Van Isle 360 Race- Leg 10 Victoria to Nanaimo and it is finished.

The 10th and final leg of the Van Isle 360 is a 60 NM race from Victoria to Nanaimo. It is a challenging course. There are many options for sailing the course through or around the Gulf Islands: Boundary Pass, Active Pass, Porlier Pass and Dodd Narrows. Some, like Dodd Narrows, are big gambles. If the wind doesn't cooperate, you may not be able to sail through before the current opposes your progress.

This leg started Friday afternoon at 1500 off the Ogden Pt breakwater. It was blowing from the south at about 15 knots. We had a good start and a close reach along the shore toward Haro Strait. The current was flooding nicely and boosted our speed by several knots.

After sailing into Haro Strait, the wind came aft and we set the chute. We reached toward San Juan Island and then ran along it's western shore. We originally had planned to sail the longer, more conservative route through Boundary Pass, but when we passed Turn Pt on Stuart Island, the management started thinking about sailing the same route through the Gulf Islands that a lot of the lead boats were doing. Since we were at the bottom of the scoring sheet, a late decision finally prevailed and we headed east through Boundary Pass and into the Straits of Georgia.

The winds were light and variable most of the night and the early reports had most of the fleet stalled at Porlier Pass with adverse currents. Toward morning, the wind filled in from the east and we had a great spinnaker reach along Valdes and Gabriola Islands. We jibed at Entrance Island and we could see Nanaimo and the finish. But wait! The wind took this opportunity to go away and we set for several hours between Gabriola and Protection Islands. About 0830, I gave up the struggle and went down for a nap and within minutes, the wind filled in for the other crew and we sailed across the finish line Saturday morning at about 0930. Some of our competition tried sailing through Dodd Narrows and were stuck. As a result, we moved above the bottom of the standings. Leg 10 and the Van Isle 360 was over for 2011.

The dock was in full party mode with many of the crews still around. We went to a restaurant for a last crew breakfast. I then walked to the Greyhound bus terminal and caught the 1245 bus to Victoria. Of course the bus arrived in Victoria just a few minutes before the 1500 sailing of the Coho left for Port Angeles. I knew I would miss it and I did. So I went to a Starbucks for WIFI and then caught the 1930 Coho. After retrieving my truck from my cousin's house, I finally arrived home at 2345. A long day!

Here are some of my random thoughts about my Van Isle 360 experience:

It was busy! The days were full from early morning until evening nearly everyday. With boat prep, racing and then boat cleanup, finding shore side lodging, eating, etc. there was not much time left to explore.

Preparation is vital. Lennart(the owner) prepared Sjora well and had the necessary spares that we needed to keep her operating smoothly.

Shore support. In the early legs, we were short of shore support. We bummed space on other teams for our shore gear. Later when we had a vehicle and driver, I appreciated how well things could work. Thanks again Kim! One small team did not have any shore support. When we offered to help them by hauling some of their gear, their quality of life improved immensely.

Shore planning. Marion did a stellar job at arranging the shore accommodations. I originally thought I would stay mostly on the boat, but when I stayed in hotels, B&B's and Condos, I was able to destress and relax.

Van Isle 360 community. So many of the crews had done this race many times before and knew each other. It was like a large extended family, although a bit dysfunctional! Everyone helped each other with shore support, repairs and loaned equipment. I met a lot of people. Some I already knew, a lot I didn't.

The windy leg from Winter Harbor to Ucuelet. This was a challenging leg for a lot of boats. Some world class offshore sailors said that it was one of the worst beats they had seen. That says a lot. Boats were damaged, but fortunately nobody was injured and all but one boat made it safely to Ucuelet to continue the race(Tripp Tease had extensive sail damage and withdrew back to Port Hardy). I appreciated the Roll Call process that the Coast Guard implemented and the Coast Guard ship that shadowed the fleet. I think I weathered the conditions well. I did not feel ill. I was damp and cold at times, but surprisingly it was not that bad even with the water washing over us all the time. I was even washed down the deck once by a big wave coming onboard. Some of our crew did feel sick and one was incapacitated the entire time. As a result, I had to put in some extra time on deck and we did not have enough personnel on deck at times. After I got home, one guy at my marina(who has never done this race) made some comments that we should be expecting those conditions, so what was the big deal. History shows that this was somewhat unusual conditions. You had to be there.

Sjora Crew:

Lennart-Thanks for taking a chance on me. The boat was well prepared and capable.

Rob-It was great sailing with you. You ruled the foredeck well and I could always hear you! Just wished you had more stories to tell me at night in the ocean when I was having troubles staying awake!

Marion-Once again, your logistics support and planning was outstanding. I liked your mainsail trimming capabilities(we both were not afraid to let the traveller down) and wished we could have sailed the offshore legs together.

Bob-I saw you progress as the race went on and you gained confidence. You became a good spinnaker trimmer and with your "kung-fu" hands, you were a fast tailer.

Daragh-Your navigating duties, wind and currents analysis were outstanding. You kept us in the current flow and maximum VMG to the mark. Now if those darn helmsmen wouldn't be chasing lifts and headers....

Ole-You had Sjora pointing higher than anyone else. You also demonstrated how to "heave to" in big waves and wind. Even if you did not intend to!

Don-We did not click, but you made good lunches.



The finish at Nanaimo.



The crew of Sjora in Nanaimo. Lennart(in the front middle), Left to right: Ole, Daragh, Don, Rob, Bob, Me. Marion sailed with us to Winter Harbor and is not in the photo.