dream of Me: For racers, this means more time to prepare, strategize, and cook up the gnarly contraptions that make R2AK a hotbed of ingenuity. For fans, it means growing your enthusiasm and perhaps planning your own journey to the starting line and beyond.

And best of all? The return of WA360 .

By now you’re thinking—less racing? What the heck am I going to obsess over next summer? Settle down. We’re talking about more racing. WA360—the COVID-proof race that picked up R2AK’s slack in 2021—is coming back in 2025, and will alternate years with the Great Dash to Ketchikan.

Are you super mad about R2AK ’25? Want to call the Race Boss and give him a piece of your mind? How about you go work those feelings out at your pilates class and think about WA360 instead?

WA360 is a race from Port Townsend to Port Townsend, hitting Olympia, Skagit Bay, Point Roberts, and the San Juans—a rollicking counterclockwise slide through the waterways of Washington. Racers will contend with squalls, doldrums, commercial traffic, raccoons, marauding recreational boaters, and their own embattled decision making—Deception Pass, or Swinomish Slough? Bears are unlikely, but raccoons are near-guaranteed! Full details to come at the 2024 R2AK Blazer Party in September. For now, check out 15% more detail on the WA360 webpage.

R2AK 2024 is only months away—cherish it, then get your game face on for WA360 2025.

Both WA30 and Race to Alaska are projects of the Northwest Maritime Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Port Townsend, Washington, whose mission is to engage and educate people of all generations in traditional and contemporary maritime life, in a spirit of adventure and discovery.  nwmaritime.org/wa360-race

Note: Feature images courtesy of Jeremy J Johnson.

48° North Editors are committed to telling the best stories from the world of Pacific Northwest boating. We live and breathe this stuff, and share your passion for the boat life. Feel free to keep in touch with tips, stories, photos, and feedback at [email protected].

Boats & Gear , Featured

My Boat: Didi 23, Koru

April 18, 2024

April Products News

April 16, 2024

Boating News , Featured

Schooner Zodiac Celebrating 100th Birthday with Open House

April 15, 2024

Racing , Featured

J/24 Worlds Coming to Seattle in September

April 12, 2024

Instructional , Featured

#TBT: Thoughts on Choosing a Sailing School

April 11, 2024

Tips for Passing Cape Caution

April 10, 2024

Published on June 24th, 2021 | by Editor

WA360: More than a race

Published on June 24th, 2021 by Editor -->

In what had to have been born on a bar stool, the organizers of the WA360 did what the rest of us never do. They took a cocktail napkin idea from concept to conclusion, attracting the hearty of the Pacific Northwest to discover a 360 nm course through the ponds of the Puget Sound.

Starting June 7, any craft was welcome and all forms of engine-less propulsion permitted, and as long as competitors completed the course within two weeks and without planned support, their finish would live in infamy.

So off they went, fully sober and eyes wide open, beginning in Port Townsend and sending it south to Olympia, back up to Skagit Bay and a choice between the rapids of Deception Pass or the shifting mud of the Swinomish Channel.

After rounding a buoy in Bellingham Bay and running past the most northern Washington territory of Point Roberts, the course turned south through the San Juan Islands to the finish line in Port Townsend. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

With time expired and coffee-inspired, event organizer Northwest Maritime Center rubs words together to assess what occurred:

How do you neatly wrap up a race that involved one team walking their boat by the halyard towards Olympia, another crossing overland on wheels that worked better once the tires were ripped off, crew who left the course to work a few days then came back to finish, human-powered craft leading for three out of the four waypoints?

There was a capsize on day two, swamping on day four, five and we think six, two teams risked disqualification to do the right thing, and one called to inform us they were disqualified because they did the wrong thing, which was the right thing (we know, confusing).

First and second place were decided in the last 90 minutes before the finish line— finishing seven minutes apart —from teams in different classes.

South Sound was predictably tricky and mostly windless, then a cold front came through and gave every team in the region at least an hour of hull speed sailing or sent them running for the lee. And what the hell happened at Goat Island? Deception Pass gently ushered teams through while Swinomish Slough savaged half the fleet. Team Fun While Lost actually walked his boat up part of the Slough. Thirty percent of the teams didn’t finish, and a 4-year old got more likes by sailing through the Pass with her dinosaur stickers than all our writing staff combined, yet we don’t hold a grudge. Did we forget to mention two SUP teams rang that finish bell, too?

We put it all through a Symmerge algorithm, looking for some thread, only to realize our mathematician was a total liar and only here for the free nachos and leftover lamb. It was with this defeat we turned to our phones and sought inspiration in our happy place. And lo, right when we were beginning our third beauty makeover on TikTok, an email came in from Heidi and Tor.

Heidi and Tor are the prolific media volunteers and tireless ambassadors for all of the generous and supportive town of Point Roberts. And the people of that town just may represent what this race is about.

If you are reading this, then you probably understand what it means to be drawn to the sea, pulled to the edge of where you can comfortably stand before an environment we are not designed to live in, but drawn to by its beauty, or its rhythm, its vast unknown. A place you return to because it begins to define a part of you, gives your mind and body a reboot, or has become intertwined with how you live and thrive.

By trade, we may raise families, make things, counsel others, tap computers, deliver whatever, buy and sell; but we return, mind and body to the shore—shorelines assembled in contiguity along our race route. Over the time of WA360, along this margin, our community has grown.

The folks of Point Roberts cleared lawns for camping next to tables for eating, just up from a dock the Point Roberts Marina offered free to racers. Rides were given and cookies baked. We’re guessing friendly sheep may have even been pet.

No different, we think, than the crowds cheering from Deception Pass Bridge or random lawns offered just ashore of rocky beaches or the hot dog bonanza in Bellingham; people gave of themselves where they could and what they could, to racers.

We may hail from different places, believe in the pedal over the paddle, prefer three over one hull, but within the bounds of these two race weeks a challenge was pioneered unique to every team but remarkably similar; they all started with a call to the water.

And these coastal communities, celebrating in the answer to that call, brought distant and often unremarked shores into colorful focus.

At the sound of the Soviet National Anthem start, 360 subjectively arranged miles separated Port Townsend from Port Townsend, but by Day Three the entire course felt compressed into a pulsing shoreline of activity not measured in miles, but stories. Our stories.

Is there anyone who will think of these coastal waters the same?

Will you adamantly claim South Sound is actually 500 miles in length because that’s the only reason it would have taken that long? Will you forever compare the Strait of Juan de Fuca to a cruel child and you their play toy?

Hasn’t every racer come to know a boulder, a tree, a dock more by passing it at speeds that ranged somewhere between 1 and -3 knots? What tracker junkie can’t identify at least five new place names along the route, even if it was only to make sure a team was at anchor and not walking inland in frustration?

And all we can say is: Thank you for answering the call. Sharing your story. Being part of ours. We’ve brought these shores together, made them into a 360. It’s been an honor.

Race details – Tracker – Results – Facebook

Tags: WA360

Related Posts

Biennial means every other year →

Sixty miles a beer for the winner →

Sailors beat paddlers in WA360 →

WA360: Learning more about more →

© 2024 Scuttlebutt Sailing News. Inbox Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. made by VSSL Agency .

