Swiftsure 2014

What a great run Team Turicum had for the 2014 Swiftsure International Yacht Race!  We had a full crew onboard totaling 11 which made for many hands.  The day started out with scattered clouds with sun and a forecasted 10-15Knt wind building to 20-25Knt afternoon and dropping to 10 in the evening on the Juan De Fuca.  These favorable conditions made for an "interesting" start as some of the over excited boats cycled in the start area.

 

At the horn blast, Turicum powered up as we beat towards the opposing current and around race rocks.  We won, and lost a few tacking battles but ultimately broke free of the current's grip and headed along the coast for Neah Bay at Cape Flattery.  We chose a more coastal route although this would mean higher longshore current to work against for a few hours in order to take advantage of the lift off the land.  We watched as a few boats headed for the depths of the mid channel to escape the grip of the current but ultimately would lose to low wind.  We read the water right and made our break from the pack to cross towards the mid strait and our goal..  Early estimates made us rounding our mark at approx. 23:00 to make our mark and turn for our run home.  Just after 20:00, under a beautiful setting sun and wind strong on our sails we spun around the navy ship and popped the chute.  The wind caught the spinnaker and we surged towards home.

 

Under the setting sun, we had decent wind.  Although steadily dropping, the team worked constantly to keep the spin full and at ultimate trim.  Wind shift and sail change..  Up went the A spin.  Slowly we moved forward 2:00....  3:00... like so many boats that ultimately would drop out of the race, we fought for VMG.    4:00, wind starts to climb!  Just in time as the tide once again is against us.  Entering Race Passage with little wind and an unfavorable current is never a good combination..  The choice was made to play the back eddies in the bays prior to entering the passage.  It works as we dedicate and slide along, just off the rocks and picking up the eddies to push us forward....  Just like so many things, especially with sailing, a trick like that only works if you dedicate and move right along the shore...  In and out we go until we enter Race Passage in a good back eddy.  As we slip right along the rocks, and entering the passage, an unexpected current grab forcing an unexpected tack which pointed us for the rocks but within a stone's throw, Turicum came around and the wind pulled us into deep water, out of the passage and away from the current.

 

Victoria is in sight, far off, early morning, but its the home stretch!  Time for a hot chocolate to warm the cool bodies and of course a chocolate bar to boost the energy for the final push.  The home stretch was slow as we stayed within the wind lines, trying to avoid the glassy water..  A few tacks and gybes and before we knew it, we crossed the finish line.  23hrs and 57 mins, first time the boat has completed this race in less than a day!

 

Big thanks to the inspection dock volunteers which greeted us with hot soup.  Amazing how good food tastes after a run like that.  Was great to reflect on the race under the morning sun as a team and watch the finishing boats come into the Inner Harbor one by one.

 

Cheers to the Swiftsure 2014!

Inspections, measurements, and racing red tape! Turicum had her Inspections performed and necessary repairs completed...  New bottom paint and sanding finished, sails inspected and repaired, wind instruments, the list is long when you speak of a racing vessel embarking on a 2300 NM journey.  She is back in the water and ready to race.  Huge thanks to the team that could make it to this round of maintenance!

 

  This is a testament to the saying that the first race is to the start line. 

 

 

It is time to introduce Team Turicum for the upcoming Southern Straits, Swiftsure and the Vic Maui 2014!  We have a well rounded crew and are getting into the groove as we work as a team.  In no particular order, here is a quick introduction to each Team member...

Steve Small has been an avid cruiser for the last 30 years.  He began sailing off the coast of Newfoundland with his father when young.  When he moved to Vancouver 25 years ago, he and his wife Leslie have remained ardent sailors ever since.  His career as a professional engineer on large infrastructure projects in Canada and internationally gave him the opportunity to sail Australian waters during a 6-year ex-pat stint Down Under.  Wishing to hone his open-water skills for future adventures, he is very excited to undertake his first Vic-Maui race and become an active part of a team planning and undertaking this major crossing.  Steve currently owns a 37' Hunter Legend, his second boat.’

 

Grant Brandson

Started sailing dinghy as a youth in Bermuda.  Took cruise and learn course in Vancouver in 1992 on “Late Bloomer” up to Desolation Sound.  Sailed Gulf islands and local waters since that time.  Have also experienced sailing in B.V.I., turks and Caicos, and aboard Maxi yacht, ”British Defender” in Australia.  Doing Vic Maui has been a lifelong dream and am looking forward to the challenge and experience.

