“What I really want is for people to go home
Passage. A few gluttonous individuals,
including half of the crew of the 1D35,
and need a vacation because they had such a
Shrek, were planning to simply swap
from two hulls to one, with a keel, and
good time on their vacation…”
keep racing. But no doubt they secretly
enjoyed the unplanned lay day.
...said Whidbey Island Race Week for race week are more dependent on (Note: along the lines of Race Week
organizer, Gary Stuntz, of Clear Ahead tides than formal organization. Either changes, Stuntz is contemplating the
Marine Productions. Thank goodness way, the sunset came later this year and expansion of a Hobie “pre” regatta idea
this year’s event was powered by title the days were warmer than in years and introducing a dinghy-type event for
sponsor ‘Ohana Harbor Coffee! past. the weekend before. Keep checking the
Most “race week” events around the What sets 'Ohana Harbor Coffee Whidbey Island Race Week website at
country have been reduced to a long- Whidbey Island Race Week apart is www.WhidbeyIslandRaceWeek.com for
weekend event of three days, but here the spectacular setting. Penn Cove is a more information this fall.)
in the great Pacific Northwest,
we have our hardy outdoorsy
reputation to uphold. If you are The entire J-105 fleet line up beautifully at the start.
going to go for it — go big. Photo by Borrowed Light Images
And this year was big
indeed, with 94 boats spread over
10 classes, including two pure
one-design starts, with three to
four races per day, per class (only
two on Friday to leave time for
protests and boat haul-outs) for
a total of 11 to 12 races per class,
and well over 100 starts and
finishes for the race committee
to keep track of.
Most importantly, for the
27th year, Whidbey Island Race
Week, has always been, and still
is, a full five days (six if you
count the kick-off party Sunday
night). If skippers and crew were
looking to get their money’s
worth, they did. natural sailing amphitheater tucked into Monday was a good day to work
When Stuntz took over the organiz- the belly of Whidbey Island with easily off any pre-regatta jitters. Although
ing of Whidbey Island Race Week two accessible beaches and Coupeville dock's the race committee wisely realized that
years ago, he had some big shoes to fill. red barn pier offering clam chowder, ice there just wasn’t enough steady breeze
Bob Ross and Stan Stanley had been cream and front row viewing for even to set a course, there was just enough of
running the show for a long time. Stuntz the sailing neophyte. With the Olympic a flukey easterly to get in a few practice
has already begun to introduce some Mountains standing guard to the west, sets, gybes, peels and tacks.
fun, new elements. The most obvious and Mount Baker watching from the east, Tuesday was a different story with
change was non-sailing related, but just there is no better place to spend a week of three long races completed for all 10
as important to the race week ambiance. one’s precious summer holiday, whether classes. The boats returning to the marina
This year Stuntz brought the Oak Harbor on a boat or watching from shore. well after 6:00 pm, unloaded spent, yet
Yacht Club volleyball courts inside the Although every year seems to have satisfied crews.
“rum tent,” or rather, expanded the one windless day, this year was unusual “We got a little overly ambitious
perimeter of the fence (there hasn’t been in that it fell on the first day of the week. and set a longish course which went a
an actual tent in years) to include the Monday’s no wind day was no doubt bit longer than we expected,” explained
volleyball courts themselves. Another welcomed by the Hobie sailors who had Corinthian Yacht Club-Seattle PRO
nice change was holding the event one just put in a full weekend of cat sailing Charley Rathkopf, although the race
week earlier this year, although the dates out in Penn Cove and adjacent Saratoga committee had nothing to apologize for.
Whidbey Island
Race Week 2009
48° No r t h , Au g u s t 2009 PA g e 57
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