Nanaimo city dock and the sight of 41 sailboats adorned with colorful battle flags and abuzz with activity. Photo by Joshua May. “The biennial Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race,


circumnavigating British Columbia’s breathtaking Vancouver Island, was an epic journey of experience and exploration.”


The Van Isle 360 InternationalYacht


Race is divided into ten distance legs, passing along Vancouver Island’s beautifully rugged landscape and among its plentiful marine habitats. Along the way we were joined by eagles, whales, porpoise, dolphin and orca. The culmination of each leg offered moments of pause to experience and explore the Island’s colorful history and unique culture. Counted among a handful of consecutive multi-leg distance races from around the world, The Van Isle 360 is unique among them. Offering variable conditions and a race venue like no other, The Van isle 360


48° NORTH, AUGUST 2011 PAGE 44 by Joshua May


can be considered North America’s “Great Race.” In its eighth year running


since 1999, the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race once again attracted the finest sailboat racers of the Pacific Northwest. Forty–one sailboats and well over 300 sailors amassed for this year’s two week, 580 nautical mile odyssey around Vancouver Island. Wayne Gorrie, one of the founders of the Van Isle 360, commented that this was the most competitive fleet the race has seen since it began. For many, the race was an opportunity to test their determination, endurance and navigational savvy. For all, the


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