• Privacy Statement
• Advertise With Us

Get Your Sailing News Fix!

Your download by email.

• Your Name...
• Your Email... *
• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Washington mariners will row, paddle and sail 360 miles across Puget Sound in nautical race

OFF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — With wind in its sails, the Dazed and Confused was running neck and neck with the Amicus on a recent Wednesday night.

Eager to maintain its lead, the crew aboard the Amicus prepared to tack aggressively and cut off wind to the rival boat. As the boom swung across the deck, Kiel Reijnen, 34, yelled, “EmmyLou, spot! Butt down!” His daughter knew exactly what to do. With a tether connecting her to the 30-foot sailboat, she crouched down in the entrance to the companionway and stayed out of harm’s way while her father trimmed the sail. Grandfather Derek Reijnen, 67, stood behind her at the helm keeping a watchful eye.

The Amicus eventually finished third in a race off Bainbridge Island and around Blakely Rock. For the three generations of Reijnens on the water, this weekly race series is just a tuneup for a bigger competition — one that will take them in sight of their island home twice as they navigate the length of Puget Sound in the first-ever WA360 race, which leaves from Port Townsend at 6 a.m. on June 7. From there, competitors will have two weeks to sail, paddle or row south to Olympia, north to Point Roberts near the Canadian border, then south back to Port Townsend for a 360-mile tour of our local saltwater.

At age 4, EmmyLou is the race’s youngest participant by a long shot. “I like the colors of the kite,” she said, pointing to the pink, blue and purple spinnaker during a lull in the wind. Favorite onboard task? “Making sure everything is tight.” Least favorite part about sailing? “Getting seasick.”

EmmyLou has memorized the Amicus’ five-digit sail number, which even her father can’t remember by heart, and baptized her team Unicorns With Pretty Horns. (They are sponsored by Fisheries Supply.) This 4-year-old sailing savant is just one of the many quirky but driven characters who make up the latest nautical adventure cooked up by the folks at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend.

“With ages that now range from 4 to 83, our adventure races attract a type that is hard to nail down,” said race director Daniel Evans. “They’re playful and hungry and driven, but a unifying characteristic might be integrity. They operate from an inner compass and their true north, their sense of direction, is not the same as the people around them. They may seem courageous or oddball or even reckless, but they are 100% present, sometimes terribly frightened, and unwilling to give up on being more than they are today.”

Port Townsend is rightly famous as the launching point for the Race to Alaska, which typically sees 45 hardy teams attempt the treacherous journey to Ketchikan to claim the first prize of $10,000 nailed to a tree. (Second place wins a set of steak knives. Don’t ask.) In five editions since the inaugural race in 2015, the first-of-its-kind, 750-mile engineless journey up the Inside Passage has attracted national attention and minted stories like the historic all-female team Sail Like a Girl and an Orcas Island man who made it to Alaska on a stand-up paddleboard .

But the continued closure of Canadian waters to U.S. mariners for the second summer in a row sent Evans back to the drawing board. After months of waiting for good news from Ottawa about reopening the U.S.-Canada border, he was frustrated. “Every month Canadian officials would push it back one more month. It got so repetitive, I stopped looking,” he said. “It was easier to wash my hands of checking that every month and go into a straight planning phase.”

In November, his sailboat put away for the season, Evans began seriously thinking about an idea that Team Sail Like a Girl captain Jeanne Goussev had floated soon after the pandemic forced international borders shut: an in-state race. Evans began consulting nautical charts, calculating mileage and mulling over what would make for a safe, exciting route.

When December rolled around, Evans revealed that there was a new race staying close to home, which dulled the pain when he announced that the Race to Alaska was called off yet again. “The reaction was really strong,” he said. “All the people thinking about Race to Alaska started thinking about WA360. And a bunch of local fans all of a sudden found they had a different way to get involved as volunteers.”

• Sail like a girl: How an all-female team made history and won the 750-mile Race to Alaska
• Whales, gales and bioluminescence on paddleboarder’s epic Race to Alaska
• Behold, the intrepid open water swimmers of Alki Beach, who brave Seattle’s winter temps to train year-round

By the time of the sign-up deadline, 47 wind-powered and 13 human-powered teams had joined the fray — more than would show up for Race to Alaska. A race that is half the distance through less remote and treacherous waters ultimately offers a lower barrier to entry. Kiel Reijnen thought he might take EmmyLou on the Race to Alaska when she was 12, but when he explained WA360 to his daughter, who has been sailing since she was an infant, she perked up at the prospect of a four-to-eight-day sailing adventure with her father and grandfather.

“No one listens to their 4-year-old when they say, ‘I want to race around Washington,’ but I take that at face value,” said Reijnen, a professional cyclist who is carving out precious time right in the middle of race season. He will return from a cycling race in Kansas at 6 p.m. the night before WA360 kicks off.

Lillian Kuehl, 35, lives part time aboard her sailboat in Elliott Bay Marina and rows to work at Miller & Miller Boatyard in Salmon Bay aboard Amarillo, her 18-foot sliding seat rowboat. Those 5-mile legs are training miles en route to her solo quest to race WA360, though she estimates that she has rowed fewer than 360 miles in her lifetime. “I’m fairly underqualified,” she deadpanned.

Rowing began as a lark when Kuehl and her boyfriend surreptitiously signed up for Seventy48 (a human-powered race from Tacoma to Port Townsend and another Northwest Maritime Center adventure) because she thought it would be amusing to show up in Port Townsend by rowboat in order to join her father’s sailing crew for the 2019 Race to Alaska. Her Seventy48 team name: Don’t Tell My Dad.

“I like that [WA360] is hard and simple with no categories,” she said during a break at the boatyard from tinkering with hydronic heaters and fixing leaky plumbing. “It’s more like unhitching your buggy horse than bringing your thoroughbred.” Though other human-powered competitors are bringing their thoroughbreds, like Team Pacific Boys, which will use the same boat in which they intend to row across the Atlantic, and Team Rogue Kayaker, a solo racer building his own watercraft.

Kuehl hopes to log 30-mile days with up to 12 hours of active rowing. She’s already manipulated her sleep schedule so she can row when the tides and currents are right, time of day be damned. Last winter’s after-work commutes accustomed her to rowing in the dark.

The curious nature of a jointly human- and wind-powered race is the diametric opposites. While Kuehl is most anxious about how the Amarillo will handle the open water crossings in the Georgia Strait and Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Reijnens are eager to let the Amicus loose around Puget Sound’s northern reaches. By contrast, they fear the complicated currents and unreliable wind of South Puget Sound, a paddler’s paradise.

Ultimately, then, it comes down to maritime strategy. Will sailors pick up the subtle wind puffs in South Sound? How well will paddlers and rowers time winds, currents and tidal swings up north? Should competitors attempt a shortcut through the turbulent waters around Deception Pass or risk the long, unpredictable ride up Swinomish Channel, the bottom of which hasn’t been dredged for years, making for inaccurate depth charts?

“It will be a mental game for a lot of teams,” Evans said.