Ray Parent

I have been sailing for the better part of my 60 years.  I have owned a C&C 30 and now a Catalina 36 MKII since 2005.  I have about 15 years club race experience on a Santana 30/30, Express 37 MKII, and San Juan 27, as well as 8 years at WIRW, and 1 Swiftsure.  My bluewater experience consists of Maui to Port Angeles (2004), Vancouver to San Diego (2009) and Tahiti to Hilo (2010). I have served as Commodore for Point Roberts Yacht Club and am a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver. I believe it is rarely possible to be more content & peaceful than when at the wheel in a fair wind with the sails set & trimmed enjoying my favorite Cohiba.

James Howard

I first learned how to sail 10 years ago after purchasing a Race rigged Kirby 25.  I sailed this Kirby all through the gulf Islands and BC coast.  Sailing mostly single handed for years and then bringing my two boys up sailing out on our playground which we call the Juan De fuca.  Have always been drawn to the sea whether it was with my power boats in the beginning to enjoying scuba diving and certified as a Rescue Diver.  Trained through the MED courses including Marine Fire Fighting.  Currently working on a refit of an Albin Vega which I intend to spend a few years on Sailing Mexico and beyond to the South Pacific to chase the sun.  The Vic Maui will be an amazing experience and great opportunity to get a taste of Blue Water Racing.  Sailing is a passion and a way of life.

Lew Forth

Lew worked as Charter Skipper, delivery skipper and instructor to Yacht Master Offshore level years with Sailcraft  for 6 years and as Training co-ordinator and senior Instructor for Nanaimo Charters & Sailing School for 7 years. He has 50 years of recreational, commercial & marine experience. This includes 5 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, crew boat, small tug and dozer boat operator in the forest industry and skipper/crew of a commercial fish boat.

He has served as a paramedic and trainer with the British Columbia Ambulance Service and as an Industrial First Aid instructor.

He has also skippered a number of yacht deliveries Nanaimo to San Diego, Victoria to San Francisco and Cabo San Lucas.

Lew also has years of racing experience that includes 1 Vic Maui, 19 Southern Straits, 20 Swiftsures, 4 Van Isle 360s and numerous club and VARC. races.

Experience: Over 30,000 nautical miles

 



Lana Krause

I've been sailing for over 25 years, from dinghies to keel boats.
I've cruised in the Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound, the Carribean and Thailand.
Been racing locally for about 15 years, and am excited to be taking my racing skills to another level as crew on Turicum for the 2014 Vic-Maui race.

June Arnett - CEO

Hale’s other(better) half, Turicum’s official Pit Princess and Galley Goddess. 

Growing up in Alberta, far from the ocean, experiencing the three seasons –  snow, mud and bugs – June wisely migrated west toVancouver.  
After meeting Hale and realizing that he and boats were going to be a permanent part of her life, she took up sailing in self-defence.  Best cruising trips have been to Haida G’waii and chartering in the British Virgins, and Swiftsure has always been a favourite race.   After many Vic-Maui races from 1998 on as support and shore crew, and maintaining that a 747 was the only way to go to Hawaii and back, June will be on the delivery crew bringing Turicum home after the race.  She’s looking forward to logging the ocean miles and sharing the experience with her other (better) half.  When she’s not in the pit making sure not to drop the spinnaker pole on the bowman’s head, she’s a high school teacher in Vancouver.

 

And of course, our Skipper!

 Hale

Hale first became involved with boats at the age of 4 when he "borrowed" a 14ft. canoe. Although he was unable to sit down for a week, his passion for boats was undiminished. After spending several years in power boats, Hale was introduced to the world of sail in 1961 and made the transition by crewing on various boats for about 10 years until he got his first sailboat.  The next several years were spent sailing his Thunderbird and crewing on boats of various sizes in several local races before building a new boat and becoming a sailing instructor. 

After sailing Crew’s Control to Alaska in 1992, the racing bug bit and the rest is history.

The next few years saw wins in local races topped off with division wins in Southern Straits, Swiftsure and most of the local distance races in the area. 

In looking for greater racing challenges, the only logical step was the Vic-Maui race which resulted in the purchase of Turicum, a C&C 44.

After spending 3 years getting ready, Hale entered the 1998 Vic-Maui race and was rewarded with a 3^rd place finish in their division.  Over the next 16 years Turicum has competed in 7 Vic-Maui races with a record of one 3^rd place, three 2^nd place and a 1^st place finish in division.  In 2008 Turicum also finished 2^nd overall.

Getting ready for our first real race --

We have been racing in the Rowing Club's winter series as we have assembled our crew. Last weekend we pre-sailed the Southern Straits race --- well we sailed until the wind quit and left us sitting off Nanoose.  The night sail was fantastic with a beautiful sky filled with stars.

We will be sailing this for real on Good Friday -- just hope the wind doesn't abandon us.

