Olympia Yacht Club & South Sound Sailing Society T oliva Shoal


It was cold, to be sure, with ice on the docks and on the boats, but there was no precipitation. Sixty-eight boats, including 20


cruisers, were at the start line for the third of four Southern Sound Series races. By 10:20 am, all had received the starting signal and had begun the 19 nm beat and reach to Toliva Shoal, powered at the start by a 15-17 knot northerly. Josh Larsen, at the helm on Lunch Box


in Class F, described their start. “It seems like, since we got the boat in January


This year’s Toliva Shoal delivered lots of wind and a clear, sunny sky.


of 2009, we have been trying to catch up to Sidewinder. For the beginning of this race, we set up for a boat start right above Wildflower. They ended up being over early. When Sidewinder tried to stick their nose in the gap between us and the RC boat, we released the jib 10 feet and luffed up with 8 or 10 seconds to go and shut the door on them, in the process teabagging all the guys on the weather rail. It worked out, though, because for a brief period we were ahead of them. The first leg was a lot about connecting the puffs. Kotuku started below us and well clear astern, but once the puffs


started coming, they pulled ahead rather quickly, and we could hardly see the bird on their main sail.” It wasn’t long after the start that the


wind increased to the high teens and low twenties. The seas were covered in white caps and there was some spray. For awhile, we saw 22-24 knots. The full 37.4 nm course of the Toliva Shoal race is quite challenging as it zig-zags through about 11 major headings. On the beat heading northeast in


Dana Passage, with 20 knots, there were some close encounters as boats crossed paths. On one such tack, Wildflower on


48° NORTH, MARCH 2011 PAGE 48


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