Tacoma Yacht Club
Winter Vashon
W
inter Vashon started off with the out into the middle, taking the rhumb Island. Eventually everyone was able
boats arriving all week, most line for the south end of Vashon Island, to put up their spinnakers and sail on a
arriving on Friday afternoon and the while others tried to play the Point hard reach toward Point Robinson. The
evening of December 4th. As always Defince beach to get some current relief. winds were a little unsteady with some
Tacoma Yacht Club hosted a great party There was more wind out in the middle boats seen broaching, but they quickly
with beverages and dinner provided although a large tidal out flow slowed recovered.
to the racers. This year Ullman Sails their progress. As the fleet approached Point
and West Marine sponsored the event. As the racers approached Colvos Robinson, the winds started to lighten
Ullman Sails provided free t-shirts for Passage the winds clocked around to the up. After passing the Point, the bulk
the participants, while West Marine southerly direction. At this point the fleet of the fleet headed across the channel
had a great raffle and gave away lots spread out across the passage, with some to the Browns Point side. As the fleet
of prizes. vying to get to the Gig Harbor side, while progressed toward the finish the winds
Saturday morning the sailors were the bulk of the fleet played the middle. A filled in more, allowing the fleet to make
greeted with fog, and little or no wind. few boats even choose the Vashon Island the final push for the finish. The boats
The race committee postponed the start side. Those that played the Vashon Island that played the Browns Point side had
for about an hour until the fog started side or the middle found a little more a little more wind and made out a little
to lift and the wind filled in from the wind. As the fleet jibed back and forth better than those boats that played the
northeast. This year the race committee up Colvos, the winds became extremely middle.
started the race on the water, about light and variable. Boats were searching The first boat to finish was Dragonfly
200 yards east of the clubhouse, from a for zephyrs to propel them ahead. skippered by Richard Ackrill and Pat
power boat named Orion, owned by Peter As the fleet approached Olalla, the McGarry, followed by Carl Buchan in
Stanley. This provided a better starting racers could see the wind coming down Madronna. Unfortunately, Dragonfly was
platform and kept the racers out of the from the north. The boats that were on not able to sail to their rating and finished
way of the ferry traffic. the Gig Harbor side got the wind first. last in the multihull class. The multihull
The first start was pulled off at 9:20 The wind continued to build as the fleet class was won by the F-27 Danger Zone
which sent the cruising fleet on their tacked back and forth toward the north skippered by Jim Thompson. Carl
way. This fleet consisted of 16 boats in end of Vashon Island. Some boats even Buchan in Madronna corrected out in
two classes, flying sails and no flying shorted sails as they neared the north first place in Class B, followed by John
sails. The rest of the fleets had to wait end of the island, but the bulk of the fleet Leitzinger and Ken Marks in Kuhuna.
30 minutes before the committee would hung on to their big sails and played the Class G, the slowest racing fleet,
start them. main during the puffs. pulled off a clean sweep of the top
The winds at the start of the race Upon rounding the mark at the three overall places. Fandango, a T-Bird
were light and variable, from an angle north end of the island, the racers were skippered by Jamie Storkman out of
that allowed all the racers to pop their only able to crack off their sails a little Gig Harbor Yacht Club claimed the first
spinnakers and reach for the Colvos while they continued southeasterly to overall honors, followed by Mark Brink in
Passage. The bulk of the fleet headed finish rounding the north end of Vashon Lady Bug finishing second overall, while
48° No r t h , Ja N u a r y 2010 Pa g e 78
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