With two races under his wing, Evans hopes WA360 will join the flock for good. “It feels like the perfect third leg that fits in well with the other two races, all of which offer an elite level of challenge for people who aren’t professionals,” he said.

The WA360 race starts and ends at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St., Port Townsend. Spectators are welcome to send teams off at the 6 a.m. start time on Monday, June 7, and to cheer them during staggered finishes over two weeks. Teams will pass by Seattle twice and can be viewed from the shore at points like Alki Point, Discovery Park and Shilshole Marina. Want to get close enough to shout encouragement? Try Deception Pass State Park or La Conner in Swinomish Channel. All teams’ progress can be viewed by live tracker 24 hours per day at nwmaritime.org/wa360 .

Most Read Life Stories

• Greenwood’s Gorditos celebrates 30 years of burritos as big as babies
• How to save money on food, drinks and more at a Seattle Mariners game
• Seattle Restaurant Week's best deals, intriguing new spots, and old favorites
• Rant and Rave: Strangers help reader find rental car
• In-N-Out is coming to Southwest Washington in 2025

The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race returns to Nanaimo waters

NANAIMO — Boats big and small are readying to circumnavigate Vancouver Island.

The Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race sees dozens of vessels sail around Vancouver Island, and begins in Nanaimo on Saturday, June 3 with boats arriving as early as Wednesday, May 31 at the W.E. Mills Landing and Marina, off Cameron Island.

Sylvia Motley owns the race with her husband Jeff, she told NanaimoNewsNOW 39 boats, roughly 325 sailors and around 50 support crew will make the trek around the Island over the next two weeks.

“[The boats] going to range from 24 feet up to 52 feet. Most of the races this year are American, 60 per cent of our fleet are American. They’re very keen on this race…so many anchorages, so much wild beauty around the Island which they just really don’t have once you get south of Seattle.”

Start times on Saturday morning will be at 10:20 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. as the boats navigate around busy Harbour waters with BC Ferries and seaplanes, along with personal watercraft.

Motley said the start is always a little chaotic with the best viewing along the seawall by the pier.

“The start is always fun, it’s very small and between satellite reef and the pier. There will be a lot of yelling and screaming and hopefully quite a bit of wind so we get out of the harbour quickly.”

After starting in Nanaimo, boats will turn north for the first of nine races around the Island, making stops along the way.

Most races are short day trips, however, boats will go overnight against the clock and each other down the Island’s west coast.

While boats are split into four divisions, they’re all competing for top prize through a unique ranking, the Ocean Racing Council system, which evens the field.

“It’s a very accurate form of handicapping the boats in that it takes into account weights of the boats, measurements, how tall their mast is, how big their sails are,” Motley said. “This makes the competitors very, very close because these ratings are so accurate.”

Usually held at the end of May or the start of June, timing of the race is built around one critical junction point.

“The race is totally dependent timing-wise on the tides through Seymour Narrows [between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island, north of Campbell River]. It’s the only place the boats will motor to get through the narrows and the whole race is based when we can get through at a half decent time.”

Boats will begin arriving back in Nanaimo in the evening or overnight hours of Friday, June 16 into Saturday, June 17 with an awards banquet to follow Saturday night.

It’s the first time in four years the bi-annual event has run, after being cancelled in 2021.

The races are supported by crews from the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler , our letters to the editor feature.

[email protected]

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW

More Local News

• Member Login
• Nanaimo & Central Island
• Port Alberni
• British Columbia
• ClippersNOW
• Water Cooler
• Nanaimo Gas Prices
• Smile Sundays
• 5 Things Friday
• Signature Dish
• Advertise With Us
• Privacy Policy
• Submission Guidelines
• Terms of Service
• Contact Information
• Contest Rules
• Accessibility
• Real Estate Market Report
• Submit an Obituary
• Legal and Public Notices
• Community Events

• CLASSIFIEDS
• NEWSLETTERS
• SUBMIT NEWS

Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race

Related Articles

BOOK NOW! 250 969 4325

• Fishing Charters
• Boat Launch
• Comments from Guests

Exciting News: Van Isle 360 is Happening in 2023!

AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME – THE VAN ISLE 360

It is so exciting to welcome The Van Isle 360 sailboat race again, in 2023,  to Winter Harbour (the last race was in 2019). Below, please find a post that explains, in great detail , what the Van Isle 360 is all about.

Thank you John Shepard.

“Posted by Waggoner Guest | Oct 31, 2020

For 6 months I consulted with sailors, examined the charts, and recorded the tidal currents in planning for a cruise around Vancouver Island. This is a big island about 600 nautical miles in distance. The waters are filled with challenges that some might call hazards, like Seymour Narrows. When the moon and the sun align, the current through the Narrows can run at 11 Knots.

After all the preplanning for what I considered a 45-60 day cruise – boat maintenance, provisioning, looking at the tidal currents, crew boarding locations, and weather stations, and looking for places to hide out from storms – imagine my shock when a friendly Canadian said, “You Know John, every two years we race around the Island. It is the Van Isle 360∞ in 14 days.

The Van Isle 360∞ is a biennial race held on odd years for sailors willing to meet the challenge of circumnavigating Vancouver Island. Described by the Organizers as “a 580 nm point to point race, it’s a circumnavigation of wild, rugged Vancouver Island.

Sailed in a series of legs, the course provides inshore, offshore, and overnight legs through some of the most stunning and challenging waters on the planet.” Or in simpler terms, it is a staged distance sailing race that will put to the test your sailing skills, seamanship, courage, patience, endurance, and test of relationships. It’s a 14-day experience that few sailors dare to imagine during their lifetime. If this is your year to meet the challenge and have some fun, you will need to get started. It is not a “Hey I hear the club is racing around the cans tonight, let’s get some beer and join in” kind of event.

With boats racing in constantly changing waters off a remote coast with few roads, it is not your typical  spectator race. It will take a committed sailboat groupie to follow the boats along the island’s west coast with limited roads to the various overnight stops. In some places, there are no roads at all, only a ferry that arrives once a week. Changing crew and meet-and-greet options can be had in towns along the Strait of Georgia like Nanaimo, Comox, and Campbell River, where racers stop for the night and sip a local brew over discussions of the day’s adventure. The north end of the island at Port Hardy is where racers make preparations before “Turning the Corner.”

Rounding Cape Scott, the racers venture down the wild side of Vancouver Island. Surviving the turn, racers make a stop at Winter Harbor to take a breather or repair damaged gear and prepare for the next leg. The 140 nautical miles of open ocean dash to Ucluelet is the challenge of endurance. At the start of this leg is Brooks Peninsula, called the “Cape of Storms” by Captain Cook. Unlike most of Canada, Brooks Peninsula escaped the last Ice Age.

It is an area where many rare plants exist. This is the traditional area of the Kyuquot/Cheklesshht and Quatsino First Nations, who never ceded their lands. Jutting 12 miles (20 km) out into the ocean, Brooks Peninsula is a formidable hazard to be managed. Sailors are challenged not only by the rocky lee shore, but the wind and water that conspire against the unprepared. Solander Island, standing 1.03 miles (1.66 km) off the northwest corner of Brooks, serves as a sentinel to sailors. A lighthouse and weather station provide the attentive mariner with weather conditions, often indicating winds from 10-20 knots to hurricane force gusts, and sea states from calm to 4 plus meters in a few hours.

