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After the blow-out of Southern Straits the fleets took a kinder, gentler approach to racing with the False Creek Yacht Club BB Vancouver.com Spring Regatta.
False Creek is the smallest club in VARc, both by members and participating boats, but FCYC always well attended regatta's with some of the best race management in the Vancouver area. This year Division 1 didn't even attend the regatta - a substantial number of the usual suspects were still licking their wounds from Southern Straits. Division 2 more than made up for their absence with 16 boats on the line for some typical Div 2 close quarters cut and thrust. In the end, two Melgi 24's, Recidivator and Clumsy Ninja's, were on top which is a testament not only to the design but to how well sailed they were. The Matrin 242's also showed well with 11 boats on line. Podium honors were taken by Richard Spooner, Randy Vogel and Craig Strand. Division 3 had 8 boats with first place decided on a tie-breaker between Grant Brandlmeyer, Coho, and Andy Allan, Brigadoon. It was a tough fleet - 4 boats had at least one first place. The Farr 30's raced one-design in the regatta and Darren Burns, Idiopathic, beat Rich Alban Spiny Norman, by one point for the top spot. The Farr's were another foursome class with that many boats taking at least one win.
Next up was the West Vancouver Yacht Club HUB-TOS Halibut Bank-Popham Island Race with 35 boats on the line. The weather for the start wasn't promising - drifting conditions until just before the gun when the breeze began to fill in from the west. At first a few knots, then as the fleets began working their way to the weather marks the breeze built more, the clouds cleared. After the weather mark rounding, the breeze built more the fleet got to surf back to the finish in a building wind and seas. Boat control under kite became the watch words and some did and some didn't. By the end, the stragglers were making time on the boats ahead in absolutely glorious conditions. In Div 1, the close battle was a Farr 40, Gem, and 1D35, Carrerra, knock down decided by 16 seconds. In Div 2, one of the magic Melgi, Recidivator, managed to work its way through the slop in first, with Astral Plane and Absolute Kaos taking the other 2 podium positions. In Div 3 Jeunesse, Ragtime and Arashi were on the podium. div 5 had only three boats on line with Voila taking home honors. Div 6 was represented by six boats with Poudre d'Or, L'Artisto and Sam I Am taking honors.
Following the straight-forward race to Halibut Bank the fleet gets to do the annual circulation of Bowen Island in the Bowen Island Yacht Club's Round Bowen Race. This is one of the best attended races in Vancouver with over 100 boats on the line and it places a premium on starting, navigation, lane selection and dumb luck. This year the course went clockwise around the Island and the fleet had to drag itself around the southern shore in light to nothing breeze and a foul current. Once the fleet was around the southwest corner there was decent breeze all the way north to the top of the Island, where a parking lot appeared that swallowed a lot of boats. The fleet bunched up again and when each had laboriously and painfully worked their way around the corner, a stiff breeze beat back to the finish line. As usual, the results were all over the map but a good time was had by all.
The last weekend in June saw the first half of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club WAVES/Easter Seals Regatta where keelboats come out to play on the race course. The format was three to five VARC races for the initiated on Saturday, then a once-around-English Bay Easter Seals charity regatta for the less spiritedly inclined to finish the day. Sunday was a return to racing fanaticism with four or five more WAVES VARC races with centerboard boats of all kinds racing the following weekend.
The Easter Seals Regatta is intended to raise money for the Easter Seals charity, with all kinds of ways for sailors and racers to donate and participate in the giving. Royal Van put on a great show for the event and raised buckets of money for charity doing it.
The WAVES Regatta is a VARC can regatta and this year was held with participation in one-design and handicap classes. The surprise was that 74 boats were on the starting line with depth of participation in almost every fleet. One design classes included, Stars, Martin 242's, J-24's, Cal 20's, Dragon's, Melges 24's and Farr 30's. All of the OD classes had the best-of-fleet contenders on the starting line and competition was tough. The surprising strength of the one-design fleet was evident with 10 Melges 24's, 12 Star's and 16 Martin 242's on the line. Almost every Farr 30 in Vancouver was also on the line as were a good portion of the Cal 20's. The common view that one-design racing in Vancouver is dead seems somewhat exaggerated. In the handicap fleets, VARC Divisions 1,2,3 and Level 72 were also out in force.
Saturday was a Chamber of Commerce Day - sunshine, lots of breeze starting at 10 knots and building to 20 at the end of the day, flat water and really mean competition. In the one-design classes 5 races were sailed and everyone had enough sailing for one day. The only dominance in any of the fleets were posted by Steve Fleckenstein in the Stars and Kathy Neumeyer in the Martin 242's and Andrew Hamilton in the Farr 30's. Everybody else had their podium positions up for grabs at the end of Saturday's racing. In the handicap fleets, three races were run followed by the Easter Seals Cup. In the first three races, Division 2 was led by Dave Cross in his Olson 30, Black Ice, with 3 bullets while Adam Korbin held 3 firsts and a second in the Level 72 fleet. The other fleets had a mixed bag with all the podium positions in play.
On Sunday, racing resumed in earnest with five races on the one-design course and four races on the handicap course. The weather was cold and blustery, just another great day for racing. There was enough competition to keep everyone on their toes and with all the podium positions up for grabs except the Division2 win, no one was backing off. Lots and lots of sailing lessons and the rules were explained pretty loudly on the start line. Pretty normal top-end racing and a lot of boats did better on the second day than the first. Notably, Dave Cross won Division 2 with his throw-out being a first place. In Division 3, 2 points separated first from 4th which could be considered tight racing until you look at Division 1 where 1 point separated 1st from 4th and both 1st and 3rd were decided on tie-breakers. Now that is close racing.
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