In the three days before the 28th Malaspina Regatta, which was held on Saturday, July 1, the weather had been calm with only a light four- to five-knot breeze from the southeast. Discussions had even been had on the possibility of having to shorten the course, as the forecast was saying it could be even lighter and dropping further in the afternoon.
It therefore came as a complete surprise to the skippers when they woke to find a steady 15-knot wind gusting to 20 knots from the SE!
This year a record number of 30 boats showed up on the start line, where conditions were so rough that the committee boat Sonoran Sea was unable to anchor. Some of the shippers decided it was going to be necessary to reduce their sails by reefing their mainsails, and partly furling their genoas. Two skippers decided the conditions were not to their liking and withdrew. The start was a little ragged with a handful of boats getting away to a good start, leaving others trailing behind.
The first leg of the 10-nautical mile triangular racecourse goes out to Hospital Reef. As the boats reached open water, the swell increased and the wind had built to a steady 17 knots. The first boat to reach the marker was Wings II, followed by Elua Makani.
The second leg was almost straight downwind, and would normally have seen a flourish of colourful spinnakers. However, the sea state and the high winds resulted in no spinnakers being used. Most boats instead sailed “wing on wing,” where the main and genoa are deployed on opposite sides. After the beat out to Hospital Reef, this leg to Ackland Rock was more relaxing and allowed some of the boats to gain positions in the fleet. Elua Makani had also managed to overhaul Wings II to take the lead.
As boats rounded the mark at Ackland there were a number of interesting situations as some skippers misjudged their tactics. One boat ended up in irons (head to wind and unable to move), which lost them many places, and caused confusion to the skippers who were close behind and had to take avoiding action. Another boat misjudged the mark and ended up getting entangled in its anchor line.
The final leg back to the finish resulted in some boats tacking out into the straits while others stayed close to the shore of Nelson Island. The sea had become rougher and the waves were three to four feet in height, which favoured the larger boats, as they were able to cut through them. One of the participants, Lady Jane, an iconic Dragon class sailboat, was dismasted on this leg, but luckily no one was hurt. The Pender Harbour RCM-SAR, who had been following the race, was quickly on the scene and towed them safely into the harbour. Another boat retired when their sails tore and a fifth boat decided to withdraw as the conditions were too stressful for them.
The first boat across the finish line was Elua Makani skippered by Sean McAllister. The race is run on a handicap system, under which the first three places went to Bedlam II (Alan Slater), Wings II (Andy Paulus) and Free Spirit (Stu Harrison). The four Division winners were: Division AA: Elua Makani, A: Bedlam II, B: Frendy (Charlie Park), and C: Wild Side (Lorraine Wareham / Wayne Stremel).
Trophies were handed out at a barbecue held at the Legion in Madeira Park in the evening attended by 120 people made up of skippers, crew and their families and friends. There were also some 50 door prizes, which had been generously donated by 30 companies on the Coast as well as from the Lower Mainland.
– Submitted by David Twentyman