Surviving Cape Scott, Brooks Peninsula, and the open ocean with a safe arrival at Ucluelet, a weary sailor might feel “we are almost home.” The 98 nm run to Victoria with following seas and the wind at your back, might foster thoughts of a cake walk home, but only for the uninitiated. This leg takes sailors around the southwest tip of the island and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Winds and currents can play with sailboats like they are toys, tossing them about when wind and currents collide. Beaten and battered, the boats arrive in Victoria to be hosted by the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, the oldest yacht club in western Canada.

The last leg takes racers back to protected waters on the east side of Vancouver Island. It is 60 nm to the finish line in Nanaimo, the route chosen by the Skipper and Navigator can mean the difference between first and last place. Do you go direct up through the Gulf Islands riding tidal currents, dodging boat traffic, and praying the winds will remain strong? Or do you choose the longer outside path up the Strait of Georgia where wind and waves may help or hinder your advance to the finish?

The Van Isle 360 is not only a race, it’s an adventure. The 2021 race is scheduled for Saturday, May 29th to Saturday, June 12 th . Yes, this conflicts with other races, but it’s the tide and currents that dictate the race days, not the race committee. To qualify for the Van Isle 360 race, Captain and Watch Crew need to have completed two overnight open-ocean qualifying races in order to register for this special event. So why consider participating in this event or sailing around the island? Because this is the chance to demonstrate you have what it takes to sail on the waters that are the Pacific Northwest. To explore the communities along the Inside Passage, with all the stunning views and narrow passages that cut through forested mountains running to meet the water’s edge. To watch whales swoosh and eagles soar in their natural environment. To share a meal or beer at a pub perched over the sea with new made friends. To transit waters like Seymour Narrows, Nahwitti Bar, and Race Rocks; to explore the scenic waters of Barkley Sound and Johnstone Strait; or experience the challenge of Brooks Peninsula that has fostered the stories of sailors as old as the waters themselves. To have stories of your own that only you can tell your children or grandchildren.

John Shepard Field Correspondent”

How absolutely incredible it would be if you could write/comment about some of your experiences in the last race so more people could find out about the excitement of your hobby and the tremendous work and preparation that you put into this race.

Comments about your stop in Winter Harbour and your experience with staying and mooring at the Winter Harbour Marina and RV would be also welcome and appreciated.

Greg O’Byrne Skipper – The Legendary Boomerang

Comments 13

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

• JAM (52 ft J-160) had her best race leg from Pt Hardy to Winter Harbour. We eked over Nahwiti Bar in light wind and opposing tide by playing the fringes near the shoals to starboard, and carried that lead all the way to the finish in beautiful weather. • Unfortunately, on our last gybe in to finish, one of our crew was beaned by the boom, concussed and bleeding. • Paying attention to him diverted attention from navigation, so of course we hit a shoal right at the finish line, luckily only going a few knots in the wind shadow at the lighthouse

• The Navy support at Winter Harbour was wonderful. They had a medic who knew his stuff. He diagnosed the crew member’s concussions and told us what to do and symptoms to watch for. • The fleet came together the following morning to help. Plane reservations were adjusted, and we got our injured crew home via Port Hardy, Vancouver and Seattle by 5 PM the next day. To make room, I think one passenger had to carry a tire on his lap for the flight to Port Hardy. • I was able to rent a BC and dive tank from the harbourmaster the following day to inspect the keel. A few rough edges were filed down and we were good-to-go. • The feast and the band on the lay day were the best of the whole regatta. The food was excellent, and I wish I could remember the name of the band to urge you to book them again.

• The race start for the leg to Ucluelet was among the worst sailing weather days I can remember. We beat all the way to the Brooks Peninsula in driving rain. Boat and crew were cold and wet inside and out. • Thankfully the rain died out after midnight, but so did the wind, mostly. • Wind built during the following day and switched to the north, and we rumbled into Ucluelet late afternoon next day under 2A spinnaker in the most glorious weather of the whole regatta. After mooring, we transferred to our rental cabin and watched remaining fleet finishing with the sunset in the background, beer in hand. Beautiful.

After a dusty 75 km drive from Port Hardy, arriving at Winter Harbour RV made the trip worthwhile! The new managers, Don and Julia, welcomed us like old friends, and are both working like mad to upgrade many of the facilities, buildings, etc. Their motto was “ Whatever we can do to make you happy”. We were so sad to leave but wish them much success with their retirement project!

Thank you for your visit to Winter Harbour, awesome seniors!!!

Julia and Don were great hosts during our stay in June. The lodgings were clean with all bedding, cooking and bbq’ing supplies stocked. Freezers for ice and fish at each accommodation. Great moorage with easy and close access to accommodations. The 7 of us had a great fishing experience and have booked back for next year!

Thank you, The Group of Seven, for your thoughtful comments. You are the group of seven famous for believing in friendship, having fun, and having a good time fishing!!! Thank you for planning to come back next year.

There is another Group of Seven who are famous for believing that a distinct Canadian art could be developed through direct contact with nature. The Group of Seven is best known for its paintings inspired by the Canadian landscape and initiated the first major Canadian national art movement.

Thank you Julia for your warm welcome at the docks in the middle of the night. We’ve had an incredible week of racing and our longest leg yet was to Winter Harbour. After a gruelling and puzzling day it was a pleasure to land in the beautiful hamlet of Winter Harbour. Your generosity in hosting us and sharing your space for the event was so appreciated. Can’t wait to return on a more relaxed timeline. Awesome spot.

We stopped in Winter Harbour as part of this year’s Van Isle 360 Sailing Race. Hospitality was over the top; way above and beyond expectations. We arrived after dark, wet, tired and hungry, and were taken care of like family. Thanks again for a memorable experience!

June 2023 Van Ilse 360 Race sailing vessel.

Winter Harbour Marine provided clean and comfortable accommodation for 7 sailors with room for more. We had a large kitchen area and exceptionally large barbecue and outdoor sitting area on pier; all of which we used. The sailors moored the TP52 directly outside. Julia, Don and son CJ are the family operators who greeted us and pulled the lines in. They went out of their way to assure we had a provisions for a large salmon, ling cod and crab dinner for 11 which we bbq’d on the equipment provided.

The Winter Harbour family operators were very helpful to shore support and their assistance was greatly appreciated.

Another local business, the Outpost Store, provided us additional hardtop accomodation with separate wash house at their campsite atop a near small hill. It was likewise clean and comfortable.

Stephen Dobson (at site for visit and shore support for TP52)

Participating in the VanIsle 360 race, the stopover in Winter Harbour was fabulous. Thank you and all of Winter Harbour for your generosity, hospitality and the great BBQ for all the racers.

We arrived at WHMon July 23/23 The two bedroom cabin was to be our home for 10 days. Julia and Don made us feel at home immediately and gave us lots of information on how and where to fish. We met many interesting people and everyone was always eager to share their fishing strategies and locations. The fishing was fabulous and our freezer filled quickly. Thank you Julia and Don for making our trip enjoyable and successful.

