of Schooner Cove Yacht Club’s Race Around the Rocks Regatta. The two regattas merged for only a few moments, just enough time to exchange greetings and share our mutual love of the sport. The 22.1 nautical miles (nm) race would lead us to the first stop on our journey, the fishing village of French Creek, BC. French Creek would offer the fleet a chance to gather, recap the day’s events and celebrate a perfect start to the Van Isle 360. Each port of call offered the


participants of the Van Isle the opportunity to visit the surrounding area and support local communities. At each stop the community opened its arms to us and made us all feel at home. We all agreed at the end of each visit that we all wanted to stay just a little longer. Leg two 28.6nm to Comox, would


require the fleet to make their first major tactical decision of the regatta. Sail out the Strait of Georgia around the Denman and Hornby Islands or take the inside route through Baynes Sound. Richard Ackrill from the formula 40 catamaran Dragonfly, mentioned that, “If the conditions are right, the wind


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funnels down Baynes Sound and the water is flat, perfect conditions for a cat.” The fleet chose the outside with a building breeze. Many headed east to Lesqueti Island around Sisters Islands and one of the Straits most picturesque lighthouses. The second leg finished just outside


of the Comox Sandbar, which is often impassable at lowtide. Once past the Sandbar, we set our spinnaker for a grand finish at the marina breakwater, and caught our first glimpse of the vibrant community of Comox. Framed between the snow capped Beaufort Mountains to the west and the Strait of Georgia to the east, the sight was picturesque, with shoreside activities such as water skiing, youth sailing and paddle boarding. Steve Crowe, the race organizer,


worked tirelessly to organize this year’s regatta. His efforts have been much appreciated by the fleet as a whole. In addition to the daily finish awards, Steve gave out what he called, the “Spongee” Awards. These awards were handed out for the day’s mishaps, misfortunes and any general folly that befell the fleet. The third leg would beat north 28.2 nm to Campbell River. The boats that


sailed the furthest east would find more wind and favorable fleet position. Dave Warren with three generations of his Family on the catamaran Dolphin Dancer, commented that with our third day of plentiful breeze and warm sunshine, “It doesn’t get any better than this in the Strait of Georgia.” The finish at Campbell River that afternoon proved amazing as we beat along the shore with current driven speeds up to 12 knots. As we passed the finish buoy, it looked as though it would tear from its anchor in the current. Campbell River as the gateway to


Strathcona Park, the Discovery Islands and the remote areas of North Vancouver Island would be our last outpost of commercial civilization. In the early morning hours of day four, the fleet made its way north through Discovery Passage to Deepwater Bay. As we passed around Race Point and through the Seymour Narrows with its famed Ripple Rock explosion, we barely made enough headway, experiencing the strong tidal currents of the narrow inland waters. To each side lush hillsides and ruggedly beautifully mountains towered over us. The surrounding shore was lined with ancient weatherworn rocks and conifers. Leg four from Deepwater Bay


24.5nm to Hardwicke Island would be one of the most trying and the most breathtaking of the races. The fleet started to weather with a strong breeze and the continued gift of sunshine. Doug Fryer’s Knight Runner would end up giving Dragonfly a little bump at the start to help them along their way to a new course time record. As the breeze steadily built to a gale, we experienced a wet and wild ride through Johnstone Strait. Martyn Adams’ trimaran Ruff Duck, would lose its mast during the race. The fleet’s Canadian Coast Guard escort and Andre Wojcieszek’s OD35 Radical Departure, stood by to assist. Kevin Welch’s Icon stood by at


Eden Point as the temporary finish boat while the race committee fought the wind and current to get on station. As we finished wet and tired just south of Hardwicke Island, we caught site of our accommodations for the night. Our stop, nestled in the fiord of Chancellor Channel, would be the Hardwick Island Salmon farm. Surrounded by floating metal grates and large netted saltwater


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