A blast of the horn, and they were off like a herd of turtles.
The 19th annual Malaspina Regatta in Garden Bay last Saturday had a record number of competitors this year, with blazing hot weather and a wind that couldn't decide whether to blow or not.
"There was hardly any wind at the beginning and none at the end. It filled in the middle though," said Tom Barker, Garden Bay Sailing Club member and event organizer.
Sixteen sailboats and two trimarans took to the Malaspina Strait in a fun race that clearly showed the shape and make of the boat can alter the outcome. Boats were classed into four divisions to account for the variance in hull size and sail power.
A trimaran is a three-hulled boat that sits mostly on top of the water, making them speed demons in a race. Their start time was delayed by 30 minutes, and yet both trimarans and their crews had caught up to the bulk of the boats within minutes."Cariad Bach goes like stink, 'cause there's nothing in the water," Barker recounted.
The legendary Occam's Razor returned for the 2008 race after being absent last year. Even though they pulled up to the committee boat roughly 50 minutes after the rest of the field had started out, Occam's Razor heeled out to sea with gusto, catching the elusive wind in its sails.
"It's a ho-ha when Occam's Razor competes," added Barker.
Long-time sailor Noli Samaras said the sailboat is made of a high quality, lighter material than the average pleasure boat and needed a larger crew to operate the sails, also made from lighter materials than regular sails. He said you get what you pay for as he watched Occam's Razor quickly moving in on the sea of white sails in the distance.
Occam's Razor, skippered by Rick Reynolds, was the overall winner, repeating past performances, but Barker said nobody seems to mind. The Reynolds crew is fun and friendly and good sportsmen to have in the race.
The race wrapped up with a barbecue at the Pender Harbour Music School and 18 happy crews. Everyone finished the race this year.