Thanks to you and Don for looking after us so generously during our Winter Harbour visit. From local knowledge to fishing help and more you extended yourselves and we really appreciate it. Consider: your friend volunteered to take our tire to Port Hardy for repair, another lent his vacuum bagger, you gave us vacuum bags, Don provided a free, substantive fishing lesson. You and yours could not have been more inclusive and pleasant.

I have just now uploaded a five star google review. Again, many thanks!

-Phil Lansing

We just spent eight wonderful days here enjoying the beauty, the nature, the fishing, and the fine company of all the splendid folks up this way. Don and Julia were especially amazing, always there to help out, and made us feel like old friends. We cant recommend this place enough. It was fantastic!

We booked a two night stay in the nearby outpost camp ground and we weren’t even staying at the RV park but we thoroughly recommend it. We wanted to get out onto the water on kayaks and Don and Julia (managers of Winter Harbour marina and RV park) very kindly rented their personal kayaks to us.

Don and Julia went out of their way to make us feel welcomed in Winter Harbour and we had a lovely dinner with them, sharing stories and having lots of laughs. They are the perfect hosts and will take good care of you in this beautiful location. We will always remember their kindness.

We recommend Winter Harbour , your stay could not go wrong with Don and Julia looking after you!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A Sailboat Race Around Vancouver Island

A sailboat race around vancouver island van isle 360.

The VanIsle360 International Yacht Race is a 14 day, multi-leg race through some of the most complex sailing grounds in the world.  With 15-foot tides, up to 10 knot currents and stormy offshore sailing, this is a proving ground for any crew.   

I’ve had a dream of competing in this race for decades and this year, I raced as skipper in my boat, Reepicheep,  A Sabre 386.   Reepicheep has been my cruising boat and the journey to get her race ready was intense.   A new sail inventory, new rigging, lifelines, bilge pumps, spinnaker rigging, replaced and new halyards, fittings, blocks, electronics – the list goes on.   It took us months to get her ready but ready she was for the start on June 1 st , 2023 in Nanaimo British Columbia.  

The start on that sunny Saturday morning was intense with 40 yachts circling around the Nanaimo harbour among the floatplanes, ferries, barges and recreation boats.  They hold the start in the harbour so that spectators can take in the amazing sight.  One prestigious racing boat ended up aground on the reef just off the starting line and another fouled their prop and needed divers to free it.    A dramatic start.   

The first leg to Denman Island offered up a bit of everything.  Getting out of the harbour was tricky with light air and lots of turbulence from the other boats.    We then enjoyed some medium wind and shifty conditions and finished up with a 25 knots Qualicum breeze with a massive shift to bring us to the finish.

That night was spent in Comox Harbour and a fun night meeting some of our competitors.    

The second leg from just outside the bar in Comox up to Campbell River was super challenging. I’d heard about the 6-knot current coming into Campbell river and having to short tack up the shore but nothing prepared me for this challenge.   We did more than 30 tacks – many not getting us any more upwind.  We had to take Reepicheep in as close as we dared on each tack, or we were guaranteed to not make any way.   The risk is that you lose momentum due to the current and slip backwards during a tack.   This has put many boats up on the rocks and it was a nail-biting time for me. I navigated and Alex drove as only an owner is qualified to make these high-risk decisions.   We finished and the team was exhausted.    

Campbell River was party night and we had a great time celebrating Alex’s birthday. 

We had to leave at the crack of dawn the next day to motor past Seymour narrows at the 6 am slack tide.  The start of Leg 3 was just beyond that in heavy NW wind.  We set our heavy weather jib and had a decent start, but the wind dropped and we had to do a sail change.   This allowed one of our competitors to get to the next shift first and lead the way.     We sailed hard taking advantage of every puff and shift and eventually caught up, but we weren’t able to put enough time on them to win.  A second place finish after winning the first two legs. 

That night was spent on anchor in Port Neville and we enjoyed BBQ Lamb Burgers.   It was a gorgeous night.  The sight of 40 race boats anchored out in the wilderness was super unique.

The Fourth leg was up Johnstone Strait.  Known for its heavy wind and wind against current chop, this leg didn’t disappoint.  It was a ton of work to keep Reepicheep going fast but the team gave 110% and we arrived in Telegraph Cove with another win.   

Telegraph cove is a spectacular little fishing village with much of the history preserved.  It features a whale museum, a pub and some eco tourism businesses.    It was amazing fitting 40 racing yachts in this tiny boat basin and we had a social evening visiting many of the other competitors.  

Leg Five was from just outside Telegraph Cove up to Port Hardy and the race really started to get interesting.  We had a lot of very light wind and lots of strong current.   It was essential to be hunting the wind and catching every breath you could.   At one point we were going backwards at 3.0 knots in the right direction.     The wind filled in for a while before the sea fog hit and the wind died again.   Not being able to see our competitors and hunting out wind with little visibility was tough but at the top of the leg, we came out ahead of not only our fleet but most of the boats racing.   The wind filled nicely for the last few miles but only 12 out of 40 boats were able to finish within the time limit.   

We had a layover in Port Hardy with a chance to re-provision, clean up the boat, sleep in a bed and enjoy this remote little town.    The local community treated us to a wonderful celebration featuring young kids performing a traditional dance and a burger lunch from the legion.   It was a great day.

At this point, the race changes.   The legs get longer and the stops more remote as we leave Port Hardy to head over the top of the Island, over the Nahwitti Bar, around Cape Scott and down the outside to Winter Harbour.   Getting over the bar is super tricky.   There is a ton of current, rough waves and we had very little wind.    Creeping through the current took every ounce of acceleration we could nurse out of Reepicheep but eventually we were free and had a great sail around the point.   We arrived in Winter Harbour in the middle of the night and sleep was a fantastic reward for our efforts.    We enjoyed a lovely day in this super remote hamlet perched on the west coast of the island.  The locals had an incredible BBQ and a warm welcome for us all.

Leg 7 is the longest and in this race and turned out to be the most challenging. With a forecast of 30 knots downwind, we were all a little anxious for the challenges we would face.   The wind built as the day progressed and the wave state was incredible. Bigger waves than any of us had previously experiences with gusts hitting 40 knots.   We sailed a conservative route reducing sail area early.  Many of our competitors waited too long and shredded their sails.  Even with minimum sail area, this was a high-risk leg as the waves were certainly capable of putting a boat over.   Driving was exhausting and I was happy to have three capable drivers on board. We had one terrible knock down caused by a massive wave breaking over the boat.   The force of the wave was devastating, and we were all thrown down.   One crew nearly went overboard but her tether held, and we were able to get her back inside.  We got the boat back under control and while I was attending to my traumatized crew, we had impact with something.  We were 20 miles offshore, so it was likely a whale.  We all know that these impacts can severely damage and even sink a sailboat, so we were immediately monitoring the bilge for water.    No leaks and no obvious damage so it was back to racing.    After nearly 18 hours of extreme sailing, we sailed out of the wind and into a massive hole near the finish line in Ucluelet.   This was very frustrating and took a significant attitude adjustment to get back in the game.  It took us 5 hours to sail that last 7 miles.   I can’t help but see this as an important metaphor for life.   We shifted, we persevered, and we won. 

