Pacific
Rim Sailors in Hot Contest
After
nine races over four and a half days, the Russian crew from Nakhodka held
a three-point lead over the Canadians from Royal Vic Yacht Club and a
four-point lead over the Americans from Bellingham. The trophy appeared
headed to Russia.
The biennial Pacific Rim Challenge Regatta
brings together six yacht clubs from around the Pacific. The others are
Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The regatta started in 1990 in Bellingham
as an offshoot of the Goodwill Games that were held in Seattle that year.
Each country takes turns in hosting the regatta, which includes providing
home stays and plenty of social activities for visiting crews and their
supporters.
The 2002 regatta was hosted by the Bellingham
Yacht Club from September 7-14. The host club chose J-36s, loaned from
owners in Bellingham and Seattle, for the competition. The six crews drew
lots for a boat for the first race and then rotated after each one.
"We had decent winds on the first
two days, but later they became very light," commented Gerry Porter,
one of the Canadian crew. "We thought we had forced the Russians
onto the wrong side of the course three times and each time they picked
up a shift and won. So much for local knowledge," he added. But in
the last race, the Canucks, with Sandy McMillan at the helm and Jan Olsen
calling tactics, kept on the right side of the shifts to win. The best
the Russians could do was fifth and that gave the Canadians a one-point
victory to take the regatta. Third place went to the host club whose hopes
for victory were dashed when they finished fourth in the final race.
The next regatta will be held in 2004, at Nakhodra, Russia.
"Allez Ellen,
a Donf"
Thirty-four single-handed monohulls left
St. Malo, France, on November 9, to race across the Atlantic in the
Route du Rhum race, sponsored by the Rum Producers of Guadeloupe. The
next day, 26 multihulls followed. Though French sailors continue to
dominate the sport both in numbers and results, a clear favourite, even
among the French who cheer her on with the cry "Allez Ellen, a
donf," is the English sailing sensation 26-year-old Ellen MacArthur.
She's racing Kingfisher, the Open 60 in which she placed second in the
2000 Vendee Globe, the around-the-world single-handed race.
Writing in Yachting World, Ellen expected
over one million spectators to converge on St. Malo to ogle the yachts
and watch the start. With modern boats, the favoured course is to stay
close to the rhumb line and beat through the stormy North Atlantic,
rather than follow the traditional route of heading south to pick up
the trades. In the last Route du Rhum in 1998, in which Ellen won her
class, she said conditions were so rough that she kept her survival
suit on for the first seven days. There are two other female skippers
in the race: Miranda Merron from England, sailing an Open 60, and Anne
Caseneuve from France, sailing a 50-foot trimaran.
Among the 15 percent of non-French entrants
is Canadian Mike Birch, sailing the Open 60 Ex-Uunet. Built in 1989,
she's one of the older boats and also has a checkered history. She's
been dismasted, sunk and lost her keel, but on the positive side, she
completed a solo around-the-world race against the prevailing winds
in 151 days, just shy of the record. She will not be as fast downwind
as more modern designs.
Multihulls, mainly trimarans, are the
speedsters. In 1998, the first trimaran finished in 12 days and eight
hours. The first monohull took 18 days and 22 hours. Check the results
at www.routedurhum.org.
Christmas is
Coming
Don't know what to buy your sailor for
Christmas? Here's what the pros suggest. Paul Taylor from Trotac Marine
recommends the Henri Lloyd offshore racing jacket. At $862.50, it's
pricey, but Paul says it's the cream of the crop, 100 percent waterproof,
100 percent breathable and comes in red or mustard yellow. For a stocking
stuffer Paul's choice is a Sealine Drybag, Baja model, for valuables
such as a cell phone. At $32.75 it floats and keep the contents dry.
From Bosun's Locker, Paul Betts suggests
a Seatack Weather Station for $265. Hang it on the wall and follow barometric
pressure, temperature and tide changes and let it forecast the weather
for your day's sail. "Every sailor will love Sharon Greene's Ultimate
Sailing calendar, at $17.95, for a stocking stuffer," says Paul.
ProMarine binoculars for $299.99 is the
recommendation of Earl Williams at All Bay Marine. "They're filled
with nitrogen to give a very clear image," Earl says. "It's
like digital TV compared to the old tube." For a stocking stuffer,
try a Swedish stainless steel knife with a fluorescent-orange handle
and sheath for $14.99.
Leslie Greenfield of Boater's Exchange
says they have several brass bells in stock, in a range of prices, that
could be engraved to make a unique present.
December
Racing Events
Dec. 7, Frostbite (Dinghy), RVIC; Dec. 14, Hot Rum Series I-4, RVAN;
Dec. 14, Frostbite (Dinghy), RVIC; Dec. 26, Rum Race, THSA.
January
Racing Events
Jan. 4, Hot Rum Series II-1, RVAN; Jan. 18, Hot Rum Series II-2, RVAN.