Van Isle 360 - Sailing the outside of Vancouver Island

Our 2013 Van Isle 360 by Christof Marti 

In an attempt to get all of our blogs onto the same "page", I have inserted our 2013 Van Isle race that Chris Marti wrote.   

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Van Isle 360 - Sailing the outside of Vancouver Island

Up Goletas Channel, over infamous Nahwitti Bar and around Cape Scott - this is the start for the off-shore legs for the Van Isle 360.

Light winds prevailed again for the first part. Just around Cape Sutil a couple of fin whale played in the wake of Turicum for a while.

It was a long and slow night for us in light winds with the current against us. Arriving late & tired in Friday Harbor the crew did not get much rest. This ultimately led us to retire from the next leg to Ucluelet when light winds again suggested a long and tiring two nights at sea.

Having retired from the Winter Harbour to Ucluelet race we arrived early morning and had a wonderful day away from the race circus. 

Some of us explored the Amphitrite Lighthouse while others went for a some more sleep.

With the batteries re-charged the crew was looking forward to sailing in the forecast strong northwesterly breeze promised for the leg to Victoria.

Off we sailed to in a light breeze towards the Juan de Fuca Strait. The wind built slower than expected but around sunset rose steadily to a good 20+ kts. The spinnaker went up and we had a fantastic sail down along the Canadian coast towards Race Passage. At 1 am we screamed through Race Passage overtaking other boats and sprinted towards the finish line.

What a great adventure and what an achievement for the crew who until that moment never saw much more than 10 kts of wind, let alone in the middle of the night with a spinnaker up.

Well done everybody and we look forward to the final leg through the Gulf Islands, sailing towards Nanaimo.

Christof Martihttp://www.simplysailing.ca/1/post/2013/06/van-isle-360-sailing-the-outside-of-vancouver-island.html

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Van Isle 360 - Day 6: Last leg on the inside

Leaving Telegraph Cove is always difficult. Such a beautiful spot with a rich history. The old boardwalk connecting all the houses and the the the former saw mill is still there.

After the start we enjoyed the usual light winds. We were having issues with the wind instruments. This made it difficult to sail the boat at it’s optimum. There were also some issues with the running rigging. To add insult to injury we got “stuck in a hole” an hour after the start.

Up goes Daisy our “wind-seeker”. We run a poll guessing at how long it would take for the wind to get up again allowing us to set a “proper” sail. The estimates ranged from an optimistic eight minutes to the doom and gloom estimate of one hour. Caroline, one of our charming “pit princesses’ guessed eight minutes one won. 

Seven minutes after sailing into “no-wind-land”: The wind got stronger and up went the #1 jib . Seven minutes does not sound like much, but it was enough so we had to watch the fleet sailing away from us.

Finally the wind filled in for us as well and we had a great time sailing towards Port Hardy. With nothing to loose we were experimenting with our new jib (a 3DL sail by North Sail) and had a ton of fun with that. 

We were doing countless, small adjustments and watching the boat speed after each adjustment. Fascinating.

Tomorrow we are off to our first overnight let around Cape Scott and hopefully enjoy decent wind on our first off-shore leg.

Van Isle 360 - Day 5: Missed the current

Another day that started with light winds and fighting the currents. 

A botched gybe and a run in with a tug & tow made us miss the favourable current and we got behind. Later in the day the winds picked up and we had some great sailing up Johnston Strait. The wind got up to 20 knots and for the first time we had to get our #2 jib up.

Lots of fun and fantastic crew work made this a great sailing day.

Another salmon BBQ awaited us in Telegraph Cove.

Van Isle 360 - Day 4: A race for the history books

This race few will ever forget. Most boats left Campbell River around 6 am to make it to the start in Deepwater Bay at 8 am. This early start was necessary to get some favorable currents through Seymour Narrows. 

Seymour Narrows is famous for the blasting of “Ripple Rock”. This rock cause so many shipwrecks, that it was finally decided to blow it up and remove a dangerous hazard to navigation. 

A spectacular video of the blasting of Ripple Rock can be found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVQOvKh3IWY

After a light start, there was some wind and current in our favour. Close to to the finish line at Eden point the wind reduced to a whisper and the currents became vicious. Dozens of boats were piled up against the rocks trying to inch towards the finish line.

Having no steerage at all we bumped into Night Runner. No harm done, thanks to fenders. A little while later as we are drifting south, Night Runner caught a back eddy and they came screaming at us and we hit again. We did a full circle on an eddy line while Night Runner took another run at us. The scene was the same all around us. Some boats anchored, other boats fended off the rocks: Carnage all around. 

Everybody had a great laugh but after a few hours of bumper car racing the fun was over and we all headed for the fish farm where a gourmet salmon dinner waited for us. 