Ucluelet was a fantastic stop over.  We had the biggest and best breakfast ever, rested, showered, socialized, had a great group event at the recreation centre.  The main road into Ucluelet was closed due to a forest fire so road crews, race organizers and tourists couldn’t get through.  I think the town was happy to have us and they stepped up in a major way to make the stopover work.

Leg 8 from Ucluelet to Victoria was a painful start.  There was still up to 40 knots offshore and no wind inshore and the sea state was terrible.   We sloshed around for hours trying to get to the wind.  It took every bit of focus, patience and skill we had to get ahead and out to the wind in the Juan De Fuca Strait.    Once we did, it was champagne sailing down the strait with the sun setting in the background.  Everyone had a chance to drive this leg and we arrived at the finish line shortly after dark.  Another first.

The festivities were at my home club, the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and it was really an exciting time.  To be leading the regatta and have fellow club members celebrating with us was a real high.  We had a fantastic meal, my nephew Simon helped me collect our flags and it was early to bed.   The final leg mattered and it was the trickiest of the bunch.   If we stayed ahead of our competition, we could win not just our division but overall which would be such an honour.

The 9 th and final leg winds its way through the Gulf Islands with multiple possible ways to go and several tidal gates to time.   Once you choose a route, there is no going back so if you get it wrong, you could lose the race.   It was mostly downwind and we took a risk at the start.  We went inside a small channel that required a spinnaker hoist, douse and re-hoist in around the rocks but it put us and the 5 other boats that went the same way a significant lead right off the bat.     It was great sailing in medium wind and we were continuing to gather information to assessing our options.  Being ahead meant our fleet could split from us at any of the decision-making points.    Mostly they followed us except one boat cut out early and was looking in pretty good shape.    The wind died and it started to look like we wouldn’t make our gate at Porlier Pass.  This could be a significant problem to win overall but somehow, we sneaked through with very little wind and current against us.    We all breathed a huge sigh of relief and thanked the eagle feather that had accompanied us on the entire journey.     The rest of the leg was beautiful until the very end when the wind died to nothing.   Not even a whisper.   It took us an hour to float over the finish line with the light current in Nanaimo harbour.  It took massive patience but eventually the radio lit up – Congratulations Reepicheep, you have finished. 

And then we celebrated.   

Van Isle 360 Yacht Race makes waves

More than 40 boats are now racing around Vancouver Island in a marathon that's more a test of skill and nerves than a pleasure cruise. In the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race's ninth edition, close to 400 racers are currently sailing around the island, covering 729 kilometres, in 10 legs, spread over 14 days.

You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account.

Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.

You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.

Article content

More than 40 boats are now racing around Vancouver Island in a marathon that’s more a test of skill and nerves than a pleasure cruise.

In the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race’s ninth edition, close to 400 racers are currently sailing around the island, covering 729 kilometres, in 10 legs, spread over 14 days.

Starting in Nanaimo, the first half of the race takes sailors up the inside of the island through some of the world’s most beautiful cruising grounds, sailing through Desolation Sound and up through Johnstone Strait to Port Hardy. The second half takes the boats around infamous Cape Scott at the Northern tip of Vancouver Island into the Pacific Ocean. The distances between ports are much longer on the outside and each leg includes an overnight passage.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

• Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.
• Get exclusive access to the Vancouver Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.
• Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.
• Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.
• Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

• Access articles from across Canada with one account.
• Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
• Enjoy additional articles per month.
• Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Sign In or Create an Account

You may ask why would someone want to be on a small sailboat with up to eight other crew, with no showers and sitting on deck in the rain and wind for hours or baking in the sun without shade?

The answers are as varied as the sailors participating in this race: A love of sailing and the ocean, the adventure of visiting stunning places few of us will ever visit, the camaraderie among crew and competitors, are probably common sentiments among participants. The exhilaration when the wind is just right, the sails trimmed perfectly and the boat is accelerating down a wave can hardly be described in words.

So what makes Van Isle 360 so special? It’s the involvement of the communities. At each stop, there is an event: The traditional pancake breakfast at the start in Nanaimo, the salmon feast at Hardwick Island, or the famous barbecue in Telegraph Cove.

The boats on this race range from small coastal cruising boats to high-end racing machines. The crews are just as varied. Some boats are crewed by highly trained, and seasoned racers. While other boats are crewed by less experienced sailors looking for a lifetime adventure.

Aboard Turicum, the majority of the crew are novice racers and we use the VanIsle 360 as a way of training new racers and giving them an opportunity to become part of the VanIsle 360 family and by introducing them to long distance and offshore sailing. For me, racing in the Van Isle 360 for the first time in 2011, was the beginning of an incredible adventure that took me sailing to Hawaii and back during the 2012 Vic-Maui International Yacht Race.

This year’s event is characterized by light winds on the inside legs, making it very challenging for all boats. It’s tough to sit on a boat, trying to tweak the sails to get the maximum out of the little wind there is. During the leg from Deepwater Bay to Hardwick Island, strong, adverse currents added insult to injury. With almost no wind to give the boats steerage, it felt like bumper-car racing. Around us, boats were anchored but spun around on eddy lines, bumping into one another or the crew was avoiding rocks. It was brutal carnage. Amazingly, everybody had a good laugh and there was no yelling or protests.

After a day of relaxing, washing cloths and drying sails and boats, the crews were looking forward to some exiting downwind sailing on Wednesday. Neptune seemed to finally have mercy on the Van Isle family with strong winds predicted from the northwest.

Christof Marti is the owner of Simply Sailing School in Vancouver (simplysailing.ca) and is a director on the Board of BC Sailing. Trained as an engineer and with an MBA in finance, Christof is also a qualified sailing instructor and a certified Yachtmaster. He will be filing reports from B.C.’s coastal waters over the season.

Douglas Todd: Billionaire owner of three B.C. malls bares soul on China, scandals and her ‘horrific’ upbringing

Opinion: Nothing lasts forever, including my East Vancouver neighbourhood. Here's to the memories

No lounge? Canada's best — and worst — airports, ranked

Owner of burnaby's metrotown mall wants to build 15 highrises on its site.

Vaughn Palmer: Businesses that toe the line have nothing to worry about

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here . By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .

You've reached the 20 article limit.

You can manage saved articles in your account.

and save up to 100 articles!

Looks like you've reached your saved article limit!

You can manage your saved articles in your account and clicking the X located at the bottom right of the article.

• Advertising
• Subscriptions

Van Isle 360: A Distance Race with a Social Program

Most would assume that the adventure is over, but in this race solving problems is part of the strategy. Using nothing more than a sharp file and a hammer, the forestay is fitted back into the mast. We arrive at the next stop as the sun sets to the applause of our competition and continue around Vancouver Island. And this was only day four of the two-week race.

