Seattle Yacht Club Protection Island Puget Sound is dotted with colorful spinnakers sailing north. Photo by David Andrew The Seattle Yacht Club’s Tri-Island
Series kicked off this last May with race number one of its three part “Grand Tour” of the Puget Sound. Seven classes competed in their choice of three distance courses. The long course, 79 miles to Protection Island, would have eighteen sailboats competing in three PHRF classes. The 35 mile short course was set to south Whidbey Island and the Double Bluff buoy located just offshore. With three classes, the short course competitors would prove the swiftest fleets of all. The racer/cruiser course, also sent to Double Bluff, consisted of the remaining two classes. Each year the long course alternates
between Smith Island and Protection Island. Both island courses offer their unique challenges and sea conditions. This year’s Protection Island course was fraught with variable wind conditions and strong tidal currents. The race was a veritable exercise in patience and shear willpower. Considered by many Pacific Northwest sailors to be the most challenging of the Sound races; many race to Protection Island as a crew warm up for the Royal Victoria Yacht Club’s “Swiftsure.” Protection Island, like Swiftsure, offers the rare opportunity to try your skill at distance racing while also experiencing the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest The long course to Protection
Island, often serves as an impromptu tour of the north Puget Sound and Admiralty Inlet. The course passes by many natural and historical sites. The picturesque north
48° NORTH, JUNE 2011 PAGE 56
Sound lighthouses of Point No Point, Marrowstone Point and Point Wilson mark the waypoints of the race course. The historic Fort Flagler and Fort Worden offer a distant view of the states early history. Along the way, plentiful sea life and birds are just yards away as the fleet boats make their way up the shoreline. Groups of small porpoise often follow the boats and come alongside to say hello. Even the rare pod of Killer Whales can sometimes be spotted. The race began on Saturday morning
with a light and variable southerly breeze. Most of the fleets split either east or west to find beneficial wind and current. Aboard Steve Travis’ 1D48 Flash
Patrick Colletti's “Good as Gold” and Greg Larson's “Lunch Box,” head up the Sound towards Protection Island. Photo by David Andrew.
we made for the west shore while Kevin Welch’s Icon stayed just east of center with the plan of catching a northeasterly building breeze. As we approached Point No Point, the south breeze began to wane and the convergence took over. I was sent aloft to the top of the mast in search of a breeze and a better view the course positioning. Aloft, I had the perfect view of the race course. Icon and Jonathan McKee’s Riptide 44 Dark Star accompanied by several short course boats caught a building northerly just inside of Useless Bay on the east. The breeze stalled to the north leaving us and the remaining fleet adrift. The breeze slowly rebuilt its pressure and we were able to find bridges of wind to reach the tidal rip along Double Bluff. It was at this point that our race-long boat-for-boat battle with Greg Slyngstad’s Kernan 44 Wasabi commenced. The strong tide at Double Bluff can be passed without losing too much ground, but it requires going dangerously close to shore. A subtle chaos ensued as both long course and short course boats compressed at the point and tacked for relief. The short course boats having arrived at their rounding, were off on the run south. Leading the short course group was Paul Faget with his swift and nimble Sierra 26 Dos. The next goal for the long course
fleet was making it to Protection Island in very light breeze. Protection Island is situated two miles north of Diamond Point and five miles northwest of Port Townsend. The island sits as the protector of
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