It was another successful Malaspina Regatta -the 21st annual edition on Saturday, July 3 - with ideal conditions resulting in 21 very happy skippers and crews.
The course was triangular and in the middle of Malaspina Strait. The start and finish lines were between Pearson and Martin islands with the start a bit crowded with the 21 boats trying to find the right place on the line with a very light SE wind to assist them.
The first leg of the course was 2.5 miles to a marker in the middle of the strait and the second leg just south of Cape Cockburn. The wind gradually increased to about 10 knots and produced a good selection of coloured spinnakers on the second leg with a lot of tacking on the last leg to the finish line. The total length of the course was close to 10 miles with the first boat taking three hours and 10 minutes to complete.
The first two boats to finish were both Martin 242s with skippers Dave Pritchard on Seven and Ron Badley on Blast. Third boat was a Spencer 1330, BC Navigator skippered by Tom Barker.
The final results are based on a handicap system that allows for adjustment to the boats' finish times according to boat length and are divided in four divisions. See the full results in the sports ticker on page A30.
After the finish, boats and crews proceeded to Fisherman's Resort and Marina, tied up to the docks and took part in a get together with refreshments, barbecue and presentation of awards. Just under 100 skippers, crews and friends enjoyed the food and reflected on the day.
-Submitted