The Van Isle 360 stands out from any race I’ve ever taken part. Stopping everywhere from the bustling tourist city of Victoria to the remote village of Winter Harbour, with its year-round population of ten, this race covers the complete spectrum of what sailing in the Pacific Northwest offers. Especially challenging is that the only spare parts allowed are what you bring aboard or deliver via chartered airplane. The old saying, “If it was easy, then everyone would do it” rings true as the marathon leg race not only requires a crew of seasoned sailors, but also resourceful boat builders and clever mechanics to keep the fleet moving for 14 days straight.

Race director and owner of Blast Performance Sailing, Jeff Motley, sums it up perfectly, “What makes Van Isle unique is the fact that it is 580 nautical miles but there are a few stops along the way. It’s not like Transpac or Vic Maui, where you lose track of your competition for two weeks. Every night everyone gets back together again to trade stories and ask about each other’s adventures.” Asking someone why they would want to sail a boat around Vancouver Island, let alone race it, results in a wide range of answers. Some are there for the competition, while others are looking for a challenge, but everyone comes ready for an adventure.

The race was the brain child of Wayne Gorey and Tim Knight, who in 1999 proposed a race around Vancouver Island, partly for the competition, but mostly to see if it could be done. No one knew if a scheduled multi-stage event was even possible, with the shifting winds, currents through the Inside Passage, and the potentially deadly offshore conditions on the island’s outside edge, not to mention the logistical challenge of a new town every night. Understandably, before 1990 such a race had never been attempted. The first race was held and nicknamed the “Ambassador Race” and was made possible by generous sponsorship from local British Columbia businesses. Hence this traveling circus of a yacht race was created and became an instant success. The following two races were held back-to-back in 2000 and 2001. But after three years on the trot, many involved wondered if perhaps a biannual format was more appropriate going forward.

Blast Performance Sailing stepped in to run the now biannual race in 2003. The initial changes saw a shift away from the large corporate sponsors and a migration towards a participant-supported event. This transition made it possible for the race to be self-supporting and consequently enabled race organizers and participants to plan without fear of needing sponsorships to take on this race’s challenges. Jeff Motley recognizes the commitment required from skippers and crew members to participate. “Especially the young guys. They are giving up all of their vacation to come do this, and you want to make sure when they come that the event itself is fun,” says Motley.

Now nearly 20 years old, Van Isle, as it has become known, has remained the pinnacle for many Northwest sailors’ bucket lists. At its core, the race takes part over two weeks every odd year, leaving from Nanaimo and sailing counterclockwise around Vancouver Island. Perhaps the most alluring part of this race is the opportunity to stop at all the communities around the island that even the most seasoned cruiser would not discover. The stops have shifted around over the years based on interest of the communities as well as for the benefit of the racing. This year’s 2017 race took place over nine legs with the shortest being just over 24 nautical miles through Discovery Passage, and the longest haul, a grueling 140 offshore miles.

The start and end of the race takes place in the city of Nanaimo. Nestled in a bay directly west of the city of Vancouver, Nanaimo is a prime location to begin any northern yachting trip. It’s convenient with daily direct flights from Seattle and Vancouver in addition to Tsawwassen ferry access. From here, boats undergo safety inspections and skippers meet to get everyone accounted for and ready to start racing. After the starting gun, the fleet heads south around the harbor entrance and then north into the Strait of Georgia. They pass Texada Island and face the tough decision on whether to go inside or outside Ballenas as they work towards Comox.

Traditionally the second stop along the route, Comox has now taken center stage as the destination of the first leg. Being the first stop, not many yet long for the comforts of home, but with great local restaurants and watering holes, it is a fine place to set the stage for the weeks to come. The next morning the departing fleet crosses the sometimes-treacherous sandbar that protects the marina and continues north towards Campbell River.

Located at the entrance to Queen Charlotte Strait, the traditional fishing village has grown into a full-on destination for anyone traveling north. The town’s success is in no small part to Seymour Narrows, located a few miles north of the marina and home to some of the most aggressive currents in the world, over 16 knots at some points. Everything from small pleasure boats to commercial vessels wait for the currents to change to make their way through the passage. The tough decision for the fleet is either heading through the Narrows from Browns Bay or waking up before the sun to make their way through the Narrows during the tide change.

The race to Hardwicke Island feels more like sailing the Columbia Gorge than the Northwest Passage. With the shoreline little more than half-mile wide at parts, and ripping currents pushing along at five knots, this leg will always have a special place in my memory as one of the best days of upwind sailing I’ve experienced.

Perhaps the most unconventional stop on the course is Hardwicke Island, for this stop puts sailors on an overnight campout, rafted off an anchored fish farm. A full BBQ is hosted on the farm, and there are plenty of knowledgeable staff on site to answer questions and teach sailors about the science of fish farming. This is always a great opportunity for crews to spend time hanging around the boats without running off to dinner or to check into hotels. This most recent race saw several collisions on the leg to the fish farm, so it was a mad scramble as crews tried to make repairs using only what was available to them on board. In most cases, they had nothing! The next day’s race continues through the narrow channels of Queen Charlotte Straits and into the gorgeous storm hole of Telegraph Cove.

Telegraph Cove feels familiar to anyone who has sailed to Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands, for it parallels the same small town feel. Quaint cottages line the shore and the one bar in town is constantly bustling with sailors during the stopover. The difference lies in the ever-present wildlife such as the endless warnings of bears ransacking garbage cans, and the orca pods that can be seen passing by. The whale museum is not to be missed, and the small coffee stand at the head of the dock has some of the best breakfast burritos I have found north of Victoria. After a full 24-hour lay day, the fleet heads out on a short jaunt through the islands and into Johnstone Straits to the top of the island and with a stop at Port Hardy.

Originally established as a trading outpost by the Hudson Bay Company, Port Hardy plays host to the last stop along the inside of Vancouver Island. The town sits at the literal end of the road and is home to a very active First Nations community as well the Canadian Coast Guard station that looks after the racing fleet as they head over the top of the island. This stop is normally a changing of the guard as many crew members swap out and take advantage of the direct flight from Vancouver International Airport. After the new crew settles in, it’s off to Winter Harbour.

One of the most remote harbors in the world, Winter Harbour boasts a safe harbor, one payphone, and 10 year-round residents eager to make racers feel at home. Located deep in a natural harbor just south of the northwest point of Cape Scott, the small fishing community was once home to hundreds of commercial fishermen. As salmon populations declined in the area, the fishing opportunities moved north, taking much of the town with them.

The race brings a wave of fresh faces into the small enclave, and with miles of hiking trails and beaches to explore, it is a worthy stop along the race route. The town comes together and hosts a terrific BBQ during a lay day as boats and crews recover from the trip over the top of the island and prepare for the 140-nautical-mile, offshore leg to Ucluelet.

After the longest leg of the race, Ucluelet is a highlight of the trip, mostly because it signals the end of what can be a brutal few days of offshore sailing. Located at the mouth of Barkley Sound, it is a welcome sight complete with a very well-equipped chandlery and plenty of dock space for crews to empty out boats and dry out interiors. A highlight of this stopover is the community’s involvement, for the town hosts a salmon BBQ at the newly finished community center and invites local grade school children to come down and tour the boats. After leaving “Ukee” the fleet heads towards the bustling metropolis of Victoria, coming in through the Strait of Juan de Fuca on what has become affectionately known as the “One Way Swiftsure.” While the first 20 nautical miles are open ocean, the finish of the race follows the traditional course used for decades, allowing many Northwest racing veterans to put old-school, local knowledge to use.

