race was an opportunity to make new friends, gain new sailing experiences and, above all, add a new chapter to the story of our lives. Most of us begin a sailboat race


with some degree of anticipation and, depending on how often we have done a particular race, a certain amount of expectation. This would be my first Van Isle 360 and uncertain of what to expect, I was brimming with anticipation. On Saturday morning as I approached the Nanaimo city dock and the sight of 41 sailboats adorned with colorful battle flags and abuzz with activity, my anticipation built for what the next 16 days would hold in store for me and the crew of Steve Travis’ One Design 48, Flash. On June 4th, a mass of spectators,


family and friends gathered to see the fleet off from the Nanaimo visitor’s pier. Each boat was introduced as it sailed out along the pier in preparation for the first race. The fleet was divided into four divisions based on each boat’s PHRF handicap rating. The multihull division had the longest participating fleet in the history of the race. All ten legs of the race would have the fleet starting as a whole


Leg 1: Nanaimo to French Creek. Photo by Joshua May.


each day with 10 minutes to jockey for position along challenging start lines. Each start would prove exciting, with leg one’s start setting the bar high. Leg one began with a spectacular


spinnaker set and a broad reach 1,000 feet to Gallows Point rock. Headsails quickly replaced spinnakers as we all turned the corner of Gallows Point and prepared to beat north along Protection and Vancouver Islands. As the fleet traded short tacks along the craggy shoreline we were met with cheers from Vancouver Island residents. The


boats that took the greatest risk along the shallow waters for relief against the strong currents of the Strait, saw the greatest forward separation from their competitors. Ian Loyds’ CM 1200, Raven, would find itself a little too close to the rocks and as Ian put it, “We didn’t hit a rock, we hit an island.” Aboard Flash, we soon found


ourselves sailing amongst the quaint Yeo and Winchelsea Islands and, to our surprise, in another regatta. Along with us, the majority of the fleet found themselves right in the middle


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48° NORTH, AUGUST 2011 PAGE 45


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