A record 106 sailboats participating

in the 2010 Race to the Straits, a two day distance race from Shilshole to Port Townsend and back, making this one of the most popular races in the Northwest. The racers found themselves at the mercy of failing winds and extreme counter-currents in the mornings, and heavy winds with high seas in the late afternoons. The fickle weather of May 1 and 2, combined with minus low tides, prevented all but two boats from finishing a complete 30 mile leg the entire weekend.

western shore. The wind diminished as faster boats started later under spinnaker. Localized zephyrs peppered the

surface of the sound, eventually favoring the westward yachts. The flood tide began before noon, causing most to seek current relief. A few early start boats, who took advantage of the ebb to creep up to the south end of Whidbey, appeared to remain stuck in place while flying their chutes. A handful of others chose the easterly “great circle” route, hoping for a

Sloop Tavern YC

Race to t

"I think this is the first time in the

race's history that most of the boats didn't finish the full course on both days," said Bob Foulds, race scorer. "In my prior two races, someone in every class finished the full course." The RTTS, sponsored by the Sloop

Tavern Yacht Club, is the largest single and double-handed regatta in the Puget Sound region and perhaps the west coast, according to Christopher Butler, race chair. It is also the second most popular annual sailing regatta in the Northwest, in boat attendance, behind the Swiftsure International Sailing Race. In the past, the RTTS has usually

been a warm spring sail, with consistent winds and reverse starts throughout Saturday leading to a gathering of boats finishing closely together at Point Hudson that afternoon, where a much appreciated banquet and after-party at Port Townsend's American Legion Hall is completed with an awards ceremony. Sunday, the second day of the race, ends in front of Shilshole Marina. The 9th anniversary race, however,

was mostly a race to the Double Bluff buoy off Whidbey Island for both legs, due to light winds both mornings. Boats rounding this halfway mark as rules specify, report this time in the event that the full course cannot be completed. The overcast weather on Saturday

morning yielded a light southerly and a favorable ebb for early starters, whose spinnakers showed boats dispersing northward from mid channel to the

48° NORTH, JUNE 2010 PAGE 54

he Straits

favorable push. Meanwhile, to the west, boats jibed northward under spinnaker up the shoreline, taking advantage of wind shifts, current eddies and local pressure zones. The convergence zone emerged and with it a lull and a change in wind direction. Spinnakers disappeared and careful duels of short tacking under jibs commenced. By 2:00 pm, boats were spread out

over 10 miles and it became difficult to see where your competition was. The wind seemed arbitrary, with boats to the north travelling east under spinnaker, boats to the east finally getting a push northward under spinnaker and boats to the west all under jibs, approaching Point No Point at northerly angles. A few lucky souls cut across the

channel from PNP, following the meager lift and heading north across the channel in a dead run for Double Bluff. A dozen boats converged from the west and the south. With a contrary current running hard at the DB buoy, some boats found it difficult to round. Anglers in skiffs trolled in a loose

group off Double Bluff, with sailboats running in and out as the wind decreased. At this point, it was fairly obvious that completing the full course was not going to be an option and many boats began motoring north. Racers would discover that the

RTTS time limit (7:00 pm) would expire before finishing the course on Saturday. Building winds in the late afternoon caused boats to endure hours of upwind

arrived as late as 10:00 pm, preventing a full report of Saturday's winners at the after party awards announcement, normally a highlight of the evening. However, enough was known at that

time for race chair Christopher Butler to award Saturday's overall double-handed win to Ryan Storkman's T-Bird Fandango. Saturday's single-handed overall went to John Wilkerson's Pearson 323 Quest. Sunday presented an overcast sky

once again, with light south-easterly winds at the start. The majority of boats sailed for the Indian Island shore for a shoreline lift and push toward Marrowstone Point. At the point, it was clear to see the

infamous ebb tide rip, a veritable line in the water throwing four knots at anyone who dared cross it. Tuesday was the first to approach by a long distance, but just could not gain enough traction. After trying a few times, they decided to anchor for an early lunch. It wasn't long until the west side boats gathered for a restart, milling about inside the vortex of the point, some of them grounding on the sand and employing their engines. Many boats tried to barrel up

above the point, only to be pushed backward, inside the back eddy to gather momentum for another try. Starboard tackers were forced to yield to those stacked up on port, simply because their windward sisters refused to abandon their positions. Meanwhile, a large minority of boats decided to cross to the Whidbey

beating in three to five foot seas, just to reach their destinations. The heavy weather even caused

a few boats to retire from the entire race and return to port. Others needed towing assistance to their moorages in Port Townsend, due to either mechanical problems or inadequate engine horsepower. The winds of Saturday evening,

which reached about 30 knots from the north, hampered the arrival of racers into Port Townsend, as well as their reported Double Bluff rounding times. Boats Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98