Well known to racers, Victoria marks the end of the ocean legs and a warm welcome back to the city. It is a bit of a culture shock to come right into the Inner Harbor and be thrown among the cruise ship crowd and hordes of people walking the docks. Official festivities are held at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club with the traditional awards and a fantastic dinner held on the lawn of the club. The final leg of the race is a roll of the dice, as the course is an open race from Victoria back to where it all began in Nanaimo. The route takes the fleet through the Gulf Islands whatever way they choose, making for some heart pounding, close-quarters racing as well as some regretful tactical decisions if you lose sight of competition only to see them emerge around the next island clear ahead. Coming into the finish, racers are filled with an awkward combination of comfort, relief, and dread as the adventure comes to an end and the realities of real life begin to flood in.

Understanding that the event is as much a logistical challenge as a tactical one, Blast Performance Sailing together with seasoned Van Isle veterans are compiling The Roadies Road Book. This guide will contain the information you will need to take on the Van Isle 360 with your own boat. The road crew logistics are where seasoned teams seem to have it dialed in: the roadies wake up with the racers, pack the house or hotel, find everyone’s things they couldn’t be bothered to keep track of, and much more, all before breakfast. This guide is written in the spirit of the race, for veterans want nothing more than for everyone to have the opportunity.

“That’s what the race is about. You try to describe to people that if you come and do this race, you’re going to become part of a close-knit group. If you’ve done Van Isle, you mention it and people come out of the woodwork to help you out. It’s that type of race. On the start line there is lot of tactical maneuvering, but back on land it’s all hands-on deck to help get things fixed,” says Motley. The community style of racing sets this adventure apart from the all-out grand prix battling of yacht racing. The 2017 event had boats rebuilding transmissions, repairing broken bow pulpits, and creating makeshift man-overboard poles using spare battens and crab pot floats. When someone needed something, the entire fleet pooled together to keep the show moving forward and everyone safe and able to race hard. Typical camaraderie for Van Isle.

Read the full story on Issuu

Doug Hansen

Doug Hansen is a Seattle native and grew up cruising and racing in the Northwest. After spending several years taking care of boats and competing in regattas throughout North America and Europe, he has returned to Seattle to complete a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is an active participant in the Seattle racing community and enjoys sailing on all types of boats.

Being the Captain

Haida gwaii, you may also like, go, go gadgets, bounty on board, row, row, row your boat…, the x factor, shape shifters, the inside track, speakers of the house, wild, wild westport, big things, small packages, state of the art, leave a comment cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Privacy Overview

• Join Our Newsletter
• Post a Listing
• Your Listings
• Your Profile
• Your Subscriptions
• Payment History
• Sign up for Daily Headlines
• Sign up for Notifications

Sailors circumnavigate Vancouver Island in Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race

• Share by Email
• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share via Text Message

Thirty-eight vessels have set out to circumnavigate Vancouver Island as part of the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race.

The boats, including a handful of sailboats that recently completed Swiftsure, set out Saturday from Nanaimo for the two-week, 1,150-kilometre journey around the Island — the first since 2019, due to COVID.

This will be the 13th edition of the biennial competition, which alternates each year with the Vic-Maui yacht race.

Organizers Jeff and Sylvia Motley of Chemainus were avid sailors when they took over the Van Isle 360, but now put all their energy into making sure the event runs well.

“What goes on in the water is the simple part,” Jeff Motley said. “It’s the logistics on the land that are hard.”

That’s because the boats stop at eight designated ports as they make their way around the Island, he said, giving the hard-working crews time for some fun ashore after a day on the water.

“Every day they get out there and go as fast as they possibly can from one place to the next,” Motley said.

After their days on the water, the sailors will spend time in Comox, Campbell River, Sayward, Telegraph Cove, Port Hardy, Winter Harbour, Ucluelet and Victoria before finishing in Nanaimo on June 17.

Crew members on the boats plus helpers following on land adds up to about 350 people converging at each community along the way, Motley said.

Motley said the mix of the onshore and offshore experience is a big attraction for competitors. “Some people have referred to it as adult Disneyland.”

This year’s field is about 60 per cent Americans and 40 per cent Canadians, and includes Victoria-based skippers Suze Cumming, Ellery Down, Ben Sproule and Colin Nichols.

The boats will stop at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club once they get past the open ocean on the Island’s west coast, with a barbecue planned for June 15, Motley said.

The following day will see an 11 a.m. start off Clover Point for the final push to Nanaimo.

It could be a spectacular sight, he said, because the racers get going downwind, which means colourful spinnaker sails.

For more on the race and the full list of competitors, go to vanisle360.com .

[email protected]

• See a typo/mistake?
• Have a story/tip?

This has been shared 0 times

More local news.

Featured Flyer

USF Athletics

Main navigation menu.

South Florida Finishes Third in the SAISA Conference Women's Team & Fleet Race Championship

April 18, 2024

TAMPA (April 18, 2024) – The University of South Florida sailing team placed third overall this past weekend in the SAISA Conference Women's Team & Fleet Racing Championship hosted by Jacksonville University.

South Florida competed against six teams including College of Charleston, host Jacksonville University, NC State, FSU, and Rollins College. 

Conditions were extreme, with a strong current on the St. Johns River and winds gusting to the mid-20's. Capsizes were common, racing was tight, and the lead changed often. 

After a full round robin followed by a final four, College of Charleston was the clear victor, with USF and Jacksonville tied for second place. In a nail-biter final head-to-head race, Jacksonville emerged victorious, leaving the Bulls in third. 

USF's lineup was: Emma Shakespeare , Hannah Marsicano , Kay Brunsvold , Janie Powell , Kalea Woodard , Madisen Hamai , and Kailey Warrior . 

The following day the SAISA Conference Women's Fleet Racing Championships were held at the same venue but with very different conditions. 

Unstable, shifty, and light winds were on the menu, and several races were halted at the midway point as the wind speed dropped to zero. 

After a very long day of racing beginning at 9am and ending at 5:45pm, once again the College of Charleston was the winner. Once again, USF ended up in third place, this time just behind NC State, but ahead of in-state rivals FSU, Miami, FLorida, Jacksonville University, Rollins, and Embry-Riddle. 

About USF Sailing The USF sailing program has reached the national finals in 10 of the last 11 years. The Bulls finished in the top 10 during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The sailing team is based out of St. Petersburg and has been led since 2014 by head coach  Allison Jolly , a former USA Olympian, 2016 Florida Sports Hall of Fame inductee and 2019 U.S. National Sailing Hall of Fame inductee.   Follow the team on Twitter and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.

                                                        – #GoBulls –

• Terms of Service , opens in new window
• Privacy Policy , opens in new window
• Accessibility
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Thanks for visiting !

The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy.

We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here.

Thank you for your support!

was not found