Needless to say no one finished in our division.

Later that night we were invited by Ede & Gunnar Jonsson for a Margarita Party on their boat Havoc (SR 33). Somehow 32 people piled into Havocs cockpit. Amazing. Danny served the best Margaritas and I could not help thinking he was trying hard to get us drunk to have less competition the next day.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Van Isle 360 - Day 3: Spectacular Race Start 

6:30 am - French toast breakfast at the marina. The sun was up and a light breeze was blowing in the Strait.

At the start line there was about 10 kts of wind from the Northwest. The pin end was clearly favored and all the boats were jockeying for a good starting position. 

9 am, the gun goes off and..... general recall. The line wasn’t square and too many boats were over early. So we tried again.

This time all boats had a clear start and off we sailed towards Cape Lazo. The winds were from the Northwest and after a good start we had fun sailing with the other boats in our division. 

The wind was reasonably steady and most of the fleet tacked along the coast line towards Campbell River. 

Later in the day the wind veered north and eased. As we approached Cape Mudge the current was against us and in the light winds many boats would drift aft. With the time limit of 6 pm approaching quickly it became apparent that most boats would not finish within the timeline. Having had a good day, but disappointed about not being able to finish we retired along with most of the fleet and motored to Campbell River.

We are hoping for more wind over the next few days.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Van Isle 360 - Day 2: Sailing into the top 10

6:30 am - the alarm goes off. 7 am Pancake breakfast at the dock. The wind is blowing at 10 - 15 kts from the Northwest, just like all the different weather models predicted.

We decided to leave the dock early and getting into race mode. These were conditions Turicum (our C&C 44) should thrive in.

8:55 am - the first gun for the start went off. We are in a much better position than the day before and head off north. A few boats decide on the inshore route close to Vancouver Island. We went to the right of the course. It was great sailing. The crew work was fantastic, communications were clear and everybody was focused on sail trim.

We were right in the groove and made good speed. This was champagne sailing: Sunny, a nice breeze and right along with other boats in our division: Night Runner, Cu na mara, Hana Mari, Zulu and others. It was great to be that close to other boats and being able to see the effect of each trim change as we measured boat speed against our competitors.

From driver to plumper: After having helmed for a good hour a little less glorious task was to take care of a blocked waste line. After a good half hour mocking around hoses, chocker vales pieces of hose and hose clamps we had a functioning head again. Half a bottle of bleach to care of the mess after the repairs.

Back on deck, I realized the wind eased a bit and the speed was down somewhat. Still, we were making good progress towards the finish line. We were neck on neck with Havoc and Night Runner. Both boats were lower than Turicum and we were pulling ahead. Then the boats ahead of us launched spinnakers. Among them Amazing Grace and Papillon. We got Zelda on deck, our light weight A-sail. Up she went and away we pulled from Havoc and night runner.

To our disgust the wind went further and further aft, favoring the Havoc and Night Runner who were both lower than us. It was painful to watch as both boats pulled ahead of as and managed to get across the finish line just seconds before us. Nothing we could do at that point.

10 place for Turicum - a vast improvement from day one. The crew was happy and we celebrate with wine and pizza at the back of the boat in Comox Harbour.

A huge thank you to Marilou and Breda of the Amazing Grace team who drove us to Courtney, were we had to pick up the pizza. Without them the day would not have ended as wonderful as it did.

This was a demonstration of great sailing spirit: Amazing Grace, our nemesis on the water but part of the big Van Isle family once we are tied up to the dock! 

See you all on the water tomorrow!

Van Isle 360 - Day 1: Nanaimo - French Creek

The wind forecast called for light winds. Some model predicted a south easterly wind while others called for a north westerly. This made for interesting conversations during the pancake breakfast put on by the Salvation Army.

Initially, indeed the wind was from the SE, but while racers prepared the boat for the start at the dock the wind backed to the NW. With the wind almost on the beam, most boats started with a spinnaker. 

Of we went, a little lower on the starting line than we were hoping. Once around Protection Island we change to our #1 jib and headed north. We were well placed in the fleet and had a great sail.

A few sail changes and gybes later we saw ourselves further back in the fleet. It looked like we were not quite in race mode and a few things went slower than we were hoping. Light winds can be very unforgiving and once we got behind it went from bad to worse as the wind got lighter and lighter.

We were still having a good time sailing against some of the other boats at the back of the fleet such as Amazing Grace and Rubato.

As the wind slowly died, so did our hope to finish the race and we had to use the iron spinnaker to get to the finish in French Creek.

Not a great race for us, but the spirits are high and with a few changes on how we will manage the boat during the tomorrow’s race we hope to be competing again for a much better finish.