The Garden Bay Sailing Club had the most perfect day to hold the 26th Annual Malaspina Regatta. This year’s race was thought by all who took part in it to be the best that they could remember.
This year 22 boats registered for the race, ranging from 27 to 42 feet in length, and were split into three classes. For once the full fleet was able to complete the 10-mile course, unlike in previous years when the winds were too strong or too light, which resulted in boats withdrawing. The sky was clear and there was a gentle breeze from the southeast, although the forecast was calling for winds in the 15 to 20 knot range, with the likelihood of gusts up to 25.
When the skippers reached the start line they found a rather confusing situation as it was skewed at a very sharp angle to the first leg. This also provided a certain amount of levity as skippers called in on their VHFs asking which way they were supposed to cross the line. Up to the first warning horn, six minutes before the start, the wind had remained rather light, which resulted in a very slow and confused start. Only a few boats judged it correctly. But the breeze slowly filled in, and the race was on.
Most of the fleet headed directly towards the first mark placed at Hospital Reef, while a few headed north up the Salish Sea as they saw a northwesterly wind filling from that direction. To a layman, it must have appeared rather strange as the two groups sailed away at right angles to each other. For those taking the direct approach, the wind remained lighter, and the current swept them slightly further south than they would have liked. Added to this, the wind was very variable in strength as well as direction as it veered from SE to NW. The first boat to reach the mark was Peregrine IV with Stephen Beagle at the helm, followed closely by No Name (Sean McAllister). By this time the wind had turned into a steady 15-knot northwesterly.
The second leg was to a mark placed to the northwest of Acland Rock off Nelson Island, a distance of about three nautical miles. The fleet had been split into a fairly compact group of five at the front, three in the middle, and the balance relatively closely bunched further back. As the boats closed in on the mark the conditions became blustery with gust of around 25 knots hitting the fleet, and many boats were heeled over to the point that water was washing their decks. The lead had also changed with No Name now showing the way.
The third leg of the triangular course was downwind, but saw only two boats raising their spinnakers. This leg felt like a holiday by comparison to the first two as skippers took full advantage of the following wind and sea to sail wing on wing. Towards the end of this leg a pair of orca swam up through the fleet passing close by to many of the boats – what a treat.
In the evening, club members and friends gathered at Fisherman’s Resort and Marina, in Garden Bay, where those skippers who still had the energy took part in dinghy races. These were followed by a barbecue dinner, and the handing out of many door prizes, which had been generously donated by companies on the Coast.
The evening ended with the awarding of the race trophies. The divisional winners were: Division A - Stephen Beagle in Peregrine IV, Division B - Charlie Park in Frendy, and Division C - Diana Valiela in Yippee-Ki-Yae. The Legion Cup for First Across the Line went to Sean McAllister in No Name. The Power Squadron Trophy for First Overall on corrected time was given to Stephen Beagle in Peregrine IV.
